Reign of Fire

Starring: Matthew McConaughy, Christian Bale, Izabella Scorupco, Gerard Butler
Directed by: Rob Bowman
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Fantasy, Science Fiction
2002

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: Workers in London uncover a buried chamber housing a giant, firebreathing dragon. The dragon soon spawns others, and soon, the world is overtaken by them. Years later, an American soldier (Matthew McConaughy) and a British survivor (Christian Bale) try to track down the male dragon responsible for it all.

Review:

Tim: Reign of Fire isn't bad because of its premise. I actually love the idea of dragons reemerging in today's world, and causng a great deal of destruction. The idea might be fantastic and far out there, but I was on board. The problem is that Rob Bowman's movie just isn't very good.

There are a number of problems with this film. I didn't necessarily balk at the idea of one dragon quickly turning into millions, but I admit I did wonder how exactly this was possible. I would have liked more details on how this was biologically possible, but this was only a slight flaw for me. I suppose I bought the idea that dragons consume ash, and for that reason, set the world on fire. All of these things together require a great effort at suspending disbelief, but I was mostly able to do this.

The cast isn't exactly great. I love Matthew McConaughy's character looked. With the bald head and the giant goatee, he was a frightening character, and I loved it. I liked his performance somewhat less. McConaughy gives an over-the-top performance, but it never really clicked in the movie. I thought he was weak at best. Christian Bale does a fairly good job. I liked the scenes between McConaughy and Bale- these two are enjoyable actors, and they worked well together. I also enjoyed a small appearance by Gerard Butler. Years later, if you said there was a movie with McConaughy, Bale, and Butler, I would totally be there. Unfortunately, this movie was the result.

The special effects in this film are pretty impressive. The dragons are truly massive and frightening. The male dragon is something to behold- there is a terrific scene where you see how much larger the male dragon is compared to the females- this was astounding. The story and the characters were fairy disappointing, but the special effects are pretty good.

Reign of Fire is the type of moie I would normally like. I love the idea of a modern day battle of men v. dragons. However, the movie itself just isn't very good. There's not a compelling reason to care about any of the characters. Nothing really exciting or memorable happens in the entire film. And, there are some pretty big plot holes and gaps in logic. I wish I could have liked this movie more, but I never felt anything while watching it. I just shrugged it off.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: U-571, Dragonheart, The X-Files, Sahara, Terminator Salvation