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Reign of Fire

Reign of Fire

List Price: $14.99
Your Price: $11.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Strange film, lots of effects but no real soul.
Review: I found it entertaining and could suggest renting it. I could not suggest buying it because for my money I perfer movies that I can better relate to and watch over and over. I have no desire to view this movie again. Once was enough. This is not a bad film however it was not a keeper for the long term.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: The best part about this movie is Matthew McConaughey.
Review: The movie is very slow. It just drags on and on and some of the scenes don't even make sense, or at least I missed it. The best part about the movie though, is when Matthew McConaughey steps in. He's sporting this grungy beard and shaved head. He looks tough and its sexy. He's really buff in this movie too. So if you're a big Matthew McConaughey fan, watch it, otherwise skip it.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Feasting on Ashes
Review: When introducing yourself to a dragon, you should always (a) bring along plenty of friends in case things get crunchy, (b) perhaps rethink the plan you previously marked as a good idea before being endeared with the title "bait," (c) reward yourself because at least you got to see the beast before getting turned to ash, or (d) wonder how the heck a dragon ended up in front of you? Well, if you in the world of the very near future and certain tunneling is done without proper safety precautions, any and all the answers will do. While digging around in the Earth below London, a "void" is hit and something is unleashed upon the world that only the likes of the dinosaurs, now extinct, had ever before seen. With scaled wings, the ability to breathe fire, and the want to consume ash, a dragon emerges and quickly begins spreading its kind across the globe. In a handful of years the world is overrun and mankind is almost lost. In the future, however, some souls find themselves faced with the dilemma of starvation and the need for salvation, pushing them into a plan that will perhaps reverse the tides and salvage the fight going against mankind. Now if only the dragons will cooperate enough to die.

When this movie was met with mixed reviews, I thought it was perhaps because of the effects not being that good or because the storyline wasn't that grand. After seeing the movie and measuring both, I thought that they worked well enough for the film while meriting only as many flaws as you would expect in a post-apocalyptic thriller about dragonkind overrunning the Earth. First, the effects were done really well, letting the dragons look superbly as they fought for domination over mankind, with only a few places that seemed a little "off" in the mix. This made for a smooth ratio of victims-to-mouths on many an occasion, plus it made for some spectacular shots of the beasts themselves. If were only left to this, the dragons, and the tank that the dragons should have had to taste a little more of, perhaps it would have met with more success. Still, as is the case with many movies of its type, the storyline swiveled on many ups and downs, taking the viewer through many a coincidence while making their way to a flimsy plan that makes me ask, "How long is the life cycle of a dragon?" It was good enough to be fantasy but not pressed firmly in the "reality" factor of man against a seemingly invincible threat. Yes, the plotline portion of the equation could have been done a little better, because the acting was done well enough to at least make the struggle convincing.

If you are looking for some effects and a few interesting notations of the digestion of humans by dragons, then this would be a movie worth looking into. It isn't something I would call food for the thinking mind, but it is something to pass time with while your on your way to that more enlightening viewing session. It has its moments, leaves its loopholes, and pits at least one confirmed psychotic against an army of winged beasts. If you know what your in for, its something of a nice ride.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: It only gets the extra star because the dragons look cool.
Review: A remarkably bad monster movie... I picked this up despite having heard it wasn't all that good, and while I enjoyed seeing the cool dragon special effects, I have to admit this film was kind of lame. The plot, that human civilization is all but wiped out when the long-dormant dragon species comes out of its long hibernation, and must be saved by a deperate, straggling band of scrappy survivors, is explained to us in a series of painfully belabored, exposition-heavy monologues. For some reason the action is set in the UK, even though no one in the film can even approximate a halfway decent English or Scottish accent, and big chunks of the plot simply make no sense. (The dragons breed like flies, quickly taking over the world, and yet humans are able to triumph by killing off the single male of the species... These lizards never give birth to boys? Plus... they eat the ashes produced by their fire? Then why did they kill all the humans?) Anyway, the single most irritating factor of the film is Matthew McConaughey's clumsy scenery chewing, as the bald-headed, cigar chomping American military jock who shows up to show the spunky Scots how to *really* deal with those pesky flying lizards. His Robert Duvall wannabee act is a drag, and brings what little momentum the film has to a screeching halt. The special effects are cool, but the film is a prime example of Hollywood gone wrong, another over-bloated project where someone thinks, "oh well, so maybe the movie has started to suck, but no one will care about the acting once they see the CGI..." Well, here's news for you guys: we do care. There's really no excuse to let a movie fall apart like this, and as a fan of dopey dragon films, I was sorely disappointed.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Better Than I Ever Expected - Recommend Watching
Review: I really didn't think I was going to like this movie. The whole story line sounded ridiculous and unbelievable to me but I wound up really enjoying this movie. It was believable somewhat but the special effects were great and the whole look of the film was an apocolyptic masterpeice.

Matthem McC. (can't spell his name) was very good as the confident [tough guy] American who came to kick the dragons...but Christian Bale by far is the best thing this film had to offer. He portrayed Quinn quite heroicly...a good guy you rooted for and wanted him to win and get the girl at the end which he does. I would have liked to seen a bit more character development and especially relationships between the actors but there was enough to where you could understand the meaning.

It's an action flick with heroics and great special effects. I recommend this film...it's much better than expected.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Reign of boredom
Review: This is one of those films that you sit and watch and say to yourself," Who was dumb enough to spend x millions of dollars to make this dud." Other than the writing, direction, and acting, this is a fine film. The dragons are cool so that's where the one star comes from. With the stars in this film (who I won't embaress by naming) you wonder what happened to the plot. There is no effort to get you to care about these characters and the dialogue that spills out of their mouth is laughable. The premise of the movie is that dragons are discovered underground and then proceed to kick the butts of humans until one of the stars figures out a way to destroy them using the same weapons that mankind had around for the thirty years or so we were getting trounced. I was willing to suspend disbelief, but the writing was so silly and the plot turns so contrived, I had to give up. I am not sure who is to blame here but I am guessing it can be shared by the studio and the director. It struck me as a film that got made by committee, and we all know how those often end up. I am convinced one could make a very cool flick about modern day dragons, but I suspect it will be a long time before any studio ponies up the bucks for that concept. The DVD has got good video and sound (try the DTS) and the extras...well who cares when the movie itself is so bad.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: I Hope They don't Try to Pull off a sequel
Review: this movie was fun as far as the stunts and the effects were concerned. the dragons were incredibly well done. although the effects were cool, they could not save the rest of the movie. i was really excited to see it, and when i finally did, i was very disappointed. the plot was weak. all that happened throughout the entire movie was basically the same thing. the bell rings, we fix it, the bell rings, we fix it. It was boring. The ending was easily the most disappointing part of it all. i couldnt believe it! so they kill the male, but earlier in the movie they say that there are 1 million of them. so, they got the male, now there's only 999,999 to go. good luck with that!

i wished that this movie was better. it had so much potential, but it seemed like that they produced this movie as fast as they could. i wish that the producers would have just made this movie for the audience to enjoy, not kick it out as fast as they could for cash. the movie could have been much better.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: For Pyromaniacs and Dragon Lovers only
Review: I put my philosophical brain to rest and intended to just go along with the thrill ride of this movie however the ride just wasn't very exciting or adventurous. Richard Zanuck (who also produced Jaws) just fails to elicit the same fear or cinematic enthusiasm with these giant fire breathing creatures.

I can enjoy science fiction with minimal special effects if they are good. The visual special effects of this movie, however were just plain mediocre. Although a dark medieval mood was created, the darkness actually detracted from much of the visual effect. Vivid images of the dragons were lacking and the basic premise of the movie was so severly bland that the special effects just aren't capable of making up for that.

The DTS Surround Sound effects were good and the powerplay between characters played by Matthew McConaughey and Christian Bale add something worthwhile.

The good surround sound and special visual effects which created enormous, flying, fire breathing dragons just are not enough to raise this movie from the depths of a fiery cinematic hell.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Silly, but they pulled it off
Review: Oh, come on, it was great! Made me feel like 36 again. Love the bit where the guy runs up the stairs to take on the giant fire breathing dragon with a fire extinguisher.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Unexpectadly Believable
Review: I didn't know what to expect when I first bought this movie but after watching it I was unexpectably suprised. To bring the genre of a midevial dragon movie into this day and age seemed kind of nonscensical. Once you start getting the picture of the story it seems like a plausable situation. The special effects were great and Matthew McConaughey played a perfect [guy] who stole the movie. Christian Bale and the rest of the cast played their parts to the T. I don't know what most people might expect from this movie but I can be sure if you buy it you be both suprised and pleased.


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