Dragonslayer (1 Viewer)

[Ernest Rister]

Me three. Faulty analysis. Logic infusion, stat!

 

[Kevin M]

Ohhh....that huge MacNicol hunk of pure sweaty manly MAN!

....wait....sorry, that was an alternate reality "Spock's Beard" moment.

BTW, I rather liked Caitlin Clarke.

 

[Terry St]

I just pulled this DVD out and watched it again last night. I must admit that I'm still surprised at how well Dragonslayer manages to avoid cheese. I'm going to put the rest of this in a spoiler tag just to be safe.

There isn't a cackling evil villain or goody-two-shoes hero. Casiodorus Rex (the king) is a weak, self-absorbed character, but a very human one. Tyrian, his henchman in black, isn't evil either. Rather, he's simply unscrupulous in his pursuit of what he see's as best for the kingdom's greater good. Even Vermithrax is a pitiable beast, to a certain extent. Slaying the dragon isn't portrayed a matter of good vs. evil, but of simple necessity.

The protagonists are similarly complex. Galen assumes the role of the "hero" not out of "goodness", but rather, vanity. Ironically, humility was the one quality he had to learn in order for Vermithrax to be defeated. Ulrich is probably the closest any of the characters come to being "good". Self-sacrificing, noble, etc.. However, even he is portrayed in a non-standard way. Ralph Richardson's deserves extra credit for his nuanced performance here. Ulrich, even as he performs astonishing feats of magic, appears bored with his existence. Magic isn't a wonder to him, but mere toil. He foretells the future, cheats death, and defeats the dragon like a gardener tilling earth with a hoe. His speech about how dragons as old as Vermithrax live a life of pain is telling. They are linked, and life is pain for them both. He recognizes his death as a necessity and has the wisdom to recognize that the time has come. Now *that*'s a wizard! By comparison, Valerian's motivations were not well rendered. I'd have to classify her as the one cheap knock-off stereotype used in the film. (i.e. The plucky, rebellious young tom-boy heroine who opposes authority for the greater good.)

The dialogue gets clunky in places, especially the romance between Valerian and Galen who have about as much chemistry as Rocky and Bulwinkle. Much of the dialogue in this film could certainly have been rendered better, but it still manages to escape pure cheese almost all of the time. (The horse at the end crossed the fromage line though, IMHO.) The plot itself is a good one though, and well told. The production values were excellent and the fight with Vermithrax in the cave is simply a fantastic scene. Tyrian and Galen's fight was a underwhelming by comparison, especially with the horrid spark effects used, but it was mercifully brief and Tyrian manages to pull off an excellent death scene.


To sum up, I'd say this film is quite underrated. It's not just a throwaway piece of 80's cheese with some good stop-motion work. There's a lot more going on than here than just Vermithrax. I am officially reclassifying this film as an underappreciated fantasy gem. (I used to classify it as a guilty pleasure.)

 

[Dick]

C'mon, guys! Of course MacNichol's not a hunk. That is why I put the word in quotes.

 

[Glenn Overholt]

Steve you jerk! j/k! After reading this I had to watch it again too.

I never gave this a cheesy rating, but always considered it a classic fantasy film - and the best dragon movie that I have. I'd like to get more, but they are few and far between.

I got Dragon Storm not too long ago, and although it is only a TV movie, it's a lot of fun to watch too.

Glenn

 

[DaViD Boulet]

Oh it was cruel. About 2 years ago the "hype" for having this title released on DVD was at a cult-classic high. It seemed there was always some thread speculating about the possibility for release...with someone else saying how Paramount "had no plans" and all the fans were singing the blues. So for April fools I posted this really *in-depth* thread about how I had heard plans for the DVD release and about all the special features that would be on the disc blah blah blah. I made it sound really convincing...and I thought it would be a fun gag. Instead, it seemed that I only succeeded in making the emotion turmoil *worse* for the dedicated fans who said some very not-nice things to me about falsely getting up their hopes.

But now the DVD is here...void of any extras (Paramount...duh) but it's here and the picture and sound are marvelous. One of THE best dragon-movies ever.

-dave

 

[Jeff_HR]

THE best ever DaViD!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Ernest Rister]

"So for April fools I posted this really *in-depth* thread about how I had heard plans for the DVD release and about all the special features that would be on the disc blah blah blah. I made it sound really convincing...and I thought it would be a fun gag. Instead, it seemed that I only succeeded in making the emotion turmoil *worse* for the dedicated fans who said some very not-nice things to me about falsely getting up their hopes."

I hear Song of the South is coming to DVD in an eight-disc edition, and each set contains a free airline ticket, free lodging at the Animal Kingdom resort, $10,000 in spending money and a free seven-day hopper pass to Walt Disney World.

 

[Kevin M]

THIS IS THE THREAD that everyone is referring to....BASTARD!!

.....a 5.1 DTS music track....BAAAH!

 

[DaViD Boulet]

Egads. It was even more impressive than I remember. Where did I come up with all that stuff?!?

 

[Gary->dee]

I just love the way the movie begins. It's bloody ominous with that low, dragging musical note. One of the best beginnings to any movie IMO. If I were to make a movie I'd want it to start like that. Lucas' THX-11384EB student film opened in a similar vein although it starts with a completely black screen with deep, low toned music. Very dark and eerie.

From the very first second, the tone of the movie is set and it's undeniable. Dragonslayer is a complete vision, no half-assing. I don't think audiences were ready for it back when it was first released. Kinda like another Disney movie: TRON! Some movies are just ahead of their time. THX-1138 is another one.

 

[Fredric]

"I hear Song of the South is coming to DVD in an eight-disc edition, and each set contains a free airline ticket, free lodging at the Animal Kingdom resort, $10,000 in spending money and a free seven-day hopper pass to Walt Disney World."

But no OAR, so NO SALE!

 

[Chris Roberts]

Interesting. I dislike the beginning of the movie and always skip the first chapter when I watch it.

 

[Glenn Overholt]

Now there are two opposite opinions!

It almost isn't like the rest of the movie but it does set the groundwork for the rest.
Chris - is it too slow? Oh wait, if you skip it - nevermind.

Glenn

 

[Gary->dee]

Well that's blasphemy in my book, but then again that's how you prefer your book.

 

[Jeff_HR]

Reminds me a of story John Frankenheimer tells about "Manchurian Candidate".

 

[Kevin M]

I like the first low musical tone in the opening but the second one I despise, then by the third low tone when you can see the torches approaching I am indifferent yet interested....until they knock on the door of the castle and then I am out of the film entirely again until the door is answered, and then I am with it all the way!

 

[Gary->dee]

Alex North's score for Dragonslayer reminds me a great deal of John Williams' score for Empire Strikes Back, arguably his best score. It's obscure, mostly going for tones rather than themes, even though ESB's score eventually relies heavily on themes to represent characters(leit motif?). Dragonslayer's score is also complex and used a wide array of instruments. But mostly it's dark just like ESB's score.

 

[Ernest Rister]

"But no OAR, so NO SALE!"

Like Bambi, the coming Song of the South: MegaSet DVD has been enhanced for 4:3 televisions.

 

[Glenn Overholt]

Ernest - shouldn't that be de-hanced?

Glenn