Dragonslayer

The former already had my attention with good-looking backgrounds and some spooky ambience. But at first, the characters started out as one-dimensional plot-drivers with little personality to them; Ulrich is an ordinary sorcerer who has no fear of dragons, Galen is a brave magician, King Casiodorus is just your average typical king, and the princesses that Galen meets (Valerian and Elspeth) are just stereotypical ladies with a sassy attitude. As far as I'm concerned, I don't even know the character "Hodge" at all. Until a few characters began to grow, and develop more; Ulrich turns out to be a wizard that represents a Christ-like god. One forgettable character turned out to be an antagonist that Galen has to defeat near the dragon's lair. And finally, Galen and Valerian began to show some interesting chemistry, not to mention that I have learned that Valerian is a smart heroine. I have also learned that she started off as a male, but how? Anyways, this kind of character development has not been handled well for two reasons: 1. The character development became more clear when the latter at the third act kicks in after going through the story that moves at such a sluggish pace through the first act and the second act. 2. The character development is underwhelming; These characters are started out empty (as empty as hat), but then when the character development kicks in, it's simplistic; there is barely anything special about them (except for Ulrich), and there are a small amount of thin layers to their characterizations. When the characters have their screen-time, the movie tends to meander along. There are four small moments that are redundant: The scene where Galen looks at his water reflection in the first act tries to deliver subtlety and depth, but the delivery of it's subtle depth within this moment comes out as vague and contained. After that, we go to one cheesy moment where one character says that he can still speak even with an arrow through his chest. The way the encounter between Galen and Valerian was written is ridiculous; Telling Galen to not come in as if there is danger, and Galen saw her underwater, accidently looking at something that I could've sworn that I saw what I think he sees. And last but not least, there is only one religious reference that does not get involved with the story. Most of the religious references here are truly acceptable, not just to me, but to the story as well. Now, I am not saying that the movie as a whole is boring, the entertainment value is a middling effort here. Here's why: Throughout the whole movie, Matthew Robbins (director and writer) has created set-pieces that are staged so-nicely; most of these set-pieces are suspenseful. These suspenseful moments are simplistic but they were handled well because of how well-timed they were, how the tone was used, and how the screenplay was constructed, allowing them to execute a primary example of simple suspense. The effects in this movie are incredible, so is the production design; One scene where Galen uses his magic on Hodge, the effects are so convincing, and the magic escalated so quickly, that it makes this scene funny. The most impressive effect by far is the dragon itself; The Vermithrax Pejorative is one threatening dragon, especially the design. This dragon has been brought to life by a great use of go-motion, puppetry, and animatronics. The fire that the dragon breathes out looks incredibly convincing. But, there is hardly anything else that makes the dragon special. The mood of the whole movie has been supported by a big and loud orchestral score by Alex North. For age appropriate content, this film is suitable for kids age eleven and up. In conclusion: I liked "Dragonslayer," even with it's flaws; despite the mediocre characterizations and the sluggish pace that drags the story, It's an interesting fantasy epic with incredible effects and solid craftsmanship.

This movie was ahead of its time when considering the Spec-Effcts for the Dragon!! Been a fav since I first watched it along with Wrath of Khan at the movies.

My mom took me to see this in theaters as a kid. I have had a lifelong love of fantasy since. Great movie!