minionlost

Not to be confused with the many "sword and sorcery" spectacles of the eighties, this film stands alone as a love story and...for lack of a better term...a "fairy tale." Gorgeous cinematography, clever dialogue, a solidly-plotted story, and characters that leap off the screen make this tale one that still stands tall, as long as the viewer is willing to forgive the disastrous soundtrack.

Matthew Broderick may steal the show as a condemned pickpocket who regularly converses with God, but the film is filled with small touches that dazzle; watch how lovingly director Richard Donner parades his medieval warhorses through the nave of a cathedral in the climax!

This movie stands apart from its dismal 1980's sword-and-sorcery fellows, giving us a bleak, moody Dark Ages Britain instead of the scantily-clad damsels and muscle-bound heroes that plagued the decade. The result is a good if nearly-forgotten tale of a sorcerer's apprentice and his reptilian nemesis--a monster that still stands head and scales above any other cinema dragon in terms of sheer ferocity and menace.

Though peopled by terminally obscure actors (apart from Sir Ralph Richardson), the film is solidly plotted, and the Dark Ages production design details alone are worth the trip.

Dragonslayer is a good movie that seems to want to be great. Forget modern eye-popping CGI effects and watch it for what it is.

Stephen Sommer's rib-elbowing adventure film is the kind of movie most of us hope to see, but rarely do, when we trade our cash for a seat at the theatre. Humor, horror, adventure, history, romance, all spooned onto a very full plate that somehow manages to balance these elements and leave us satisfied. With a rousing score and characters that seem to have leapt out of the broad-brush-stroked adventure novels of yesteryear, the movie spares no adventurous twist, no tongue-in-cheek movie reference, and no visual effect to bring the biggest, most absurd, most mummified actioner to the screen (and now, your home screen...). Watch it with a bag of popcorn and a readiness to catch all the jokes as they bounce by (and for lovers of DVD director's commentary tracks, the interplay between Sommers and his long-time editor Bob Ducsay rivals any radio morning-show banter, and actually makes the film even funnier...). All in all, a worthwhile ride.