Barnes & Noble

Yet another sci-fi movie presenting a bleak vision of post-apocalyptic civilization, Reign of Fire breaks from tradition by introducing a menace more suitable to sword-and-sorcery fantasies than futuristic thrillers. The film is set in 2020, some years after a horde of fire-breathing dragons have emerged from the earth's bowels. Having all but obliterated mankind, these flying foes have established their dominance over the world -- but they're about to get their first serious challenge from English survivor Quinn (Christian Bale) and rugged American soldier Van Zan (Matthew McConaughey). Thanks to the expertise of computer-graphics experts, Reign's dragons are the most hideously realistic that have ever graced the screen, and director Rob Bowman (The X Files) shows commendable restraint in keeping them off screen whenever possible, which maximizes the effect of scenes in which they do appear. Bale's character is not your typical sci-fi hero: He doesn't have all the answers, he can be downright surly, and he's only effective when being goaded into action by McConaughey's character. Izabella Scorupco registers solidly as one of Van Zan's warriors, and unlike most genre heroines, her contribution to the film is more than decorative. Ingenious art direction sustains the illusion of mass destruction and desolate landscapes, and the fine cinematography combined with clever lighting effects helps establish mood. Extremely well paced and studded with truly spectacular action sequences, Reign of Fire is one of 2002's best genre films. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

Medieval fantasy meets futuristic science fiction in this effects-heavy action epic from former X-Files director Rob Bowman. In present-day London, 12-year-old Quinn Abercromby witnesses the awakening of a hibernating dragon from a centuries-long slumber, the result of a construction dig supervised by his mother and an incident for which Quinn feels partially responsible. Twenty years later, the adult Quinn (Christian Bale) is the fire chief of a refortified castle community, responsible for dousing the blazes lit by the dragon's prodigious number of flame-spewing offspring, airborne juggernauts that have wreaked havoc across the globe, torching civilization and turning humans into an endangered species. Hope arrives in the form of Denton "Dragon Slayer" Van Zan (Matthew McConaughey), an American known to be the only man to ever kill one of the dragons, and Alex (Izabella Scorupco), a scientist/pilot who's a member of Van Zan's army, a zealous fighting force that includes a secret weapon: the Archangels, paratroopers using themselves as bait to attract and then dispatch the deadly beasts. Reign of Fire (2002) co-stars Gerard Butler, Alice Krige, and Alexander Siddig. Karl Williams

Entertainment Weekly

The season could do with more grinning, spinning, un-self-important, happy-to-be-B throwback movies like this one. Lisa Schwarzbaum

New York Times

It has a jamming B-picture buzz -- the kind of swift filmmaking and high spirits that have been missing from movies for a while. Elvis Mitchell

Product Details

• UPC: 786936732672
• Source: TOUCHSTONE / DISNEY
• Region Code: ABC
• Aspect Ratio: Cinemascope (2.35:1)
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
• Language: English, Français, Español
• Subtitles: Français, Español
• Time: 1:42:00
• Sales Rank: 31,197

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