A heartfelt medieval fantasy about a disillusioned knight who forms an unlikely bond with the last remaining dragon, Dragonheart is an old-fashioned adventure elevated by its fairy-tale sincerity and uplifting score, even if it is a little uneven.
I am a huge fan of the movie Labyrinth. I love it dearly, and it will always hold a special place in my heart. It is not a perfect movie, but I was 10 years old when it was released, and there are so many things about it that make me smile, the rest don’t even matter. It has a huge cult following of people just like me, and I suspect that this movie is exactly the same.
Dragonheart is about knight Bowen and his pupil, who would be king, Einon. As a teenager, Einon almost died, but at the begging of his mother, the queen, a dragon gave a piece of his heart to save Einon’s life. Years later, King Einon is a tyrant, and Bowen is a dragonhunter, paid to keep various towns safe. When Bowen meets, befriends, and begins working with the last living dragon, Draco, they quickly realize that something must be done about King Einon, who is killing people at will.
This is a cute movie aimed at kids, but adults will enjoy it as well. The entire time I watched, my feelings about Labyrinth kept peeking through. This movie is not “my movie,” but I have no doubt that there are thousands of kids for whom it makes them smile just to think of it.
Starring Dennis Quaid, David Thewlis (who I now insist on calling “Baby Lupin” when I see him in this movie, he looks so young and baby-faced compared to his Harry Potter character, even though there are only 8 years between the films), and Sean Connery as the voice of Draco, it works well enough. You never get the feeling of a cohesive cast, and Quaid has major issues sticking the accent, so you consistently believe that this knight was born in Texas, but it doesn’t matter. Your suspension of disbelief has to be strong in this film, so these things are easy to shake off.
There is a global feeling of old-fashioned swashbuckling in Dragonheart. It is whimsical when it wants to be and sentimental at other times. There is nothing particularly complex, and what you see is what you get.
There’s some latent discussion of King Arthur’s history throughout the film, so I was waiting to see how that tied in. In the end, King Arthur was a pinnacle of might vs. right. He was honorable, and Bowen, being a knight of the old code, something he had also taught Einon as a boy, the morals of Arthurian beliefs are what ultimately keep Bowen accountable.
Dragonheart is a cute adventure story that isn’t overly deep, but develops some emotional warmth in the last act. If you were to look at it critically, you would find all kinds of plot holes and issues, but I encourage you not to. Fairy tales are supposed to be enjoyable for exactly what they are, and this is a 1990s fairy tale.
I am a huge fan of the movie Labyrinth. I love it dearly, and it will always hold a special place in my heart. It is not a perfect movie, but I was 10 years old when it was released, and there are so many things about it that make me smile, the rest don’t even matter. It has a huge cult following of people just like me, and I suspect that this movie is exactly the same.
