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 & 3 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:

They're extremely intelligent. Highly evolved. And they don't like sharing the planet.

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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 USA:

$15,632,281, 14 July 2002, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$43,061,982, 27 October 2002

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$82,150,183

Company Credits

Production Co:

Spyglass Entertainment,The Zanuck Company,Touchstone Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The dead dragon was designed and built by Artem, with visual effects by the Secret Lab.

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Goofs

The length of Van Zan's beard changes frequently.

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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

Spoofs Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

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Soundtracks

Walk Away
Written by Mad at Gravity and J. Lynn Johnston
Performed by Mad at Gravity
Courtesy of ARTISTDirect Records/BMG

User Reviews

There are real live dragons to watch out for.

This film will have you believing in dragons. You'll wish there were no such creatures. These dragons have no fairly tale quality about them. They are big and nasty. They have risen up and have all but destroyed the earth. The few surviving groups of people are merely trying to survive this new reign of fire.

The acting by the lead cast is excellent. The story line is pretty intricate for a special effects type film. Most of the film takes place in Scotland, and this helps create the cold, dark, damp atmosphere.

Reign of Fire is a very ambitious film. I loved it.