Dragonslayer (1981)

Only the virgin lottery is fun
Dragonslayer might sound like a film involving barbarians and knights taking on a fire breathing monstrosity... instead you get a young jolly magician with a crystal stone who buffoons about the place like a court jester, dates a boy-girl (yes) and takes on an iguana with wings glued onto it.

The only good part is that the local village has a virgin lottery to decide which dame is going to get sacrificed to the dragon so that they can live peacefully that year. There are certainly not enough dragons (baby dragons that get stabbed to death by the cheery hero don't count) and the blue screen effects are clearly visible. This doesn't seem to be a good production, even for its time (1981). Overall I wanted to watch a good fantasy film and found this one on the list, but was disappointed by the plodding plot, lack of story, hamming acting and bad special effects.

Let this one burn.

Best Dragon Movie to Date
Even when you consider this movie was made in 1981 and you have current movies like Reign of Fire and Eragon to contend with Dragonslayer beats them all. Not only do you have the coolest dragon ever, but you also have a very well written story with plenty of parallels moving alongside the main plot. Add to that a fantastic setting and talented cast and you have not only the best dragon movie, but also one of the best fantasy movies made so far.

Lets start with the dragon, Vermithrax Perjorative (cool name eh?). This is simply the best-designed dragon to ever reach the silver screen. From the conceptual design to how ILM (Industrial Light and Magic) made it come to life, Vermithrax is a delight to behold. Granted most of the dragon sequences are filmed using stop motion effects, but the process used makes the movements very fluid and believable. The dragon design itself is not the only beautiful thing about it. The way they tease you will a little shot of the tail here and a claw there makes seeing the dragon all that more satisfying at the final scenes. The dragon is definitely a treat to behold. The rest of the special effects (non-dragon related) are subtle and effective. Perfect for a movie of this sort.

The story is as well designed as the dragon. Everything falls into place like it should. This is very refreshing when many Hollywood movies tend to throw a scene in just to appease what they think the audience wants. Dragonslayer is all substance without any of that fluff. I particularly like some of the underlying subjects like the rise of Christianity and the end of the age of magic. The story is complimented by what I consider one of the most detailed and accurate settings for a medieval dragon story I have ever seen. You really feel like you are in the Dark Ages. The acting, from both veteran and young actors, is compelling and believable without any of the camp many fantasy films fall victim to.

The one thing I didn't really enjoy was the soundtrack. Granted it was done very professionally and the music is definitely befitting of the movie theme, I just found it more distracting than anything else on most of the scenes. There is no melody or pace set to the music. It just flies off all over the place like a mad scientist's experiment. I know most people who like Dragonslayer love the music. I just can't say that I am one of them.

Too bad the DVD treatment isn't as good. No special features to speak of. No commentary tracks. Nothing special at all. Would be nice to at least see a remastered version sometime in the future.

Compelling story, wonderful sets and location shots, talented and effective acting, spectacular special effects (especially considering when it was made), and a kick butt dragon design make Dragonslayer required viewing for any fantasy movie fan. This is especially true if you are into the swords and sorcery type or into dragons. If you want to see a really good story done really well then this too is the movie for you. Action fans might or might not get into it depending on how much action you really need, but there is probably not enough action for you testosterone freaks out there. All I can say is when you see this movie get ready to put away every preconceived notion you had on what a REAL dragon movie should be like.

Dragonslayer
[[ASIN:B0000AUHOM Dragonslayer]] it's a good price for a good movie. Another rainy day special. Bought these as another Christmas gift. Good Movie. Many of the actors are now gone..including the female lead. Good price.