Reign of Fire (2002)

PG-13
101 minutes
 

  Rating (out of five):

Okay, I really had to see this movie. I saw the trailers and the ads on TV and got all giddy at the idea. Then I found out who was involved with the movie and I just KNEW I had to see it. Firstly, we’ve got Matt Greenberg writing the screenplay (actually, the story and screenplay were also credited to Gregg Chabot and Kevin Peterka, but I’m going with Matt as that he had the final billing). Matt Greenberg! Father of our very own Invisible Man! Then I find out that Rob Bowman directed. You remember Rob Bowman. From when “The X-Files” used to be good.

Anyway, I knew I had to see this. But, I also know the tendency of the Summer Flick. Long of effects and visual glamour, short of plot or character development. Heck, I was willing to take my chances. So, one ticket, one extra large popcorn (no butter), one extra large Sprite (I really need to not drink these before going into a movie) and a box of Raisinettes later, I’m sitting in the dark, waiting for the fun to begin. Credits and…here we go. First, we’re in present day London, where 12-year-old Quinn is walking home from school to meet up with his mother, a tunnel engineer. I like 12-year-old Quinn. He’s cute and plucky without being overly precocious. (Quinn’s mom: “Have you been smoking?” Quinn: “I told you, I only smoke when I’m drinking.” Heh.) Anyway, Quinn is milling around where the miners and tunnelers are, giving as good as he gets, when one of the drills breaks through to what appears to be a vast chamber. Nothing like this is on the geological maps, so one of the engineers sends young Mr. Quinn in with a flashlight to investigate. I mean, you know, he’s smaller and what could be the harm? Right?

Wrongo. Turns out that dragons are real. Human history didn’t make the buggers up. They go dormant for centuries, only to emerge and wreak havoc. They are particularly nasty critters. Big, strong, smart, deadly predators with a penchant for raw meat. And human beings are just perfect little bite-sized snacks. Dragons can fly (fast). They can shoot “natural napalm” from two glands in their mouths quite a distance. Claws, big teeth, long scaly bodies—the works. Basically, we’re toast.

Fast forward to the year 2020. Quinn, now grown, heads a group of ragtag survivors in northern England. They’re a pretty sorry lot, eking out an extinstence while they dig tunnels under their castle so that they can run underground to escape frequent dragon attacks. Civilization has bit the big one, and for all they know, they are the Earth’s only survivors. They use birds of prey to sense impending dragon attacks. They half-heartedly listen to radio band channels in desperate hope for sounds of others. While water isn’t’ a problem, they have to plant their crops far away, so that when the dragons do attack, there is less loss. It’s a pretty dismal life. Sort of “Mad Max” meets “Dragonslayer”.

But one day *sound of trumpets*, a battered band of American military arrive at their front gates. (It’s a bit hazy how these US soldiers got to England, but I’m enjoying myself, so I let it go.) Their leader, Van Zan, has some radical ways of fighting the dragons and an even more radical idea for exterminating the lot. While the surviving Brits use castles, falcons, and horses, the Yanks use radar, missiles, and helicopters. Van Zan is going to save humanity, if it kills him and everyone else. Quinn just wants to keep his people alive.

Christian Bale plays the adult Quinn, and he’s really fantastic in this movie. He portrays resigned leadership and weary heroism very well. Matthew McConaughy is Van Zan, a cigar-chomping, tattooed, hardened GI Joe, but the moments of vulnerability he gets across keep his character from being a charicature. Izabella Scorupco is Alexandra Jensen. What is left of her after the editing doesn’t really have a whole lot to do, as far as advancing the story. I think she was probably a better character before postproduction.

A lot is made of the dragons’ one vulnerability, but then this is never really exploited. While the dragon mythos is presented in a unique and interesting way, I can’t help but wonder if there would even be any humans left by the 20th century, given the dragons’ propensity for utter destruction. Most of the dialog is fine, but there are some real clunkers in there. It’s a credit to the actors for saying some of these lines with a straight face. The cinematography by Adrian Biddle is bleak and gritty, bringing a real sense of hopelessness to the proceedings. Production designer Wolf Kroeger deserves a big kiss. Bowman uses his dragons very sagely. Rather than show us everything in great detail in the beginning, he maintains their mystery and fearful power by using quick, startling images. Which gives the scene of a dragon-riddled London much more intensity. Mostly, he concentrates on his human cast members, which is a nice relief from most summer fare.

And the dragons. It’s very easy to see how these flying beasties kicked our asses. These are animals built for destruction and they are very good at it. While looking very much like classical illustrations from medieval texts, they take on a whole new dimension when landing in front of a truck and glaring, or when they are belching fire into a castle tower. Pretty nightmare inducing. Obviously, despite the PG-13 rating, this movie would probably not be a good idea for little kids, no matter how much they love knights and dragons. These dragons look real, sound real, and kill real. Not good for little imaginations right before bedtime. However, Bowman & Co. manage to create a real sense of doom and fear without going overboard on the gore and language. There’s violence aplenty, but it is used to advance the story, not just to show off some stunt coordinator’s acumen (or a make-up artist’s latest recipe for fake blood). Don’t get me wrong. I love violence and gore—in the safety of a movie where I don’t actually have to deal with it. But I know that not everyone has the tolerance I do, so this is a nice change.

Out of a 5 gland rating system, I give “Reign of Fire” 3½ glands. Adelheide says check it out.

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