Our ongoing series reviewing the greatest Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror movies. Note that these reviews may contain spoilers.
Directed by: Matthew Robbins
Produced by: Hal Barwood, Howard W. Koch
Written by: Hal Barwood, Matthew Robbins
Starring: Peter MacNicol, Caitlin Clarke, Ralph Richardson, John Hallam
Original Release: 1981
Reviewed by: John J. Joex
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars (Highest Rating)
Synopsis: In a sixth century post-Roman kingdom called Urland, King Casiodorus (Peter Eyre) has made a terrible deal with a dragon in which he promises to offer it a virgin, chosen from amongst the population by lottery, twice a year so that it will not harm the kingdom. Several of the subjects unhappy with this arrangement seek out the aid of the wizard Ulrich (Ralph Richardson) whom they hope can depose the dragon. The king’s general Tyrian (John Hallam) follows this group to Ulrich’s castle trying to stop the attempt and he ends up killing the wizard unintentionally. Shortly thereafter, the wizard’s young apprentice Galen (Peter MacNicol) finds that he has inherited his master’s powers through an amulet that the sorcerer left behind and he seeks out the Urlanders to offer himself as Ulrich’s replacement. They are reluctant at first, but eventually accept him and he also starts to show feelings for the Urlander named Valerian (Caitlin Clarke) who had previously disguised herself as a boy in order to escape the lottery. Galen, however, finds that he cannot control the magic he now posseses as he thought and comes afoul of the king and his men and ultimately is thrust into a direct confrontation with the dragon which he is ill-prepared for.
Review/Comments: True sword and sorcery movies are fairly rare on the big screen so it is always a delight when an exceptional example comes along. And this movie, which hit the theaters long before CGI replaced special effects innovation, succeeds in unfolding a visually superior, grand epic on the big screen, though it followed a different course than you might expect from the blockbuster is was marketed as. Dragonslayer does not give us the dashing hero saving the princess type story, but instead delivers a more grounded tale that audiences can relate to. It focuses on the young apprentice Galen who demonstrates the immaturity and poor decision-making that you would expect from a person of his age. He at first acts cocky and sure of himself when he discovers Ulrich’s amulet, but quickly discovers that he has minimal control of its powers and eventually finds himself humbled in front of those he would protect. Ultimately, his participation is integral to the slaying of the dragon, but he cannot do it without the help of others, thus delivering a tale very much tied to themes of maturity and mutual cooperation.
The movie also delivers a very real, gritty world that looks like it takes place during the dark ages. We see the power that kings and religion held over people of that time and we also see the hypocrisy and self-interest in their actions. But not by giving us the clichéd, conniving villains. Instead, the film delivers several well-developed antagonists whose actions are motivated by their desire to do the right thing even if that ultimately does bring harm to others. We don’t see the clear-cut good and evil characters that you expect in a Fantasy story, though each have their leanings in one of the two directions. Each has a desire to do what is right, even if they do not quite achieve their ends, which adds that murkiness which gives the story and its characters more depth.
In lesser hands and without first rate talent, a film like this could easily go astray and embrace the clichés of the genre or just descend into a contrived mess. But Matthew Robbins (who directed and co-wrote the film and who also previously assisted George Lucas with THX-1138 and Steven Spielberg with Close Encounters of the Third Kind) proves quite adept at helming a film of this genre. It helps that he also gets some excellent, earthy performances by the standout cast highlighted by Peter MacNicol as the apprentice pretending to be a wizard and Caitlin Clarke as the girl who stands with the men and who provides a strong female lead role. And of course Sir Ralph Richardson, in one of his final roles, delivers a scene-stealing performance throughout the film.
Technically, the movie succeeds as well. As mentioned above, the settings deliver an authentic view of the world in the dark ages. And the dragon comes to life almost seamlessly through the combination of mechanical mock-ups, puppetry, and a twist on now lost art of stop-motion animation called go-motion. In truth, I have seen nothing from the CGI-age, including the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter movies, that bests the technical wizardry that the special effects crew of Dragonslayer used to bring the beast to life. It may not have been as grandiose and in-your-face as today’s CGI films, especially considering the fact that they teased audiences with only glimpses through the first half of the movie, but it definitely succeeded.
Dragonslayer failed to draw large crowds to the theaters when it was released, partly because it came out as a joint Disney/Paramount production and many expected a much more kid-friendly product. This movie actually led to Disney creating Touchstone Pictures which would handle their more mature films from that point forward. Since then, the film has flown under the radar and has never received the attention it truly deserves as a Fantasy movie that stands on par with other exceptional examples from the genre such as Conan the Barbarian, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, and The Chronicles of Narnia films. Unfortunately, the DVD of the film has gone out of print (though I’m sure they will do a 30th anniversary edition next year), but you can still find it at a decent price both new and used from Amazon sellers.
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