Plot
A brood of fire-breathing dragons emerges from the earth and begins setting fire to everything, establishing dominance over the planet.
Release Year: 2002
Rating: 6.0/10 (54,657 voted)
Critic's Score: 39/100
Director:
Rob Bowman
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Christian Bale, Izabella Scorupco
Storyline It is twenty years in the future, and the planet has been devastated by vicious fire-breathing dragons. The last vestiges of humanity now struggle for survival at remote outposts. In a ruined castle in the English countryside, Quinn is desperately trying to hold together a band of frightened, restless survivors. As a boy, Quinn watched his mother die protecting him from one of the beasts, and is still haunted by the memory. One day, a group of American rogues shows up, led by a brash, tough-guy named Van Zam. He claims to have discovered a way to kill the dragons once and for all, and enlists Quinn's help. But doing so will force Quinn to confront his own frightening memories. This, and Quinn's responsibilities to those that are under his protection, results in a battle of wills between the two men. In the end, events cause them both to realize that they must work together to defeat the monsters--both without and within.
Writers: Gregg Chabot, Kevin Peterka
Cast: Christian Bale
-
Quinn Abercromby
Matthew McConaughey
-
Denton Van Zan
Izabella Scorupco
-
Alex Jensen
Gerard Butler
-
Creedy
Scott Moutter
-
Jared Wilke
(as Scott James Moutter)
David Kennedy
-
Eddie Stax
Alexander Siddig
-
Ajay
Ned Dennehy
-
Barlow
Rory Keenan
-
Devon
Terence Maynard
-
Gideon
Doug Cockle
-
Goosh
Randall Carlton
-
Burke (Tito)
Chris Kelly
-
Mead
Ben Thornton
-
Young Quinn
Alice Krige
-
Karen Abercromby
Taglines:
They're extremely intelligent. Highly evolved. And they don't like sharing the planet.
Filming Locations: Ardmore Studios, Herbert Road, Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland
Box Office Details
Budget: $95,000,000
(estimated)
Opening Weekend: $15,632,281
(USA)
(14 July 2002)
(2629 Screens)
Gross: $82,150,183
(Worldwide)
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Did You Know?
Trivia:
The preview claims that the film is set in 2084. Yet the actual movie itself gives the date as sometime in the 2020s.
Goofs:
Factual errors:
Van Zan tells Quinn the explosive crossbow bolts are magnesium-tipped C4. Assuming the magnesium is being lit from impact or from the dragon's breath, the C4 would not detonate; C4 detonates only with combined heat and pressure usually only obtained from detonating a blasting cap embedded in the C4. Unless the magnesium tip was purposed as the ignition source of a blasting cap that wasn't mentioned in the arrow head the C4 would not have detonated.
Quotes:
[first lines]
Worker #1:
Hello, Quinn.
Worker #2:
Good morning, Quinn. How's is going mate. Young Quinn:
What's up, guys.
Worker #3:
Working the late shift, are ya? Young Quinn:
Ha! Someone's got to clean up after you guys.
User Review
Ashes to Ashes!
Rating:
The usual quota of "surface reviews" here. Are we living in a totally
one-dimensional society these days that has no time now for unsupported
fantasy - "Just the facts Ma'am, Just the facts!"
We have here an adult fairytale no less, yet what do I read (and I include
paid media critics here) but absurd negative comments such as "How did
McConaughey and his intrepid band of marines come up with the fuel to
cross
the atlantic?" "Why are the children seemingly so well fed in a period of
pestilence?" "Where does the seemingly limitless fuel come from?" etc
etc.
Who CARES????????? this is a DRAGON fantasy for God sakes! Someone want
to
set up a Government enquiry as to why fairies speak English? the
possibility
that Humpty Dumpty had a middle-ear infection? Perhaps the Easter Bunny
has
some communicable diseases that he should be tested for?
Ok REIGN OF FIRE is not up there with other sci-fi classics and the
marketing department should be answering charges of misrepresentation for
that poster showing an aerial armada of helicopters battling the
fire-breathing beasties over central London - that just never happens but
I
gotta tell you REIGN OF FIRE has some of the greatest set designs and
cinematography I have ever seen. It is extremely interesting to LOOK at
from
a technical viewpoint. The dragons themselves make the least interesting
contribution to the film and except for the final confrontation which
almost
"gets there" they are really secondary to the film itself. If you were to
actually record the amount of dragon "screen time" I doubt it would be 18
minutes....and most of them are not far off laughable. Curiously, that
aspect alone should have wrecked it for me...but it didn't - I found the
"wasteland asharamas" totally credible and involving.
I thought the much maligned McConaughey's role not without interest. Still
haven't worked out whether or not "Mad Matt" was supposed to be some
hybrid
creation - part Patton, part Maximus, part Captain Ahab or just all
"grunt."
He certainly handled his last solo flight with flair and derring-do.
Basil
Rathbone himself never swung a meaner sword!
Christian Bale replete with his best "know wot I mean" brit accent was
pretty good I thought as Quinn the reluctant colony leader. What I
couldn't
believe is how the years have treated Izabella Scorupco the most beautiful
Bond girl I ever saw (GOLDENEYE). I realise that a decade of fighting
dragons and close-contact aeriel combat takes a lot out of a girl but she
looked 20 years older! I would never have recognised her. Totally
shattered
an illusion I have maintained of her. If she said "Boys with Toys" now, I
think I'd need a double vodka-martini!
But I digress. The dragon fx were just so-so, they saved the best for
last
sensibly. The script had its moments but the production work and
set-design
were simply awesome...SO good in fact, the rest of the film really didn't
matter! Overall I would bequeath it a 6.9. Worth seeing if one is prepared
to watch it in the spirit that it was made.
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