Reign of Fire (2002)

A brood of fire-breathing dragons emerges from the earth and begins setting everything ablaze, establishing dominance over the planet.

Director:

Rob Bowman

Writers:

Gregg Chabot (story), Kevin Peterka (story)

Stars:

Matthew McConaughey, Christian Bale, Izabella Scorupco

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Christian Bale	...	Quinn Abercromby
Matthew McConaughey	...	Denton Van Zan
Izabella Scorupco	...	Alex Jensen
Gerard Butler	...	Creedy
Scott Moutter	...	Jared Wilke (as Scott James Moutter)
David Kennedy	...	Eddie Stax
Alexander Siddig	...	Ajay
Ned Dennehy	...	Barlow
Rory Keenan	...	Devon
Terence Maynard	...	Gideon
Doug Cockle	...	Goosh
Randall Carlton	...	Burke (Tito)
Chris Kelly	...	Mead
Ben Thornton	...	Young Quinn
Alice Krige	...	Karen Abercromby

Storyline

It is twenty years in the future, and the planet has been devastated by vicious fire-breathing dragons. The last vestiges of humanity now struggle for survival at remote outposts. In a ruined castle in the English countryside, Quinn is desperately trying to hold together a band of frightened, restless survivors. As a boy, Quinn watched his mother die protecting him from one of the beasts, and is still haunted by the memory. One day, a group of American rogues shows up, led by a brash, tough-guy named Van Zan. He claims to have discovered a way to kill the dragons once and for all, and enlists Quinn's help. But doing so will force Quinn to confront his own frightening memories. This, and Quinn's responsibilities to those that are under his protection, results in a battle of wills between the two men. In the end, events cause them both to realize that they must work together to defeat the monsters--both without and within.

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Plot Keywords:

dragon | fire breathing dragon | survival | militia | castle | 

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Taglines:

The Battle Ignites July 12

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Fantasy | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for intense action violence

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan] Official site [UK]

Country:

USA UK Ireland

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 July 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Where Heroes Go Down

Filming Locations:

Black Castle, Wicklow, Ireland

Box Office

Budget:

$60,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$15,632,281 (USA) (12 July 2002)

Gross:

$43,060,566 (USA) (18 October 2002)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Spyglass Entertainment, Touchstone Pictures, Tripod Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Denton tells his men to line up 20 yards South by Southwest. Being a Texan, Matthew McConaughey is referencing Austin's annual music festival, South by Southwest (SXSW).

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Goofs

In the opening scenes, the small boy appears to be walking in London around the new Underground building site, but clearly in the background two red and white chimneys are visible. These chimneys are located in Ringsend, Dublin (where this scene was filmed), and not London.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Worker #1: Hello, Quinn.
Worker #2: Good morning, Quinn. How's is going mate.
Young Quinn: What's up, guys.
Worker #3: Working the late shift, are ya?
Young Quinn: Ha! Someone's got to clean up after you guys.

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Connections

References The Lion King (1994)

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Soundtracks

Fire
Written and Performed by Jimi Hendrix
Courtesy of Experience Hendrix LLC/MCA Records
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

An interesting step for science fiction

Sure, it was cheesy and low budget, but the indomitable Rob Bowman didn't pull any punches in this futuristic drama about dragons. Giving a scientific edge to a creature based in fantasy, this film proved to be a rather refreshing step in science fiction, which means it won't be a well received one. Even if this film barely makes its money back, at least it leaves the door open for other fantastic ideas in the science fiction genre.

As for the film, the technical side was excellent. Bowman, a former television director proves he can do just as well with a 50 million dollar budget (?) and a tough to sell idea. Both Christian Bale and Matthew McConaughey were believable as care taking heroes. Their bipolar dynamic was especially excellent, creating tension not just in beliefs but also in culture and devotion to country. McConaughey was especially good as Van Zant (which was well cast, considering he is an actual southerner), bringing a role to his resume which I had never seen. All in all, a decent film to watch. 7/10