I have read this book and part of Eldest, the sequel, and the only reason I understood the movie was becuase I had read the books. The acting was pretty good and it was actually a good film for children who aren't allowed to whatch gory moveis. The goriest part of the movie was when a carchter inserted his poisened fingernail into sombody's body, and another character's forehead. To sum it up it was a movie going a mile a minute and not explaining well