iguana1500 Reviews

DragonHeart (1996)

Comical Dragon

[10/10 · 17 July 2004]

*may contain potential spoilers*

I only recently saw Dragonheart even though its been out for almost a decade. I stumbled upon this movie quite by accident, but now that I've seen it twice, I'm pleased with this discovery. I'm not a fantasy or dragon lore enthusiast, but I found this movie enjoyable on many levels.

Sean Connery lending his voice talent to the Dragon (Drako) is one of the most debatable choices in this movie. I personally think it was a good choice since I laughed every time I heard his English accent coming out of a medieval creature. The result? A dragon with a bit of sophistication and class. Also unexpected is the animation quality of the dragon. I expected that dragons would be something evil and harsh, but Drako ended up as an surprising character that was both funny and interesting. One scene in particular: Bowen finds Drako serenading Kara by a waterfall. Upon discovery, Drako is embarrassed...well...as much as a dragon could.

The story line is linear and easy to understand which leaves more time for the viewer to focus on other things. Dennis Quaid and David Thewlis do a good job acting, although the character that David plays (the evil king) is a bit dim. In fact, he is outright dumb which adds to the humor of the movie. Dennis plays Bowen, the disillusioned knight who manages to be gruff and tough, yet also remains light hearted about his duty.

The plot partially follows the classic hero's quest theme. The plot at the end of the movie turned out the way it should have. Towards the 3rd quarter of the movie, I feared that some cheesy ending would take place since the movie hinted at the possibility of some silly conclusion where everyone would live happily ever after and the bad guys would get thrown in jail. Fortunately, the movie took the right path and a more serious ending ensued.

This ended the movie quite well and I felt satisfied.

I was surprised to see so many famous actors and actresses in this movie. Most of them acted well enough, although none gave any spectacular performances. Only one actor really stood out as miscast in this movie: Jason Isaacs who played the evil king's side kick. After seeing too many movies where Issacs is cast as an domineering figure with composure (The Tuxedo, Black Hawk Down, The Patriot), his character in this movie was just too weak. At one point, he comes out of a house half dressed and accidentally drops his shorts (or medieval equivalent) for a brief moment.

Overall, this movie was fun to watch. Drako was a surprise and offered a very refreshing portrayal of a dragon (although I can't compare this movie to any other dragon movie). Drako just seems to defy a stereotype I had in my mind about dragons. The cast is solid enough, and the story is one that is simple but interesting. The ending did the movie well. One thing is for sure, you can't watch this movie with a serious attitude. Its lighthearted and comical with a little bit of seriousness thrown in intermittently.

Acting: 6/10

Special Effects: 9/10 (for its time!)

Score for a fun time: 8.5/10

Overall score: 7/10

Hero (2002)

Another Great Zhang YiMou Film

[10/10 · 2 July 2004]

Many of Zhang Yi Mou's films are artistic in their portrayal of often very simple messages. While the plot of Hero is intriguing and even sometimes confusing (seeing it twice or three times clarifies), Zhang keeps the message to a point and still places heavy emphasis on creating beauty. Like a masterful artist, he relies on a wide range of media to create his masterpiece: from simple dialogue (two words in the end) to majestic scenes (of rocky desert mostly) and (quite simply) a lot of color. Some of his other films such as The Road Home and Red Sorghum also share these similarities.

Hero pushes a very simple idea and yet takes a very intricate path of telling it. Never is any scene overly emotional, nor is any scene forced. Although many scenes are seemingly repeated, they are never the same and sometimes seem to contradict what already happened. Most people I know who have seen this movie felt it was confusing the first time around. Once they saw it twice, they all agreed that the movie flows flawlessly until the end.

Hero also has one of the greatest soundtracks of any Zhang movie, rivaling that of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon's Soundtrack. Dun Tan lends his skills to the soundtracks of both movies. While the two OST's cannot be directly compared, I would prefer listening to the OST of Hero anyday.

Overall Score: 10/10 - No complaints here

Dinotopia (II) (2002)

Unique but Flawed

[7/10 · 2 July 2004]

*may contain potential spoilers*

Dinotopia was slated to be a big budget and big hit movie. After its release on ABC in 2002, it became something of a failure in the sense that it was not a smash hit. Rather, it falls into history as a unique movie based off of a memorable childhood book. It has its strengths that make it overall worth watching. Running at over four hours, it has some good plot, acceptable acting, very rich settings, comical characters, and a different ending than one would expect.

The main theme that is explored in the movie offers something to think about. The idea of utopia is not a new one; adding dinos into the mix definitely makes it unique. Although we all expect every movie about utopia to have the same conclusion that all utopias fail, this one does not have the same outcome. Perhaps it is the effect of the "scalies" that minimizes the human tendency of self destruction. Still, the gravity of the theme rapidly tappers off way before the movie actually ends. Really, very few people actually care by the end of the movie whether or not the dinotopians fail in their "perfectly" created society. Still, it is something of a childish "happy" ending that will probably please younger audiences who do not wish to see all the dinos and humans perish.

Children will probably find the dinosaurs amusing and fun. Yet the animation of the dinosaurs leaves something to be desired for anyone over the age of 10. Still, the character "Zippo" is one of the best computer animated characters in any movie. Although sometimes borderline dumb, he is much more comical and interesting than "Ja ja" from you know what. Oh, and little kids will inevitably find "26" cute.

Dinotopia offers a solid soundtrack. Its music is memorable but not very varied in flavor. The music does fit the movie well and adds an added element that makes it more watchable.

What really makes Dinotopia unique is the grand nature of the movie itself: four hours of dino and human utopia exploration. Dino lovers and enthusiasts will probably have this DVD in their collection. It has enough pluses to outweigh the sometimes egregious minuses.

One of the worst parts of the movie: The mayor's hat. What was anyone thinking when they decided on a pointy hat with several red fuzzy balls hanging off the top?

One of the best parts of the movie: The messenger (mail) birds. Very good animation and very comical.

Overall, a fun family movie.

6.5 out of 10.