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Buena Vista · Street Date: November 19,
2002 · $29.99 US
One of the more interesting films of the past year was
Reign of Fire. Directed by X-Files
alumni Rob Bowman and starring Matthew McConaughey and
Christian Bale, the movie was one-part Dragonslayer,
and one-part Mad Max. With nonstop action and
an absolute window-shattering soundtrack, Reign of
Fire breathed new life into the long-stagnated
genre of post-apocalyptic films. With Buena Vista
seeing fit to deliver the fantasy blockbuster to DVD,
you can now openly flaunt your home theater system
with the screams of burning Englishmen.
In the world of Reign of Fire, a London
tunneling project inadvertently unleashes a slumbering
beast from centuries of dormancy. Cut to twenty years
later, and fire-breathing dragons dominate the world’s
skies, burning the land, and feeding on the ash.
Nations have fallen, cities destroyed, the world’s
population forced either underground or in reclusive,
scattered settlements. Set amongst the English
countryside is one such group, headed by Quinn (Bale),
a gruff, no-nonsense leader who witnessed his mother
killed during the dragon’s London debut. Content to
do nothing more than his keep his dwindling faction
alive, Quinn’s world is upset when Van Zan (McConaughey),
a hotshot American militia leader, shows up with a
ragtag group of slayers on a crusade to hunt down and
destroy the beasts. And so the countdown begins to an
increasingly intensifying battle of the species.
At a point in cinematic history where doomsday
films such as Waterworld and The Postman
have faltered in remarkable fashion, Reign of Fire
is a spectacularly entertaining film. The
oft-seen-on-movie-poster term “nonstop thrill ride”
is usually complete hyperbole, but nowhere is it more
appropriate than Reign of Fire, where a sudden
swooping dragon can launch a fiery and violent battle
at a moment’s notice. Director Rob Bowman, who also
helmed the X-Files movie as well as many
classic episodes, has a palpable sense of how to work
tension into a scene. A calm sky with a lazy breeze
will suddenly erupt with the loud flapping of a dragon’s
wings through the rear channels, while the guard on
lookout will sound the call to arms. It’s exciting,
and it’s continuous, and that makes for a great
film.
For their part, the interplay between McConaughey
and Bale drives the film as much as the dragons, and
both seem destined for their roles. McConaughey, who
has had a rough time shaking his sweet Southern guy
image, plays a very convincing tattooed and incredibly
built warrior, while Bale emanates the aura of a true
leader struggling to lead a community in desperate
times. Reign of Fire allows the audience to
understand these two men and the desolate situation
they exist in, and that only adds to the film’s
already high quality.
Reign of Fire is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic
widescreen. As is customary with a major feature film,
the transfer is pristine with no noticeable print
blemishes or compression artifacts. Presumably to add
to the depressing nature of the film’s environment,
there is a slight darkened haze throughout the film.
As one would imagine for such a movie, an extensive
amount of special effects were used throughout the
picture. Thankfully, enough time and money was spent
on the dragons to make them incredibly realistic and
downright frightening, with gushing fire shooting from
their mouths as they dive upon their prey. A final
climatic battle features an impressive amount of CGI
work intermixed with life action shots.
On the sound front, the film is delivered with two
distinct audio tracks: DTS 5.1 Digital and Dolby
Digital 5.1. With deeper bass and an overall
encompassing feel, the DTS track will arguably be the
preferred one to listen to. Much like the print
transfer, Reign of Fire’s audio is
impressive, with full use of all channels. As
mentioned, the decreasingly faint flapping of a dragon
wings will erupt from the rear channels, interrupting
the proverbial “calm before the storm.” The actual
attacks are almost reference quality, with shouting
and crying filling the room from all sides as a dragon’s
flame quickly envelops a victim. For
apartment-dwellers, lowering the bass is almost
essential, as the many booming sounds have noise
complaint written all over them.
The DVD features an assortment of supplements,
headlined by three featurettes. “Breathing Life Into
The Terror” is a look at the creation of the
dragons. It’s always interesting hearing from
special effects guys, particularly as they strove to
create a realistic dragon, or as real as one can make
a mythical creature. We gain a look at the computer
models of the dragons themselves, and how they were
incorporated into the film. Also seen are
behind-the-scene shots where dragons will later be
included. Next up is “If You Can’t Stand The Heat,”
which is an extensive look at the pyrotechnic angle of
the film. Obviously, due the subject matter, an
extensive amount of thought went into how to create
the “dragon’s breath,” and we hear from all of
the major players involved. Anyone who’s a fan of Backdraft
will find it fascinating to hear how the special
effect crew put together the fire shots. We also see
what type of materials went into the fire itself, as
well as how it was controlled.
Lastly, an interview with Rob Bowman is included,
which finds the director speaking about how he
approached the film, and how initially he didn’t
wish to do anything approaching a “monster film.”
Fans of X-Files will find the interview of
interest, as Bowman often references back his time on
the series as he describes his work on Reign of
Fire.
Rounding out the extras is the film’s theatrical
trailer.
The Movie: B+. An original storyline with
convincing performances make this one of the best
fantasy films ever.
The Look: A. A flawless transfer combined with
impressive visual effects make this fun to look at.
The Sound: A. Full use of all channels puts you
right into the movie.
The Extras: B. Although not overly remarkable,
the included featurettes are interesting, particularly
given the amount of special effects used.
Overall: A. Reign of Fire is a blast.
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