Dragonslayer

source: Dragonslayer

******Warning, Spoilers******* While by no means a great film, suffering as it does from wooden acting and some pretty annoying music, Dragonslayer is somewhat better than the rest of the early 80's sword and sorcery films and for fans of the fantasy genre is worth watching for several reasons. Firstly, the look of the film is very close to the Lord of the Rings trilogy - a dirt-under-the-fingernails, earthy realism combining costume and set design which looks like it could have existed in the sixth century with sweeping shots of the Welsh and Scottish locations where the film was shot. Curly haired Peter MacNicol even looks like a Hobbit! This is all a world away from the muscular heroes, scantily clad damsels in distress and fake looking weapons and armour in most fantasy films of the time, and interestingly foreshadows the look of Peter Jackson's trilogy. As an example of this, if you can find it, check out the mocked up trailer for a supposed Peter Jackson production of The Hobbit which has been floating around on the net - it's interesting to note how well the shots from Dragonslayer used in the trailer fit in with the footage from The Fellowship of the Ring. (As an aside, the other film which Dragonslayer reminded me of was, bizarrely, Monty Python and the Holy Grail - the title sequence and plinky plonky music could almost have been lifted directly from Holy Grail, and the shots at the end with Ralph Richardson standing on top of the mountain are almost laughably close to the Tim the Enchanter scenes, probably due to very similar locations being used in both films, both being shot on the Isle of Skye in Scotland.) Secondly, the film explores some interesting themes, principally the spread of Christianity in sixth century Britain and the consequent decline of the old pagan ways, represented by magic, and for that matter, dragons. The fact that to destroy Vermithrax the source of magic in the film must also be destroyed is quite a clever metaphor for the changes of the times the film is set in. This is very similar to some of the underlying themes in Arthurian legend, so fans of Excalibur may want to check out Dragonslayer for this reason. Lastly, an honorable mention must go to Phil Tippets wonderful, stop motion dragon effects, which still look great today - again, they don't look at all out of place on The Hobbit trailer. It's easy to see why ILM was nominated for a special effects oscar in 1982 for Dragonslayer. Anyone bored with modern CGI should check this out - I can't help but wish that ILM had gone back to these kind of effects for at least some of the special effects shots in the Star Wars prequels. Ultimately, Dragonslayer was a brave attempt to do a realistic fantasy movie, being set as it is in the real world and concentrating on character development for long periods of the film (the dragon hardly features in the first hour). However, it doesn't quite succeed, mainly due to wooden acting, the wonderful John Hallam excepted, and somewhat unengaging direction. Also, the ridiculously jaunty music at the end is completely at odds with the tone of the rest of the movie. Still worth checking out for fans of fantasy films though. Rating - 6/10

I was also one of those who saw this in the theaters more than once when it came out and I urged all of my friends to see it and some of them did take my advice. Story is about a village that sacrifices young maidens to a dragon that has been marauding the countryside. A group from the village travel to see a sorcerer named Ulrich (Sir Ralph Richardson) and ask him to slay the dragon which he accepts but is killed by the King's sheriff. Ulrich's young apprentice Galen (Peter MacNicol) decides to step in and agree to the task with the help from a magical amulet. The village is headed by King Casiodorus Rex (Peter Eyre) who has a lottery where the name of a young girl is picked for the sacrifice for the dragon but the King doesn't put his own daughters name in the drawing. *****SPOILER ALERT***** Galen is taken to the dragons lair and he causes a rock slide and he believes that this has killed the dragon but as it turns out it didn't and it comes back to wreak havoc so the King quickly starts up another lottery. Meanwhile, Galen has fallen in love with Valerian (Caitlin Clarke) and her father has made a mighty sword that hopefully can slay the dragon. Galen and his weapon head into the dragons lair to try and kill it but he quickly finds out that this dragon is going to be harder to slay than expected. This film is directed by Matthew Robbins who never really had a great career as a director but he did have some success as a writer but he can be happy with this film because it's still considered the best dragon flick to date. Disney and Paramount got together to make this and the special effects by Industrial Light and Magic are just terrific and still stand up today even though effects have changed with CGI. The DVD transfer suffers somewhat and the studio's should definitely digitally remaster this film and re-release it on a special edition DVD. What makes the effects stand out is that they brilliantly made sure the dragon moved like a dragon would and it crawls like a bat or a lizard and it adds greatly to the reason why this is the best of it's kind. Robbins also does the right thing by not allowing the audience to get a good look at the dragon except in glimpses and it builds the chills and excitement until we finally do see the dragon. The film looks great from the wonderful location shots in Scotland to the dirty hovels that people lived in during those times. Richardson is a joy in a role that is to small but he makes the most of it with a lot of Latin muttering and lines like "Do you have anything to eat"? One of the highlights in the film (For me, anyway) is Clarke as the love interest and I was always charmed by her tough but attractive performance. She still pops up every once in a while in small roles but this was her largest role in her career and last I've heard she teaches at a college in Pennsylvania. Probably not a great film as it does lag in spots but don't let this sway you because this is a fun film and one hell of a dragon!

This is without a doubt the worst fantasy film I have ever seen. There are at least five completely illogical things going on in this film, none of which I can discuss here without spoiling the film. These are not disbelief-suspension issues (i.e. I'm not talking about the fact that there are no such things as dragons, or magic)--all of these are stupidity issues. The plot makes no sense as a result, and the film is a miserable failure. The lead actor, Peter MacNicol, appears to be a total cheeseball. Even if the movie made sense, it would be unwatchable because of him. The special effects are nothing special. I am familiar with special effects of 1981, and they were nothing special by that year's standards either. By 2007 standards they are laughable. The good reviews here are baffling. This is obviously a failure. Here is an example of a truly bad film. One of the few films to which I have given a 1 out of 10, but this one truly deserves it. Do not waste your time or money with this. Any other fantasy film you can think of is probably much better than this one.

This movie benefits from an interesting plot, a wonderful female character played by Caitlin Clarke, and good plot twists. I'm not a big fan of the male lead; his looks are a little average and uninteresting to me. The only other drawback are the ugly hats characters wear in this film. However, what makes this movie unique are its visuals, which through creativity and hard work, outshines many fantasy movies of the 90's and early 2000's. This film proves that it doesn't need 21st century technology to make a beautiful and visually complex piece. As I watched the dragon, it was easy to tell that it was not real; it had flaws in its appearance and its movements were not perfect. But that did not detract at all from the film, because what made the dragon impressive was the artistic elements of its design; its many layers of thin, translucent membrane, its finely chiseled and formed teeth, and the almost charcoal-like, tough scales on its hide. In many modern fantasy movies, the creatures and dragons are uninspired, dull, and drab, despite the computer engineering behind them. In the 80's, directors had to be creative to produce their desired effect, and this creativity went a long way in producing visuals that both wowed audiences with their appearance and the thought of the work that went into making them.

An intelligent Fantasy movie. The 80's produced many good fantasy movies but this one stands above the rest. The special effects (by ILM, same folks who did Star Wars) are superb. This is the best Dragon you have ever seen on screen. The cast is a mixed lot. Some are obviously trained stage actors while some are very fresh (i.e. new to acting). Fairly good performances from all nonetheless. The plot is top notch. This is not simple minded hack and slash. So if you want some mindless action flick, go elsewhere (preferably over a cliff). The plot moves slowly and you have to pay close attention to details or else you won't get it. In fact the the first time you watch it you may think you see some errors. They are not. Keep watching and all will fall in place. This is a movie which rewards the patient. And it rewards them exceedingly well. Enjoy!

Dragonslayer is a great fantasy film. The special effects hold up fairly well even today. The dragon is just a model and it looks fantastic. I was only 9 years old when I saw this film and it has stuck with me ever since. There are great performances and the direction is tight. The set design is also done well. Dragonslayer has a great atmosphere and you won't forget the image of the dragon rising from the water behind our hero anytime soon.

Fantasy movies such as this are non-existent these days. Gimme back the days of The Dark Crystal, Jim Henson and the Gremlins. For a family movie this is also very straight-faced too. There is not much humor in it, but that only adds to the overall weird tone. The story is of a wizard apprentice called Galen (a very young Peter MacNicol) who goes on a quest to slaughter a Dragon terrorizing the people of Urland (Ireland maybe?). There are long moments of quiet and a strange atmosphere brewing around the whole movie. It looks and feels quite unique. No doubt this is owed a lot to the fabulous widescreen compositions, visual effects that range from not bad to surprisingly good and stunning scenery and locations. Indeed the mood of this film is something I've never come across in a fantasy film. Plus for a film that is rated a simple PG, there was quite a lot of graphic gore, violence and even slight nudity. Surprising, but it adds to the boldness of the production. You would never get a family movie like this these days. I will take Dragonslayer over Harry Potter anytime. Filmed in Panavision, the 2.35:1 anamorphic picture looks really great in most scenes but in others there is a small problem with the black levels. The soundtrack has been remastered in Dolby 5.1 and it is surely loud and forceful. Unfortunately there are ZERO extras. Which is a shame, because for a film like this, I really want more.

With the name Disney attached to a sword and sorcery/fantasy romp, many genre purists might be filled with immediate consternation as they visualise in horror the possible 'cute' connotations. Fortuitously, the understandable apprehension that this may well induce actually proves to be entirely unfounded however, as this movie is about as far from Pete's Dragon or any other Disney fare as is humanly imaginable! What we do have here, is an excellent movie with top notch production values, awesome special effects, a fine cast, and a very dark story. The dragon itself is without doubt the best ever committed to celluloid (a much better design than the CGI one in Dragonheart) and proves to be hugely menacing and destructive as it incinerates everything in it's path. The actors to, all put in excellent performances and it's particularly great to see such a fine piece of casting in the form of the late great Sir Ralph Richardson as the wizard Ulrich. In fact for such a role there has surely never been a more appropriate choice of actor other than of course, Peter Jackson casting Sir Ian McKellen to play Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. For fans of sword & sorcery and fantasy movies in general, this really is an absolute must see!

After the death of his wizard master, young Galen wants to kill a giant dragon that terrorises people all over Urland. To secure a peaceful living, people have to sacrifice virgins to the horrible fire-spitting beast. How can Galen, who still isn't even a real wizard, beat the dragon? This movie coming from Walt Disney, I was worried it might be too lighthearted to be a really good fantasy film. Luckily, I was wrong! There are surprise deaths of cast members and even some scenes of gore, helping to create just the right kind of atmosphere. The special effects here are really excellent and hold up very well to today's CGI spectacles. Also, the Dragon looks absolutely incredible. The movie probably would have benefited from a more remarkable musical score, the kind of which a Basil Poledouris might have composed. Still, this is a must-see fantasy film, almost in the league of "The Lord of the Rings".