Reign Of Fire is about a post apocalyptic world in which human survivors are huddled in communities trying to make it through another day. The thing that has caused the apocalypse is not atomic war, chemical war, biological war, or a natural disaster. It's the awakening of creatures thought to be mythical, but dragons turn out to be very real.
A brief prologue involving the character who grows up to be Christian Bale sets the stage as workers in the London underground accidentally awaken the beast. Young Ben Thornton survives but his mother is one of many killed by the dragon's first blast of fire.
Fast forward about thirty years and Thornton, now Christian Bale is leader of a small colony in rural Great Britain if in fact such a government still exists. The dragons have multiplied and roam the world. They breathe fire and consume the ash of what they breathe for food. Makes it real hard to kill.
Bale is just looking to survive, but a squadron of dragon killers led by Matthew McConaughey is over from across the pond. They've got a tip on how to end the dragon menace for humanity which involves their reproductive processes and are looking for help.
That's the business conflict between McConaughey and Bale. They've also got a personal thing going, a little sexual tension over McConaughey's second in command, Izabella Scoruppo. I have to say Izabella fills a flight suit out real nice.
The best things about Reign Of Fire are the sets showing the burned over world the dragons have left. So incredibly bleak, they make the sets of Mel Gibson's Mad Max films look like the Everglades. The special effects with the dragons are pretty good as well.
In fact the technical aspects of the film do overwhelm the human players somewhat. Still McConaughey, Bale, Scoruppo and the rest do get their characterizations across.
Not a bad film in general, Reign Of Fire is a must for science fiction fans.
A brief prologue involving the character who grows up to be Christian Bale sets the stage as workers in the London underground accidentally awaken the beast. Young Ben Thornton survives but his mother is one of many killed by the dragon's first blast of fire.
Fast forward about thirty years and Thornton, now Christian Bale is leader of a small colony in rural Great Britain if in fact such a government still exists. The dragons have multiplied and roam the world. They breathe fire and consume the ash of what they breathe for food. Makes it real hard to kill.
Bale is just looking to survive, but a squadron of dragon killers led by Matthew McConaughey is over from across the pond. They've got a tip on how to end the dragon menace for humanity which involves their reproductive processes and are looking for help.
That's the business conflict between McConaughey and Bale. They've also got a personal thing going, a little sexual tension over McConaughey's second in command, Izabella Scoruppo. I have to say Izabella fills a flight suit out real nice.
The best things about Reign Of Fire are the sets showing the burned over world the dragons have left. So incredibly bleak, they make the sets of Mel Gibson's Mad Max films look like the Everglades. The special effects with the dragons are pretty good as well.
In fact the technical aspects of the film do overwhelm the human players somewhat. Still McConaughey, Bale, Scoruppo and the rest do get their characterizations across.
Not a bad film in general, Reign Of Fire is a must for science fiction fans.