Reign of Fire

Rating:
Summary: A dark and riveting sci-fi thriller.
Review: Reign of fire was an excellent film. The cinematography was near perfect, and the special effects were breath-taking. Its not a movie that everyone is going to like because it isn't very uplifting to see the human race stomped out to near extinction. However, it is suspenseful and has a few suprises along the way. The method in which the dragonhunters go about killing a dragon with all the high-tech computer equipment was fascinating. The plot is somewhat thin, but it shows how boring the lives of humans became when they were forced to live in refuge and fear. It needs to be in every sci-fi fan's DVD library!

Rating:
Summary: Sick day rental at best
Review: Reign of Fire had so much potential and a great new story line that I was looking forward to how it was displayed on the big screen. Figured there were some good actors, special effects- this was going to be good.
It wasn't. Matthew McConaughey was horrible. He delivered lines like he was pretending to be a pig in labor- all grunts and couldn't understand a thing he said.
The action was mediocre at best since you rarely if ever get any scenes of the dragon! They are few and poorly done. If the lack of dragon scenes was to inspire fear/curiosity through anticipation it fell flat- looked to me like the budget ran short so they couldn't have too many special effects.
I wish I had better things to say, but this is a slapped together B film that is may be worth a rental on a sick day. Not worth a purchase or the[money] bucks I paid to go see it in the movie theater.

Rating:
Summary: Let "Fire" Reign...
Review: "Reign of Fire" is a sci-fantasy film that assumes dragons are real, and once ruled the world before the coming of men. Now, they have been awakened, and the future world is bleak and overrun with the winged creatures. Quinn, the boy who discovered their underground lair and has now grown into manhood, presides over an abandoned English castle that harbors many survivors of the disaster. He is content merely to stay alive, but all that changes with the coming of the American Van Zant and his band of dragonslayers. Thus begins the final battle against the dragon menace in this brilliantly conceived storyline which is part Mad Max, part ID4, and part Jurassic Park. Quite simply, this is one of the best ideas for a "popcorn film" to ever come out of Hollywood, even if doesn't always live up to its potential. The actors deliver solid performances - especially Matthew McConaughey, who plays one of the coolest characters I can remember in recent history. The special effects are very special indeed, and the film's dragons look as real as anything you've ever seen on the big screen. The film does have its lulls from time to time, but overall it's a remarkable achievement that has been blasted by far too many critics. Do yourself a favor and give this one a try. I think it's destined to become a cult favorite.

Rating:
Summary: Yawn.
Review: A typical sci fi plot mixed with decent acting and a script too boring to carry out long, I was half way asleep 30 minutes into the movie. I didn't snap out of my daze until 20 minutes to the end when the action finally kicked in instead of mindless babble between the main characters about how they are going to kill the dragon instead of actually trying to do it. Incredibly mediocre and nothing worth your money. Skip it.

C-

Rating:
Summary: Worth at least one sitting...
Review: I am a huge fan of this movie, let's not mistake that. But, my friends also ridicule me for loving bad tv movies like the recently made live action Jack and the Beanstalk. With that being said, I will say a little more about this movie. Be prepared to be disappointed. If you love stories about dragons, you will probably like this movie, although the focus is more on the people of a future society plagued by attacks from the creatures. There are many interesting concepts in this movie, which I would have liked to see the screenwriter delve into a little more deeply, because as it is, the plot is left quite shallow. There was potential there! And the worst part of the whole movie is a scene where the main character should have died, and doesn't. I could not comprehend why he lived though the scene. Unfortunately, the dialougue is a little lame too. The kind that makes you groan because it is too corny at certain points in the film. The special effects are awesome, but you don't get to see much of the dragons throughout the film. What you do see is worth it, but like I said, be prepared. You are not going to see a movie with dragons flying around constantly. For me the good thing about this movie is where it was trying to go, and the awesome glimpses of dragons that you do get. My favorite scene? A huge dragon perches on top of the "castle" in the movie, wraps its wings around it, and breaths fire onto it, so its wings glow. Amazing! For the men who want their girlfriends or wives to watch this, entice them with promises of a shirtless Christian Bale and Matthew McConaughey!!! If you are willing to trade out the bad, and love the great parts of this movie, and if you like fantasy/sci-fi/action flicks, then you will not regret seeing this movie!

Rating:
Summary: Guilty Pleasure
Review: OK...so this isn't exactly Shakespeare or CITIZEN KANE, but REIGN OF FIRE is great fun. I really enjoyed the burnt-out, ashen atmosphere of this post-apocalyptic world, the gritty people, the castle ruins, and the lack of color. Christian Bale was a very sympathetic character, and Matt McConaughey is at his over-the-top best. This isn't the ... heartthrob I hated in romance movies like THE WEDDING PLANNER; here he's buff, tattooed, bald, and really PO'd. He looks great, and his character is definately someone to cheer for, as you can tell he's playing his machismo down with some sly tongue-in-cheek asides. I also appreciated that this movie was pure action - there was a pretty girl in the cast that could have led to a really cheesy love triangle, but it thankfully never happened. The dragon FX are the best I've seen. So, if you're looking two hours of watching things blow up real good, you've found you're movie here.

Rating:
Summary: Bait and switch!
Review: The comercials showed helicopters. The posters and trailers and production stills showed helicopters. I saw images of hundreds of dragons torching large buildings. The previews and comercials led us all to believe that this move took place in the present day or near future where dragons appeared and laid waste to our civilization, massive battles between a modern army and an ancient race. This is what I wanted to see.
Instead I got a two or three minute filmreal of still photographs of magazine covers showing dragons burning stuff. Pretty much all the same stuff they had put into a half dozen TV commercials. The posters and DVD case show multiple helicopters in the air. In the movie there was only one helicopter and it didn't even have guns on it. There was none of the destruction or fighting that the trailers promised. Only the aftermath of dragons, burned out barns and scorched rocks and such. Not to mention that there was never more than one dragon on the screen at a time unless they were so far away they could have been crows or other small birds. This movie is a total let down. I'm not going to buy the dvd and frankly I want my eight dollars back. This movie could have been great. All it needed was a little more carnage, some cool explosions and multiple helicopters like it showed on all its advertising.
Save your money or buy something else.

Rating:
Summary: Reign of Fire -- Entertainmentopia Review
Review: I went into Reign of Fire not knowing what to expect from the movie. I had read several reviews, both mixed, so I really wasn't sure what kind of movie this was going to be. To be perfectly honest, up until about two months before the movie was released last Friday, I had not idea it even existed, which isn't necessarily a case of bad marketing, just maybe some bad exposure to the consumer. Besides all of the trivial, "What was it going to be like?" questions, I wondered if it could come out from behind Men in Black II's shadow and hopefully stomp on Tom Hanks' Road to Perdition.

Reign of Fire was an excellent movie, and one wonders why it didn't beat out the two movies listed above in the box office, but as my friend Thomas Porter said to me during our screening of the movie on Sunday, "This is sure to be a cult classic."

So does Reign of Fire have the ability to join the ranks of Pulp Fiction and Army of Darkness as one of the great cult fiction movies of our generation? Yes, in many ways.

The movie focuses on the awakening of a pre-historic dragon species that every couple of thousand years comes out of their slumber to reek havoc upon the world. They caused the extinction of the Dinosaurs, they caused the Ice Ages with the ash that plagued the sky and cooled the planet, they help evolution along in some ways. But when a young boy named Quinn awakens the dominant male of the species it only takes a matter of years before the cities of the Earth are in ruins, and the human species could be the next on the Endangered Species Act.

Still many would hear the plot, and think this is your typical post-apocalyptic movie with humans struggling to survive after a nuclear explosion/deadly plague/or undiscovered species (pick one). This isn't no Waterworld, and Matthew McConaughey is one bad-ass in this movie as Van Zan the leader of an American troop of soldiers who have killed hundreds of these flying beasts. When they learn that it all started in London, they set out on a mission to destroy the dominant male and the species.

While most plot points are predictable, and several overly used theatrical elements are present (like killing a main character), the movie excels past them, and is amazing in the visual department of a very grey, dark world where fire has consumed the planet. Luckily, the use of the dragon special effects were never overused, there are only a few instances where you actually get a good look at one, and boy do they look pretty.

Reign of Fire is a popcorn movie, but after seeing Men in Black II last week and having some time to reflect upon it, I would have much rather have seen Reign because of the fact this movie has nothing to prove, it is just good story telling and good direction. Excellent movie, excellent cast, makes for an excellent time. Don't' miss this one.

-Erich Becker never wants to be an Arch Angel.

Rating:
Summary: not worth watching
Review: this movie was hardly worth the {money} i payed for. yea we saw the previews and we all love dragons, but this is by far the worst dragon movie i have seen. it did not entertain me at all. through out the entire movie i was waiting for an "independance day" style explosion of a major us city. but the movie skipped all that. the ending was horrible. the acting was'nt the best. the plot could've been well adapted but the movie just did not cut expectations of an action, dragon movie.

Rating:
Summary: The Greatest Film Ever Made!
Review: This is the Greatest Film EVER made! The acting spectacular, the cast superb, and the directing unbelievable. The special effects are amazing too. Why this did not win an oscar, I shall never know. Definately buy this film if you're into action and adventure. If you liked the Wedding Planner, don't buy it because Matthew's character is not a loving pediatrician. Enjoy.