Rated PG-13 for intense action violence.

101 Minutes

Directed By: Rob Bowman

Written By: Gregg Chabot and Kevin Peterka

Something has been sleeping and mans curiosity has awakened a living nightmare.  What was once only believed to be a myth soon became all too real, and unfortunately before the whole world would accept it’s truth it had let too many roam free and destroy mankind.  Our weapons were no match, and soon the world became little more than a pile of ash as Dragons combed the streets in starvation  helping bring another species to extinction.

Dragons, Post-Apocalyptic world, Christian Bale, Matthew McConaughey as a rogue dragon slayer and cool special effects?  What more could you ask for.  Reign of Fire had the goods and delivered them in a dark mystic way that both science fiction junkies and any action flick aficionado would appreciate.  It is a roller coaster ride of emotions and fear of an impending doom for the race of man.  With a future of either the dragons or man out-surviving each other, it seems man must all but give up, but Reign of Fire shows mans relentless instinct for survival, but also mans enigmatic knack for conquering it’s oppressors.

Directer Rob Bowman did an excellent job of balancing characters, the story, and the action without delving too deep into either counterpart.  Each was given back round enough to be plausible and three dimensional, but none were over focused on, which left a mystery about the characters, the dragons even, the history of how the world fully came to be, and just enough special effects and action to wet your mouth with, but the cup never ran over.  Less is often more, and Bowman really put that theory to work and made it succeed in this ravishing tale, that very much so stands on it’s own versus others that may dabble in this genre.

Christian Bale is with no question one of the best leading men available today, and definitely a great lead for action films, but in this tale of death and destruction, Matthew McConaughey steals the screen with his bravado and machismo playing Denton Van Zan, a Dragon Slaying maniac, that is in my opinion McConaughey’s best role to date.  McConaughey breathes charisma and demands the camera’s attention each time his is on screen, and even when he isn’t, his depiction is so powerful you yearn for him to return.  Van Zan is one of the most magnetic characters ever in a Science Fiction film.  The reviting performances by both lead men carry the film effectively and with their own distinct style and flair.

This is a powerhouse film that really emotes the instinct for human survival but also the desire for something beyond just existing.  It’s subtle way of justifying this concept with an effortless plot that ignites a response from the viewer while simultaneously being entertained.  That’s just plain good fantasy and Sci-Fi.  Reign of Fire certainly rose above and beyond my expectations and goes down as one of my favorite post-apocalyptic tales of all time with the unchallenged balance of entertainment, suspense, driven and compelling characters and a depth that went beyond superficial fun.  Reign of Fire is a pure and simple joyride of suspense and pleasure.  It wins an easy three and a half stars from me. 

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