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The dragons were due after the movie wizards made them possible in Jurassic Park, and one turns up here as a nice guy, sounding a lot like Sean Connery. Not only does Draco the Dragon talk, but he flies, blows fire and generally makes a nuisance of himself.
Directed by Rob Cohen, this $57 million epic is a genuine Arthurian adventure, so far one of the more inspirational and child friendly of the summer flicks. The switch is that, in the mythical England of a thousand years ago, Draco and the heroic knight dragonslayer Sir Bowen (Dennis Quaid) join forces to defeat the wicked young King Einon (David Thewlis). Einon is the good knight’s former pupil, but he never caught on to the virtues and idealism of chivalry.
Draco, who takes on some of the nobility Connery has acquired in his recent screen persona, is not the sort of bad dragon we’re used to. He’s of a more Eastern dragon tradition in which the mythic beasts had godlike powers and were protectors and counselors of humans. In this story, he’s undoubtedly the star (consuming most of the budget!), an intensely moral creature who worries about saving his soul.
Dragonheart packs a large share of religious symbolism (baptism, self-sacrifice, redemption, immortality) in its plot. Dina Meyer has a key role as the beautiful peasant girl who persuades her people to take up their pitchforks, and Pete Postlethwaite is likable as a monk poet who composes odes to Bowen’s valor and ultimately stars significantly in the revolution.
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