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DVD Dragonslayer
Despite its box-office failure in 1981, Dragonslayer was gradually recognized as one of the finest fantasies to emerge from the post-Star Wars boom in special effects. It's still one of the best adventures of its kind, featuring one of the most fearsome fire-breathing serpents in movie history. Ominously named Vermithrax Pejorative, this ill-tempered monster terrorizes the peasantry of sixth-century England, feeding on maidens sacrificed by a duplicitous king until a sorcerer's apprentice named Galen (Peter MacNicol, long before Ally McBeal) is recruited as a reluctant hero. Aided by a tenacious beauty (Caitlin Clarke) and his resurrected mentor (Ralph Richardson), Galen confronts the soaring beast in a breathtaking climax. Employing a then-innovative technique called Go-Motion to animate the dragon, the special effects are still dazzling, and stunning locations in Scotland and Wales allow director Matthew Robbins (cowriter of Steven Spielberg's feature debut, The Sugarland Express) to maintain a vivid atmosphere for the wealth of movie magic. --Jeff Shannon
Consider ing that this film was made 25 years ago, it holds up rather well. The dragon effects remain pretty damn iMpressive, I stil think the final dragaon flight is breath taking and not evn reign of fire matches this film. I think because people like PhIL tIPPETT AND iLM REALLY WANTED THE DRAGAON TO BER BELIVEBALE THEY WENT beyond the call of duty. Th dragon remains my favorite in anay film evern more than ReIGN oF fire. By the way Disney was Scared of the film because of the violence level. Could be good remake.
Not really my cup of tea
I've never been one for fantasy films, and watched this feeling a bit apprehensive. Have no idea why, but I got the feeling it was going to turn out to be another Excalibur, but I managed to sit through this. (And I was right, there did out to be a "dragon slaying sword" that appeared. It's kind of similar!)
I was quite impressed during this, as the brief glimpses we got of the dragon, before seeing the full effect towards the end, considering the film was released in 1981, the effects were quite stunning. They're nothing compared to what computers can do now, but for that time, even though the effects were quite dodgy, they were brilliant! And I was shocked, I was expecting them to be really bad. Shows how much I know eh?
But apart from that, I didn't really like this movie. I thought the acting was dreadful, and the story had been done loads before, I was reminded a lot of Sword In The Stone a lot and my dad watching it with me, was reminded of Lord Of The Rings, for some strange reason. And the nudity wasn't exactly ground breaking, although I suppose considering it's a Disney movie. I suppose it would have been ground breaking back then, to have (albeit brief) glimpses of nudity in a PG movie. I thought the nudity was alright, but you don't actually see that much.
It's such a shame actually because the very androgynous actress who played Valerian, Caitlin Clarke, actually died in 2004 from ovarian cancer. She looked really young in this movie! OK, she was 23, but she looked much younger!
I would not recommend this movie, even though a friend from work greatly disagrees with my opinion, and so will most of the reviewers on here. Hey, at least I feel guilty for not liking the film, when there's so many reviews praising it!
A Cut Above
A dark age realm avoids being ravaged by a ferocious dragon by periodically feeding it young virgins selected at random (almost)from the local population. King Casiodorus is content to maintain this arrangement, but the local peasants are more reluctant. They send a delegation to plead for aid from the last known wizard. The result is a battle to the death between the dragon and...the wizard's apprentice?
Somehow, I missed this movie when it was in theaters. I mean I totally missed it. I don't even remember hearing of it. So, it came as a real surprise when I saw it for the first time on video courtesy of my brother. The bottom line, though, is that DRAGONSLAYER is a pretty good movie. The dragon is very nasty, life in the dark age kingdom is appropriately squalid, and there are plenty of tense moments as the plot unfolds.
Dragon stories aren't for everyone but, THE LORD OF THE RINGS aside, this is better than most of the fantasy/adventure flics around. There are a few gory bits, so it might not be suitable for small kids. Otherwise, if a good tale from the fantasy genre has any appeal for you, you'll probably enjoy DRAGONSLAYER. I have a copy on my shelf and I recommend it.
This strange, 1985 experiment by Ridley Scott (Blade Runner) starred the up-and-coming Tom Cruise in a fairy-tale world of dwarfs and unicorns and demons. After the horn of a unicorn is broken, darkness and winter descend upon the world. Cruise's character, helped along by a magic sprite played by David Bennent (The Tin Drum), descends into hell to save paradise. This movie is almost a classic case of art direction gone amok. The somewhat amorphous Cruise doesn't lend much dramatic focus or artistic definition, but the drama between Tim Curry's satanic majesty and Mia Sara's character, who becomes a sort of princess of the netherworld, is pretty captivating. A mixed experience all around that makes one wish it had been more successful. --Tom KeoghMore Info about this DVD Director(s): Ridley Scott DVD Release Date: Released the 21 May 2002 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Lean, lanky Lee Horsley (TV's Matt Houston is hardly the iconic image of a medieval warrior, but in this cheesy Conan the Barbarian knockoff he makes his swaggering, mercenary Talon a genial smart aleck of a barbarian hero. The plot is pure pulp cliché: evil Cromwell (Richard Lynch) raises a demon to conquer a peaceful kingdom, kill the rulers, and imprison the royal heirs, and the son of a murdered patriot returns to take his righteous vengeance with a projectile-loaded, three-bladed sword. First-time director Albert Pyun apprenticed under Akira Kurosawa and brings with him an eye for handsome images and a fluid sense of action that helps overcome B-movie dialogue ("Unlock this door, wench, and leave that to us!"), scenery-chewing performances, and... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Lee Horsley - Kathleen Beller Director(s): Albert Pyun DVD Release Date: Released the 24 April 2001 Usually ships in 24 hours
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There's something inescapably appealing about this camp 1983 Star Wars-meets-The Lord of the Rings knockoff that encourages the viewer to overlook its many silly shortcomings and simply enjoy the fun. James Horner's rollicking music score certainly helps, as does the epic-scale CinemaScope photography of the breathtaking Italian landscapes. The costumes and extravagant production design are also great to look at, and much of Derek Meddings's visual effects work still looks striking. Freddie Jones stands head and shoulders above the rest of the cast as the wise Ynyr, while the two romantic leads, Ken Marshall as Prince Colwyn and Lysette Anthony (with an overdubbed American voice) as Princess Lyssa, are mere formalities on which to hang the plot. The all-British... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Ken Marshall - Lysette Anthony Director(s): Peter Yates DVD Release Date: Released the 03 April 2001 Usually ships in 24 hours
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This movie has a TON of stupid crap that would never have happened back in the OLDEN TIME's..but it still get's me in near tear's to think about WAR and PURE land..and TANYA ROBERTS!!! she is by far the most GORGEOUS woman I have ever seen..I really cant even go on in my life without her..but I have no choice!! I am to young for her.. to track her down and pledge my SOUL to her!!
This move has KILLER fight secene's and is a very UNDERRATED Viking style flick!!
And you'll notice Tanya's LOVE intrest was a BLOND guy!!!! not the black guy!!! SEE THAT IS 1982 for ya!!!!! UN ''P.C.'' I love movie's that are UN ''P.C'' becuase they are more REAL that way!!!
What's funny is there is a METAL band called BOLT THROWER..and they must have made their band image... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Marc Singer - Tanya Roberts Director(s): Don Coscarelli DVD Release Date: Released the 23 October 2001 Usually ships in 24 hours
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This lushly produced fantasy has gained a loyal following since its release in 1985, and it gave a welcomed boost to the careers of Matthew Broderick, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Rutger Hauer. You have to ignore the overly aggressive music score (critic Pauline Kael aptly dubbed it "disco-medieval") and director Richard Donner's reckless allowance of anachronistic dialogue and uninspired storytelling, but there's a certain charm to the movie's combination of romance and heroism. Broderick plays a young thief who comes to the aid of tragic lovers Isabeau (Pfeiffer), who is cursed to become a hawk every day at sunrise and Navarre (Hauer) who turns into a wolf at sunset. The curse was cast by an evil sorcerer-bishop (John Wood), and as Broderick eludes the bishop's henchmen, Navarre struggles to... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Richard Donner DVD Release Date: Released the 29 October 1997 Usually ships in 24 hours
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