Reign of Fire

I LOVE THIS MOVIE. While I am not a fantasy watcher, I do LOVE DRAGONS! (SMAUG), COMES TO MIND! HISSSSSSS!!! The film is star studded: Christian Bale, Mathew McGonahey, Gerald - Scottish Actor & the dragons. multiples of them. It's a fun movie for a rainy, cold day with a great pizza on hand! There is lots of fire breathing , smoke, ash , soot & of course: FIRE. There is (1) male, bad boy dragon who has laid waste to the globe & is unlikely to stop! It's a great ride. Added bonus, C. Bale & Gerald are trying to keep their small brood of young children & their parents safe & fed in dire circumstances in (1) scene C. Bale & Gerald are acting out a story for the young children before bedtime. There is (1) little boy whose facial expressions are priceless, as he watches the story being play acted in the front row. HIs rolling eyes, shock & his very expressive mannerisms are just soo cute. He really believes the play he is seeing (live) is real. He is so cute. He & the bad boy dragon really steal the movie. McGonahey as the American Tank Commander (yes, there are tanks) i s nig & hunky I tattooed across his giant bi-ceps with his Texas drawl he is too fabulous & wonderful as well. Just a great film. Lots of fun! Read more

This is the second time I have bought this film. I truly enjoyed it. The dragons were very realistic. Read more

Great movie!!! Read more

1. Matthew McConaughey; 2. Christian Bale; 3. Originality; and 4. The Production Aspects - special effects, light, direction, sets, et. al. Two of the stars I gave are for McConaughey's performance. He takes the character of Van Zan and breathes life, and yes fire, into him, without crossing into pardody or cliche. The movie's title could refer to Van Zan, as easily as it refers to the dragons' destruction of human civilization. Christian Bale gives a fine performance as Quinn, steely resolve tempered with overwhelming concern for the welfare of those he leads. The two characters make an interesting pair. Van Zan is all about killing the dragons. Quinn is all about protecting the few remaining humans in the area. When Quinn and Van Zan are at loggerheads, they inadvertantly tear apart the resolve of the remaining humans in the area. When Van Zan and Quinn act together, the dragons truly have something to fear. There are lots of movies with, and/or, about dragons. The take on dragons in this movie isn't new - dragons during modern times - but the strength of the characters, writing, and sets put this movie into the realm of "well done" (something about the movie's title has my pun gland working overtime). The movie avoids a lot of in depth explanations about the dragons origins. I think this is a wise decision. The viewer, like the characters, are torn from the every day normality of modern life, into a world where dragons are real. Go with the flow, and enjoy the movie. The sets are amazingly well done - pun intended. The remnants of modern human civilization left after the firestorm of the dragons are vividly portrayed. The dragons are magnificent - simultaneously majestic and loathesome; as well as immortal and vulnerable. Kudo to all who worked on the movie's special effects. I didn't give the movie five stars because there are some faults. With the exception of the character Creedy (who single-handedly keeps the movie from being 100% grim), the supporting characters, while necessary, are not well introduced. My impression is that some of the supporting characters, especially Alex and Jared, while essential, had a lot of their scenes end up on the "cutting room floor". This left a disjointed feel to Alex and Jared's screen time. I also think that the flow of the movie was interrupted too often with scenes of vehicles traveling on roads. During such scenes I kept thinking, "I get it, I get it! Grim world. Grimy world. Tough world. Technically, a nice shot. Now, get back to the movie!" The traveling vehicle scenes went on just a little too long, losing the momentum of the action. Overall, I recommend this movie for a great viewing experience. Read more

This is incredible and to think it was a B flick during its time. The actors did incredible and dragons are well done. A gritty dragon gothic horror. Read more

Good movie Read more

Wait a minit. A bald Matthew McConna-Hay? No bleeping way! Read more

The movie "Reign of Fire" remains one of my favorite movies. It has precisely the right balance of character and action to keep me engrossed in the proceedings. I had seen 1981's "Dragonslayer" at the cinema while growing up in the U.K. and had been wowed by the special effects - however, that dated effort (made before the advent of CGI) pales in comparison to the dragons that are on display in "Reign of Fire." Here are dragons that are so lifelike, that you would almost believe that dragons exist. The movie is largely set in Northumberland, though the Northumberland on display here looks nothing like the Northumberland I grew up in. It is a rugged outpost for human survivors of the dragon attacks and Christian Bale proves that his childhood performance in Spielberg's "Empire of the Sun" was no fluke. Before he would become internationally known as Batman, Bale was quietly appearing in a wide variety of film roles. Also a surprise is Matthew McConaughey who eschews his usual tame roles as an action hero. He plays Van Zan, a leader of American dragon slayers arriving in the U.K. to do battle with the dragons. The movie heats up (pun intended) along with the action. So, how does this Blu-ray edition stack up to the previous DVD - extremely well in fact for one of the first movies to be released in the then fledgling format. Disney lives up to its sterling standard with this flawless AVC codec transfer. Detail is exceptional with some terrific facial detail and those unfamiliar Northumberland rocky dwellings. The color palette is also pleasing with well balanced reds and oranges for the dragon's fire breathing and black levels unswervingly excellent. The previous DVD version looks lifeless and drab by comparison. The audio quality on the disc is another standout effort which puts the subpar DVD release to shame. Disney have mixed this audio extremely well, delivering outstanding 5.1 PCM tracks with active and aurally exciting surround presentations. The audio track really comes to life as dragons fly from side to side and from front to back with such a 360° enveloping that it needs to be heard to be believed. This track will put your surround system to the test. Toss out that low definition DVD because all the special features from that release have been ported over to the Blu-ray, in addition to a Blu-ray exclusive 1080p HD trailer for the movie. Included on this release of "Reign of Fire" is the previously released "Breathing Life into the Terror," and "If You Can't Take the Heat" in addition to the rather dry audio commentary by director Rob Bowman (who spends too much time in my opinion on the technical side of the production) and the original theatrical trailer. Together it's not an overly impressive set of features, but it's pleasing to see that this Blu-ray makes the DVD release irrelevant. And that really is the best way to sum up this Blu-ray release. The standard def DVD is unsurprisingly overshadowed by this high definition Blu-ray which bests the DVD in every single department. Use the DVD as a coaster because once you have seen "Reign of Fire" in high definition Blu-ray you will never want to watch it in standard def DVD ever again. Read more