Reign of Fire
Reign of Fire.
The previews for this movie looked cool, I'll give them credit for that. But, as most people know, previews can be deceiving (3000 Miles to Graceland's trailer looked like it might not suck... strange). Fortunately, in this case, they were very appropriate. They advertised an action flick that happened to revolve around big scary dragons, and they provided exactly that.
The most important reason this film worked: intelligent premise and execution. Rob Bowman, who last helmed the solid X-Files Movie, does a fine job bringing a script to the screen that doesn't insult the viewers intelligence. Never does the movie slip into melodrama that becomes tedious or fall heavily into a cliched dialogue situation. Sure, there is copius drama, but it is all appropriate within the reality presented. And the reality presented is defined enough so as to envelop even the closet nitpicker in us all. Explanations are made for where the dragons came from, where they've been, what's the scientific backing, and what's going on. These explanations provide enough background, so that the viewer can just sit back and watch the (no pun intended) fireworks.
In the acting department, there is no standout loser. The only noticeable faltering was with Izabella Scorupco's Alex. She never seems to have a very good grasp on her character, but that might be faulted to the lines given to her. Though she holds up most of the time, some lines meant for effect sound trite coming from her mouth (her introduction scene next to the helicopter comes to mind). Most of the time you might be able to credit the pompous lines themselves, but then maybe a less-babelike woman would be more convincing in the role of a elite helicopter pilot. On the other side of the card, the male end of the spectrum played by Christian Bale, Matthew McConaughey, and Gerard Butler seem to get the correct mix of pompous exection, and grounded emotions. They all provide enough testosterone to fuel the 1:40 runtime with their chestbeating, and sporatic dramatic interludes.
And a big question for a flick like this: do the action scenes word? And I'd answer yes, they work. Truth be told, I haven't been surprised by an action scene in a long time (Gladiator's first big arena battle would probably be the most recent), but the sky dive sequence went far beyond my expectations. The drop scene is a welcome change from the "you kick me, I'll punch you, who's gonna fall?" action sequences found these days. This action scene is the cinematic equivalent of a punch in the gut, and it's nice. The rest of the action in the movie works very well also, but this one is just a stand out scene worthy of a mention.
Perhaps the second most thrilling aspect of this movie would be the special effects themselves. These dragons are a far cry from the comparatively cartoony Dragonheart. Fire looks hot, scales looks slimy. I would have to use this film as evidence that CGI might actually be able to look realistic enough to compete with miniature models soon (most CGI just looks... too clean for me). The acrobatic dragons feel like they could really exist in the physical world we live in, which is a nice touch. They're actual omninous presences in this film rather than dull blocks of flesh and fire.
The plot? While drilling below London, a crew discovers a dragon beneath the city. Skip ahead twenty or so years, and the dragons have killed off most of the population that couldn't stop it with traditional weapons. The survivors live together in groups and attempt to grow food and outlive the beasts. Quinn (Christian Bale) is the leader of one of these colonies, and is growing worried about the food supply and his people's survival. One day, a rouge squadron of supposed dragon-killers arrives, led by the arrogant Van Zan (McConaughey), and full of military gadgets, they propose a way that might kill the beasts. The question becomes to fight, or attempt to outlast.
So, if you like the previews, go see this movie. If it looked interesting; it is. This adrenaline fest doesn't fail to impress with it's intellectual merits, as it balances craziness and sobriety well enough to provide a good two hours of action enjoyment.
So, I give it 3 out of 4.
Reign Of Fire is in theaters now |
