 Reign Of Fire (2002)DIRECTOR: Rob BowmanSTARS: Christian Bale, Matthew McConaughey, Izabella Scorupco, Gerald Butler, Alexander Siddig and Alice Krige.Comments:Reviews for this movie have been laregely mixed. Most dismiss it as a lightweight entry into the fantasy genre, however, it is much more than that. When I first saw anything on this movie, it was on "Ebert and Roper At The Movies." Both critics largely wrote it off as nothing but a great special effects movie, but sparse on both story and performances. I beg to differ.In a day when the large screen blockbuster is the fashion, this movie is small in its approach and its performances, but it looks large in its presentation. Set in the future, Reign of Fire from Touchstone Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment, begins normal. Quinn Abercromby (Ben Thornton), a 12 year-old child of divorce is on his way to his mother's workplace. Karen (Alice Krige) is the foreperson on an underground drilling operation in London, England. Quinn has a note from a school to which he'd like to go, but as with everything, it's too expensive and both mother and son try to figure out where they're going to get the money for Quinn to go. One of Karen's workers comes up and breaks the moment telling her that they've broken through into a cavern. Quinn enters the keep where he is stunned by the sight of drooling fire then the sound of deep, heavy breathing. Looking up, Quinn finds himself face to face with a dragon. Something is spit into his face and eyes and as he runs from the keep, he finds his mother. As they attempt to escape in a cage-like elevator, the dragon escapes the hold and pursues Quinn. The dragon emerges and subsequently tears the cage from its moorings thereby scaring Quinn and kiling his mother. A montage of images are shown while a voice over explains the history after the dragons took over the world. We find out this is the grown Quinn, now played by American Psycho's Christian Bale. He tells us that the world has become a veritable wasteland. The dragons left the land in cindars while the world's leaders used all weapons to destroy the dragons who have multiplied to a million. What the dragons didn't destroy, the nuclear weapons did. Quinn explains the survivors left the burned out cities and went to the outlying areas. The belief is that a few survivors would be able to hold up until a proper result could be found to exterminate the dragons. to be continued... |
