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© 2002 Ernest Lilley / SFRevu |
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Columns:
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Official Site:
http://bventertainment.go.com/movies/reignoffire/ Directed by:
Rob Bowman (I) Director Rob Bowman, having cut his genre teeth helming numerous episodes of the hugely popular X-Files TV series and the feature film based on that program, now offers an original science-fantasy adventure-thriller with no pretensions other than to deliver old-fashioned monster-movie excitement featuring the most realistic-looking dragons state-of-the-art CGI SPFX can contrive.
This film delivers its action, monster-killing thrills and chills,
avoiding any campiness, sincerely telling its simple tale of a small
group of humans struggling against impossible odds with vivid characters
to care about and root for, making it easy to suspend disbelief. Some
flaws were noticeable: a rather too abrupt ending; the absence of ethnic
diversity among the all-white cast; no explanation for where the fuel
for all those tanks, the helicopter and the armored vehicles came from
or how the
Reign of Fire, nitpicking aside, still can be considered very worthwhile viewing for genre and action-adventure fans with its fine visuals, excellent cast, superb atmospheric score that perfectly enhances the suspenseful mood. The dragons definitely reign supreme.
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Reign
of Fire
He
succeeds and the beasts are......well, beastly in the best sense of the
word! Reign of Fire opens with a brief prologue set in
contemporary London where a young boy Quinn Abercromby (Ben Thornton),
visiting the construction site supervised by his Mom, Karen (Alice Krige),
happens to be there when the deep underground excavations awaken a
long-slumbering, huge, fire-breathing dragon, the first of a plague that
scourges the world, (effectively shown in a newsreel montage). Shift to
the year 2020 when most of civilization lies in scorched ruins, reduced
to ashes by countless flying reptiles.
Enclaves
of the few surviving humans struggle for survival while hoping to avoid
the dragons who, in their ravenous hunger, have begun to feed on one
another. Grown up Quinn (Christian Bale), leader of the Northumberton
settlement holed up in a castle fortified with remnants of 21st century
technology, tries to keep the families in his charge safe and to protect
their crops from dragon fire, with the help of his best friend Creedy
(Gerard Butler). Internal dissension caused by one of the fathers, Eddie
(David Kennedy), trying to steal away with his family to seek for
imagined more secure refuge, precipitates the opposite when the activity
provokes a fearsome aerial reptilian attack.
Afterward,
the badly shaken Quinn then must deal with the arrival of a combative
American, Van Zan (Matthew McConnaughey), am embodiment of macho with
shaven head, rough beard, robust physique, tattoos and the constant
presence of a cigar butt in his mouth. The newcomer brings with him a
tough-gal helicopter pilot Alex (Izabella Scorupco) and a group of
gung-ho Yank military men who have impressive hardware (including the
lady's
Along
the way to the showdown the audience gets treated to excellent
performances by the principals who acquit themselves admirably in the
roles of action heroes with Bales's understated, haunted resolve
contrasting nicely with McConnaughey's Captain Ahab-like zeal. Scuropco
adds refreshing spunk to the mix, her cool-headed devotion to the cause
not preventing her showing affection to Quinn despite her loyalty
Americans
got across the Atlantic unscathed; not to mention the highly implausible
draconian biology.