Reign of Fire (2002)

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

Director:

Rob Bowman

Writers:

Gregg Chabot (story), Kevin Peterka (story),

Stars:

Christian Bale, Matthew McConaughey, 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 Zam. 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.

---

Plot Keywords:

beast | dragon | fire breathing | fire | american | 

---

Taglines:

Fight Fire With Fire

---

Genres:

Action | Adventure | Fantasy | Sci-Fi | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for intense action violence

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [jp] Official site [uk]

Country:

UK Ireland USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 July 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Where Heroes Go Down

Filming Locations:

Ardmore Studios, Herbert Road, Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland

Box Office

Budget:

$60,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$214,648 (Japan) (30 May 2003)

Gross:

$1,720,747 (Japan) (6 June 2003)

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

It was filmed in Ireland, in the Wicklow Mountains. They were only allowed to film there under the condition that they clean up entirely after themselves, without damaging the landscape.

---

Goofs

When the female American helicopter pilot jumps off the landing pad, she is introduced as a member of the US Calvary instead of US Cavalry.

---

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.

---

Connections

Referenced in The Nostalgia Critic: Old vs. New: Batman vs. the Dark Knight (2009)

---

Soundtracks

"Interlude 1"
Music by Mad at Gravity
Performed by Mad at Gravity
Courtesy of ARTISTdirect Records

User Reviews

Mis-Advertised

I love this film. It shows the very human struggle to survive after they've been knocked from the top of the food chain. It blends medieval mythology with a modern era breathlessly. Definitely an original take on Man vs Dragon. Now to get this straight, this is a film about Humans, not about Dragons. The dragons merely supply the unique reason for the apocalypse. This is a film about the post-apocalypse, not the apocalypse. It's not about skies full of Dragons turning worldwide armed forces into ash on an epic scale. It's not about Dragons setting the world, quite literally, on fire. It's about after all that's happened.

Which is a shame this was advertised as a film about Dragons burning all life as we know it. Of course, everyone goes in expecting to see 90 minutes of Dragons destroying everything. If this had been advertised as a more human film about after these Dragons have completely wasted everything, I really think this could've been seen as a good film. It unfortunately set expectations high in the wrong sort of viewers by a mind-blowingly epic trailer.

Christian Bale, Gerard Butler and Matthew McConaughey all deliver their role superbly, and the script isn't as bad as it's made out to be either. The effects were great and the Dragons do look pretty realistic, to the point I almost believed this was a documentary. Okay, so there are some plot holes, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to fill those in yourself. I mean, does everything have to be explained so obviously? The only reason this film gets 4 stars and not 5 is because, being a film about human struggle, it could've done with a bit more character development. Other than that, it's a deeply entertaining, well-acted, suspenseful film.

Don't knock it before you see it for yourself.