Reign of Fire (2002)
November 13, 2022 10:39 PM - Subscribe
Christian Bale and Matthew McConaughey play two leaders who team up (in the far-future 2020) to fight off a brood of fire-breathing dragons seeking to return to global dominance after centuries of rest underground. Features a playacted re-creation of a bit of Star Wars, a fire-roasted tomato crop, an explosive arrow shot by crossbow, children in peril, a construction site that breaks several safety regulations, and dragons.
Roger Ebert pointed out many of the "wait, what?" aspects of Reign of Fire such as the dragons' biology but I'd like to take a moment to talk about some good things about this movie.
This is a Hollywood scifi movie with an original screenplay. It's not a remake and it's not based on some pre-existing comic book or novel or TV show. 20 years later that feels a lot rarer.
Quinn has to deal with incredible burdens and provocations, and Christian Bale could play his role with a ton of angst, but instead he acts pretty reasonably. Quinn's first priority is trying to keep the kids safe, and that's what motivates his decisions. And, as much as he doubts these American dragonslayers, in the midst of their battles, when he realizes that one of their motorcycle folks has fallen, he goes out on a horse to finish the job of stationing that third sensor so that the team has a chance to succeed -- and he doesn't pull any macho crap about wanting to be a leader instead of a follower.
There were little glimpses of things that made sense for their particular postapocalyptic setting, like the play, the prayer, the windmill, etc. And a world of leather and metal actually makes sense if fire is your primary threat.
It was a pleasant surprise to see Alexander Siddig here, fresh off his role as Dr. Julian Bashir in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
posted by brainwane at 4:20 AM on November 14, 2022 [7 favorites]
This is a Hollywood scifi movie with an original screenplay. It's not a remake and it's not based on some pre-existing comic book or novel or TV show. 20 years later that feels a lot rarer.
Quinn has to deal with incredible burdens and provocations, and Christian Bale could play his role with a ton of angst, but instead he acts pretty reasonably. Quinn's first priority is trying to keep the kids safe, and that's what motivates his decisions. And, as much as he doubts these American dragonslayers, in the midst of their battles, when he realizes that one of their motorcycle folks has fallen, he goes out on a horse to finish the job of stationing that third sensor so that the team has a chance to succeed -- and he doesn't pull any macho crap about wanting to be a leader instead of a follower.
There were little glimpses of things that made sense for their particular postapocalyptic setting, like the play, the prayer, the windmill, etc. And a world of leather and metal actually makes sense if fire is your primary threat.
It was a pleasant surprise to see Alexander Siddig here, fresh off his role as Dr. Julian Bashir in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
posted by brainwane at 4:20 AM on November 14, 2022 [7 favorites]
I feel sorry for all of us who were not children when this film came out. It's quite possible to enjoy it otherwise, but imagine watching this with kids' eyes. Kid me would have loved this.
posted by elkevelvet at 7:16 AM on November 14, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by elkevelvet at 7:16 AM on November 14, 2022 [4 favorites]
Previously (2020) on Metafilter : A Brief Retrospective of Reign of Fire
This movie is dumb, possibly the last gasp of the 90s dumb-action blockbuster phase of Hollywood. But there is good dumb and bad dumb, and Reign of Fire is definitely good dumb.
posted by AndrewStephens at 7:51 AM on November 14, 2022 [6 favorites]
This movie is dumb, possibly the last gasp of the 90s dumb-action blockbuster phase of Hollywood. But there is good dumb and bad dumb, and Reign of Fire is definitely good dumb.
posted by AndrewStephens at 7:51 AM on November 14, 2022 [6 favorites]
Kid me would have loved this.
I can confirm, my middle school friends fucking loved it. I am sure I saw it several times.
posted by BungaDunga at 8:27 AM on November 14, 2022 [1 favorite]
I can confirm, my middle school friends fucking loved it. I am sure I saw it several times.
posted by BungaDunga at 8:27 AM on November 14, 2022 [1 favorite]
Related: Wikipedia entry on stories set in a future that is now the past.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 8:35 AM on November 14, 2022 [7 favorites]
posted by DirtyOldTown at 8:35 AM on November 14, 2022 [7 favorites]
This is a Hollywood scifi movie with an original screenplay. It's not a remake and it's not based on some pre-existing comic book or novel or TV show. 20 years later that feels a lot rarer.
A fair point, and while not everyone (Ebert notably) got into the premise of "dragons show up all of a sudden and burn shit down", I get some of the attractions of the premise: as kind of an analogy to climate change; as kind of a way for the world to get turned back 1000 years or so (albeit with a lot of modern tech, like helicopters, left) so that losing a single crop might mean that the village starves; as a sort of alternate take on the Terry Pratchett Discworld book Guards! Guards! that imagines a whole bunch of dragons showing up; as an excuse to have dragons; as an exercise of the guilty pleasure of shit getting burnt down.
Also, speaking of kids, apparently one of the little kids in this film is Jack Gleeson, who some years down the road would become Joffrey Baratheon in Game of Thrones.
posted by Halloween Jack at 12:24 PM on November 14, 2022 [1 favorite]
A fair point, and while not everyone (Ebert notably) got into the premise of "dragons show up all of a sudden and burn shit down", I get some of the attractions of the premise: as kind of an analogy to climate change; as kind of a way for the world to get turned back 1000 years or so (albeit with a lot of modern tech, like helicopters, left) so that losing a single crop might mean that the village starves; as a sort of alternate take on the Terry Pratchett Discworld book Guards! Guards! that imagines a whole bunch of dragons showing up; as an excuse to have dragons; as an exercise of the guilty pleasure of shit getting burnt down.
Also, speaking of kids, apparently one of the little kids in this film is Jack Gleeson, who some years down the road would become Joffrey Baratheon in Game of Thrones.
posted by Halloween Jack at 12:24 PM on November 14, 2022 [1 favorite]
Related: Wikipedia entry on stories set in a future that is now the past.
Welp that's me lost then. See y'all when I surface in a few years.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 12:43 PM on November 14, 2022 [3 favorites]
Welp that's me lost then. See y'all when I surface in a few years.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 12:43 PM on November 14, 2022 [3 favorites]
It was a pleasant surprise to see Alexander Siddig here, fresh off his role as Dr. Julian Bashir in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Plus baby faced Gerard Butler four years before 300.
I remember being incredibly entertained by this film, but most of all I remember being astounded at McConaughey's physical transformation what with the muscles and the bald head and the tats.
posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 1:36 PM on November 14, 2022 [2 favorites]
Plus baby faced Gerard Butler four years before 300.
I remember being incredibly entertained by this film, but most of all I remember being astounded at McConaughey's physical transformation what with the muscles and the bald head and the tats.
posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 1:36 PM on November 14, 2022 [2 favorites]
I really dug this movie, need to see it again. I think elkvelvet has it spot on - there is an incredible amount of "cool" factor in this.
It's as ridiculous and silly as Caviezel's 'Outlander' (2008) but the settings and atmospheres earns a bye from me for both movies. 2002, I would have been starting a masters after a couple of years out of undergrad.
Yes also to the surprising physical transformation of McConaughey.
Don't overlook that Alice Krige was also in this.
posted by porpoise at 1:59 PM on November 14, 2022 [1 favorite]
It's as ridiculous and silly as Caviezel's 'Outlander' (2008) but the settings and atmospheres earns a bye from me for both movies. 2002, I would have been starting a masters after a couple of years out of undergrad.
Yes also to the surprising physical transformation of McConaughey.
Don't overlook that Alice Krige was also in this.
posted by porpoise at 1:59 PM on November 14, 2022 [1 favorite]
We were thrilled by the promise “panzer vs dragons”, but I found the movie very disappointing. Really at this moment, the movie I wanted to see was the one with the dragon war. Nowadays I’m not so sure, I’ve got “big set piece fatigue” from the endless stream of marvel movies. But in 2002, for sure I was in for that movie.
Would have made a kickass serie, start modern with the dragon awakening follow to the dragon war/defeat and then ratchet up the stake/tension until you get to the finale.
posted by WaterAndPixels at 4:12 PM on November 14, 2022
Would have made a kickass serie, start modern with the dragon awakening follow to the dragon war/defeat and then ratchet up the stake/tension until you get to the finale.
posted by WaterAndPixels at 4:12 PM on November 14, 2022
In a way we got that panzer vs dragon movie with Pacific Rim, a movie that is extremely dumb but also extremely watchable. I wished they’d make a prequel to it that’s just a 2hr of its intro, that’s how much I loved that intro.
posted by WaterAndPixels at 4:19 PM on November 14, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by WaterAndPixels at 4:19 PM on November 14, 2022 [3 favorites]
I unironically love this movie. It was one that I wanted to see from the moment I heard about it, and I was not disappointed. There is some decent world building, a ridiculously over the top performance from McConaughey, culminating in his top quality topless, battleaxe wielding dive into the Dragon women's mouth. The bit with the guys jumping out of helicopters as bait is also cool.
posted by biffa at 5:07 PM on November 14, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by biffa at 5:07 PM on November 14, 2022 [1 favorite]
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posted by kittens for breakfast at 4:00 AM on November 14, 2022 [5 favorites]