The fire and the furious (Reign Of Fire (DVD))

Member Name: Caradawn

Product:	Reign Of Fire (DVD)
Date:	27/08/02 (107 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Dragons, Adrenalin rush

Disadvantages: Some dodgy script

It is present day London and workers tunnelling underground hit a void. A young boy Quinn, whose mother is the supervisor there, goes into the void to investigate. There he encounters a dragon. They've just awakened it from hibernation and it's feeling a might peckish. As incinerates the tunnels and makes its way to the surface, it leaves Quinn as the only survivor.

Fast forward twenty years and dragons have multiplied and destroyed civilisation. Man's attempts to destroy them with artillery and bombs have only succeeded helping them. It is the dragons, as it turns out, who destroyed the dinosaurs and not a comet or meteorite as previously supposed. When they have destroyed all their food supplies they go into hibernation and let the world replenish itself.

Quinn is trying to keep a rag tag group of families alive in an old castle. Food is getting scarce for humans and dragons alike. Things are looking bleak for Quinn and Co. and their plans to try and outlast the dragons seem unlikely to succeed. Particularly as when their crop gets incinerated. Then along comes American Denton Van Zen, a modern day dragon slayer, with what's left of his army. He claims to have a way to destroy the dragons and wants the help of a reluctant Quinn.

A simple enough plot, but it makes quite a movie!

The start is a little bit off putting. The lines are wooden and somewhat unnatural, giving you the feel that you are about to watch a B movie. Luckily it gets much better; almost as if twenty years have matured the script writer/s, although you do get a few rather corny lines later on in the film. You are, however, by that point a little more forgiving.

When Van Zan turns up with his tanks and helicopter you can't help but wonder where he gets his fuel from; being that the earth has been all but incinerated. In Waterworld they have the ship and in Mad Max they have the Truck, but nowhere in Reign of fire do you see w
here Van Zan gets his fuel. Which he must need particularly to keep the chopper in the air for the amount of time he does. If I'm going to complain about that inconsistency though I may as well complain them all; eg. the likely hood of dragons at all!

Amazingly this film has managed to make two normally good-looking actors (Christian Bale and Matthew McConaughey) look rather worse for wear to say the least. Matthew McConaughey in particular looks like a biker I knew, except maybe with a few more teeth.

Quinn's close friend, a Scot by the name of Dave Creedy provides the comedy in the film. He rolls out some funny one liners. There is also a rather amusing scene where Quinn and Creedy are acting out a scene from Star Wars. It's the one where Darth Vader tells Luke Skywalker that he is his father. Their young audience's reaction got chuckles from all the viewers.

Van Zan is the no nonsense tough guy who's face would crack if he so much as smiled. Alex Jenson the sexy, super cool helicopter pilot and obligatory good looking female. Any Star Trek fans out there are bound to recognise the radio operator Ajay; played by Deep Space Nine's Alexander Siddig.

The movie is full of heart pumping moments. The graphics on the dragons are amazing, with attention to little details like the snarling dog expression on its face and the drools of napalm slather (but I must say you couldn't really expect less with the standard of today's technology). The action provides excitement and that feel good go get 'em factor.

THE CAST

Quinn Abercromby - Christian Bale (American Psycho)
Denton Van Zan - Matthew McConaughey (Frailty)
Alex Jenson - Izabella Scorupco (Vertical Limit)
Dave Creedy - Gerard Butler (Dracula 2000)
Ajay - Alexander Siddig (Vertical Limit)

Directed by Rob Bowman, who is better known for his work on the TV series The X-Files.

Official website: http:/
/bventertainment.go.com/movies/reignoffire/#

<br>In conclusion, this is a good adrenalin rush film, but I couldn't help wondering what it would have been like in the hands of a director like Spielberg.

xx Caradawn xx

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