Reign of Fire
3/4
Starring: Christian Bale, Matthew McConaughey, Izabella Scorupco, Gerard Butler
Rated PG-13 for Intense Action Violence
"Reign of Fire" may not be a great action movie, but it's at least a decent one. The film is a bit dumb (okay, a lot dumb) and suffers from pacing issues. But in its own "turn off your brain" sort of way, it gets the job done.
The world as we know it has collapsed. The building of an underground tunnel has led to the discovery of ancient dragons, who quickly overtake the Earth. The humans that survive are starving and distrustful of outsiders from their little communes. Quinn (Bale) is one of them. He heads an orphanage in the remnants of England with his best buddy Creedy (Butler). But they have the sense that they are merely prolonging the inevitable. His mind changes when a cigar-chomping maniac by the name of Van Zan comes calling armed with tanks and helicopters. Van Zan claims that not only can he kill the dragons, he can put down the entire species.
There is no doubt that the film is saved in large part because none of the actors are phoning it in. Cheesy and stupid as the film is, the four leads play their roles with conviction. Christian Bale was on his way to the A-list after his breakout performance in "American Psycho," and he makes Quinn into a man we understand and sympathize with. It's a testament to Bale's talent that he's able to accomplish this with such a thinly written role. Pre-"300" Gerard Butler appears in the thankless role of the best friend and comic relief. Izabella Scorupco shows just what a compelling actress she can be when she doesn't have to scream. The true scene-stealer is Matthew McConaughey, who is having a ball playing the loose cannon Van Zan. McConaughey has played his share of deranged characters, but this one takes the cake. Van Zan is an absolute lunatic.
"Reign of Fire" may have a bare bones story, but there are enough details and tweaks to the clichés to give it a bit of freshness. I liked a pantomime version of a crucial scene from "The Empire Strikes Back," and a fresh twist to that old action movie cliché: "Anything happens, you know what to do." I also enjoyed a bit of anachronism in the story. Like, why would some people be decked out in fireproof gear while others dress like they're from the Middle Ages? Or if dragons have wiped out most of humanity, would the survivors still be able to invent and use such high-tech gizmos? Particularly with no training? I'm not going to claim that these "flaws" detracted from the experience. I'm merely observing them with a gleeful giggle.
Still, there's no denying on an action front, director Rob Bowman delivers the goods. At least within acceptable levels (no one is ever going to call this a classic, or even a very good, action movie). The action scenes are filmed with a lot of energy and Bowman doesn't rely on frantic cutting or shaking the camera. But the film does drag with exposition and character building scenes that don't really pay off. The writing is too stilted for them to really pay off. Plus the actors sell their characters well enough that much of it feels extraneous.
"Reign of Fire" is what it is. It's a post-apocalyptic movie about humans fighting dragons. Any attempt to take this movie seriously will leave you with a fried brain. But then again, with a premise like this, how could you? This is a movie where you turn off your brain and appreciate the action and giggle at the cheese. If you can appreciate a movie on that level, it's worth a look.
Starring: Christian Bale, Matthew McConaughey, Izabella Scorupco, Gerard Butler
Rated PG-13 for Intense Action Violence
"Reign of Fire" may not be a great action movie, but it's at least a decent one. The film is a bit dumb (okay, a lot dumb) and suffers from pacing issues. But in its own "turn off your brain" sort of way, it gets the job done.
The world as we know it has collapsed. The building of an underground tunnel has led to the discovery of ancient dragons, who quickly overtake the Earth. The humans that survive are starving and distrustful of outsiders from their little communes. Quinn (Bale) is one of them. He heads an orphanage in the remnants of England with his best buddy Creedy (Butler). But they have the sense that they are merely prolonging the inevitable. His mind changes when a cigar-chomping maniac by the name of Van Zan comes calling armed with tanks and helicopters. Van Zan claims that not only can he kill the dragons, he can put down the entire species.
There is no doubt that the film is saved in large part because none of the actors are phoning it in. Cheesy and stupid as the film is, the four leads play their roles with conviction. Christian Bale was on his way to the A-list after his breakout performance in "American Psycho," and he makes Quinn into a man we understand and sympathize with. It's a testament to Bale's talent that he's able to accomplish this with such a thinly written role. Pre-"300" Gerard Butler appears in the thankless role of the best friend and comic relief. Izabella Scorupco shows just what a compelling actress she can be when she doesn't have to scream. The true scene-stealer is Matthew McConaughey, who is having a ball playing the loose cannon Van Zan. McConaughey has played his share of deranged characters, but this one takes the cake. Van Zan is an absolute lunatic.
"Reign of Fire" may have a bare bones story, but there are enough details and tweaks to the clichés to give it a bit of freshness. I liked a pantomime version of a crucial scene from "The Empire Strikes Back," and a fresh twist to that old action movie cliché: "Anything happens, you know what to do." I also enjoyed a bit of anachronism in the story. Like, why would some people be decked out in fireproof gear while others dress like they're from the Middle Ages? Or if dragons have wiped out most of humanity, would the survivors still be able to invent and use such high-tech gizmos? Particularly with no training? I'm not going to claim that these "flaws" detracted from the experience. I'm merely observing them with a gleeful giggle.
Still, there's no denying on an action front, director Rob Bowman delivers the goods. At least within acceptable levels (no one is ever going to call this a classic, or even a very good, action movie). The action scenes are filmed with a lot of energy and Bowman doesn't rely on frantic cutting or shaking the camera. But the film does drag with exposition and character building scenes that don't really pay off. The writing is too stilted for them to really pay off. Plus the actors sell their characters well enough that much of it feels extraneous.
"Reign of Fire" is what it is. It's a post-apocalyptic movie about humans fighting dragons. Any attempt to take this movie seriously will leave you with a fried brain. But then again, with a premise like this, how could you? This is a movie where you turn off your brain and appreciate the action and giggle at the cheese. If you can appreciate a movie on that level, it's worth a look.
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