Eragon is a 2006 fantasy-adventure film with lots of CGI effects but it didn't come anywhere close to The Lord of The Rings success trail. Instead, it was named the 10th worst reviewed film of 2006 on Rotten Tomatoes, and the 31st highest grossing film of 2006 in the States. That aside, I was only interested in Rachel Weisz who lent her voice for Saphira the dragon. She'd make one hell of a hot dragon among their kind. The film is loosely based on the novel with the same name by author Christopher Paolini. The film was directed by Stefen Fangmeier (his directing debut), who had previously worked as a visual effects director on Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events and Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.

Eragon is a farm boy in his late-teens who lives in a small village named Carvahall in the fictional and magical country of Alagaesia, where dragons and other magical creatures wander. One day while hunting, Eragon finds a dragon egg from which hatches a blue dragon named Saphira. Eragon decides to keep Saphira a secret, but a pair of magical creatures called The Razac are sent by the King of Alagaesia, Galbatorix, to find Eragon and the dragon. Eragon flees home, and later returns to find his uncle Garrow murdered by the Razac. With vengeance in his heart, he sets out on a journey to avenge his uncle. Accompanied by a wise storyteller named Brom, Eragon and Saphira take up the legacy of legendary Dragon Riders. He learns magic, swordfighting, and dragon-riding to fulfill the legend of the dragon riders and his destiny, to help over throw the Empire and it's tyrant king, Galbatorix. Eragon is also given a mighty sword named Zar'roc by Brom. Frankly I slept through half the film cause the storyline is so predictable. The only merit of the fantasy flick is the beautiful Zar'roc sword.

Zar'roc was originally created by an elf named Rhunon, the smith of the Dragon Riders. The sword belonged to Morzan, but was taken by Brom after his death. Before Morzan's death, Zar'roc was feared by many as his ultimate weapon. It also symbolized agony and betrayal, as Morzan had killed many Riders with Zar'roc. Brom gave the sword to Eragon, although he refrained from telling him the blade's history. The history of Zar'roc was eventually revealed to Eragon by Murtagh while they were traveling to the Varden. Eragon used Zar'roc to defeat Durza, a Shade of immense power, in the Battle under Farthen Dur. After defeating Eragon at the Battle of the Burning Plains, Murtagh claimed Zar'roc as his own, declaring that Morzan's sword should have gone to him, the oldest son of Morzan, and not Eragon, the youngest. "Zar'roc" in the ancient language means "misery".

As expected, there are several inconsistencies between the movie adaptation and the book. Zar'roc has a ruby embedded into the hilt, however in the Eragon film it instead is a sapphire. Morzan's insignia appears on neither the sheath nor the blade in the movie. The sheath is also black rather than wine-red, like in the book. What's more is that the handle of the sword is leather-black, not silver-wrapped like in the book.

The Zar'roc Sword of Eragon by Top Swords is one of the most eye-catching swords ever created due to the colour combinations used in its design. Just check out the image below and you'll notice instantly the red blade with a central ridge and the striking blue crystal pommel. The guard is casted as two dragon heads with long horns, and its surface is engraved to replicate the dragon's scale. The Zar'roc Sword replica has an overall length of 51 inch. Its blade is made of stainless steel with a central ridge. A wooden display plaque is included with the sword, not forgetting the cerfiticate of authenticity since it is a licensed reproduction from the movie. That alone will give you a hint of its price tag, get ready to part with at least $150.

If 51 inch is just too long for you (hehe), there is always the shorter sword set with a stand. And you get not 1, not 2, not 3, but 5 Mini Sword reproductions from the movie. This Eragon Mini Sword Set comes with 5 extremely detailed miniature swords - Zar'roc, Sword of Galbatorix, Sword of Brom, Sword of Arya, and Sword of Durza. Each measures an overall length of 12.75 inch. A custom display stand holds all the mini swords in place and a certificate of authenticity is also included.

Happy New Year everyone! This is my first post for 2009, and it's not about swords for once. I was surfing for cool gifts for the holidays like everyone else and stumbled upon several stunning items. But I would have to say one of the coolest is the Star Wars Interactive R2D2 Astromech Droid Robot. Check it out if you still have some budget left. Myself, I'm all dried out.


Bring Home Your Own Astromech Droid
Celebrate Star Wars 30th Anniversary by inviting this movie-accurate droid into your life. Once the loyal companion to Queen Amdala, this utility droid is programmed to be your devoted helper and friend. Help him get ready to serve you by snapping his steering legs into place and attaching the projector piece to his domed top. You'll need to use a Phillips screwdriver to insert four "AA" batteries and four "D" cell batteries in his side.

More than 15-inches tall, this sophisticated R2-D2 model boasts a secret cargo compartment, a unique swing-down utility arm that's also a beverage holder, a removable sensor scope, a working light beam, sound-processing microphones, and an adaptable droid mood-status indicator. Sonar navigational technology and infrared location sensors help make him one the most advanced droids around.


Take Advantage of Three Interactive Modes
Intergalactic missions will be more fun with a reliable droid at your side. In companion mode, R2-D2 responds to commands like "Go on patrol," "Light Beam," and "Play Message." Star Wars fans are sure to appreciate the accuracy of the messages, which are culled from famous missions he remembers.

You can even ask R2 about friends including Luke Skywalker, C-3PO, Darth Vader, and Jabba the Hutt. He has a different reaction to each name based on his "feelings" for the characters. And if you hit R2 on the head, he'll make irritated beeping sounds and try to move away from you. As you get to know your droid, you'll realize that the noises and motions he makes correspond to his "mood."

In game mode, R2 responds to more complicated commands. He'll act as a sentry to protect your important stuff, dance to cantina music, spin around, or play light tag. The third mode is the most complex. This command mode lets you give pointed directions that control R2's movements. Tell him to turn left and right or go forward whenever you want, or set a preprogrammed course for him to follow.

While R2 responded to simple commands with no problems, we had difficulty getting him to respond reliably to more complex requests. We trust that, like with any voice-operated electronic system, over time it will get easier to produce a wider range of commands that R2 consistently responds to. Until then, his movie-accurate look, the way he responds to simple commands, and the convenient beverage holder make him a fun comrade.


What's in the Box
Droid body, two steering legs, projector piece, telescope piece with sensory array, and an operation manual.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Luke Skywalker's lightsaber has been on Star Wars fans' Christmas lists for more than 30 years.

On Thursday, one fan spent $240,000 to get the real thing: the prop that Mark Hamill used in the first two movies in the original "Star Wars" trilogy.

The lightsaber highlighted several Hollywood memorabilia sold at an auction in Los Angeles by Profiles in History. The auction house said it sold about $3.5 million in memorabilia.

The droid helmet worn by Anthony Daniels to play C-3PO sold for $120,000, and the costume Marlon Brando wore in the "Superman" movie went for $72,000.

The first British edition of "You Only Live Twice" inscribed by Ian Fleming sold for $84,000. Roald Dahl's handwritten screenplay for the film of the same title sold for $96,000.

I observed a few visitors to my blog were searching for The Heaven's Fall sword from Hong Kong's 2005 'Seven Swords' movie directed by Tsui Hark. Yes, I do monitor my blog's traffic profile to see what visitors look for and try to fill in the 'missing link' whenever I can. I hope they come back again and find this post useful. Seven Swords was the opening film to the 2005 Venice Film Festival. Adapted from the Chinese novel 'Seven Swords of Mount Heaven' written by renowned Wuxia author Liang Yusheng, Seven Swords is also a tribute movie to Akira Kurosawa's infamous 1954 film 'Seven Samurai'. The film is the first of a planned trilogy and was originally four hours long before edited down to 153 minutes. There's even a Hong Kong TV series version, I only watched a few episodes cause Donnie Yen's not in it. Otherwise I would be glued to my TV set instead of my laptop.

The movie starts with Master Shadow-glow who leaves behind the mundane affairs of the world and goes hermit among the peaks of Mount Heaven. After spending few decades there, he became a great master of sword-casting and made seven prized swords. They were given the names The Unlearn, The Dragon, The Transcience, The Star-chasers, The Celestial Beam, The Deity and The Heaven's Fall. The seven swords represent the seven states of period and mind that Master Shadow-glow experienced on Mount Heaven. Each one of them bears a different meaning.

The Heaven's Fall sword had a unique origin. Master Shadow-glow practices austerity by casting swords and had over a thousand swords with different styles and functions. However, when these swords are compared with The Deity, they are inferior in both shape and spirit. One day, as usual, Master Shadow-glow was watching the clouds and mountains from afar. Out of the blue, a stream of clouds plunged down like a waterfall, drawing a frozen line across the sky. Master Shadow-glow suddenly was enlightened with the fact that The Deity is too primitive and is thus restrained in both shape and spirit. In a bid to break the confines of The Deity, Master Shadow-glow melted a hundred swords to cast The Heaven's Fall. The sword was later given to Wu Yuanyin.

The Heaven's Fall attack form is free-style and follows the mind of the swordsman who wield it. Wu Yuanying was initially unable to control the sword until she learnt how to free her mind. The sword is an elemental sword of water especially unique with a handle that resembles a flute. The holes in the handle respond to different functions, used to slide the blade from one side of the handle to the other. With its affinity to water, The Heaven’s Fall is extremely deadly when wet, as energy can be channelled into the sword and the water droplets on it be directed towards enemies as projectiles weapons. It is used most effectively together with The Unlearnt and The Star Chasers.

The Heaven Fall Sword replica by Topicool has three circle cut outs which allow the blade to be locked in place in the handle. The blade slides from one end of the handle to the other just like in the movies. The sword replica can even be used with the handle locked in the center of the blade, so you will get the blade coming out of each side of the handle (like a short bo with blades). The sword has an overall length of 40", blade length 27.5" and handle length 12.25". Blade thickness is about 0.125" and the whole sword weighs approximately 5 lbs.

This is my first video in YouTube. It's a simple visual guide to complement the previous post Japanese Katana Terminology for Movie Sword Replica Collectors.

Today I installed a new template for this blog, took me a while to get a hang of the hardcoded scripts but it's been fun and a great learning experience too. Let me know what you think and if there are any features that could improve your surfing experience here, please drop a comment.

Lightsaber week continues with the Luke Skywalker Force FX Lightsaber replica, the godfather of all lightsabers. Back in 77 when Episode IV: A New Hope opened, audiences all over the world was awestruck the first time Luke Skywalker ignited a lightsaber handed to him by Obi-Wan Kenobi. The lightsaber and its iconic humming sound has since became the most coveted sci-fi weapon of all times.

Luke Skywalker was played by Mark Hamill in the original Star Wars trilogy Episode IV: A New Hope, Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. Hamill also lent his voice for The Joker in Batman: The Animated Series. On 11th Jan 1977, a day before he was supposed to shoot one of the final scenes in Episode IV: A New Hope, Hamill was involved in a car accident and left with a fractured nose and left cheekbone. During his absence for surgery, a replacement double was used in the landspeeder pickup scenes. Later Hamill had a scar along his upper lip from the accident and this was clearly visible In Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. The film creatively attributed the scar to Luke's encounter with the wampa on the 5th planet in Hoth system.

The Luke Skywalker Force FX Lightsaberby Master Replicas is an enhanced glowing blue blade with realistic power-up and power-down light effects, thanks to a string of 64 super-bright LEDs that ignite sequentially inside the blade. Similar to the lightsaber replicas featured in previous posts, the Luke Skywalker FX lightsaber also incorporates motion-sensor controlled sound effects digitally recorded from the movie.

There are a total of 3 built-in motion-sensors to achieve better sensitivity, with 2 dedicated to detect movement while the remaining 1 sensor to detect impact on the blade. Both the sensor and digitally recorded sound effects work together to replicate an actual lightsaber feel during power-up, idling, swinging, clashing and power-down action. You'll need to source three AAA batteries because they are not included with the lightsaber.