 Matthew McConaughey and Christian Bale battle terrifying beasts - and each other - in Reign Of Fire on Blu-ray Disc. Packed with action, this thrilling adventure is hotter than ever in this explosive new format! All hell breaks loose when an unearthly creature is awakened after centuries of slumber. Twenty years later, "fire chief" Quinn (Bale) tries to keep a group of refugees alive with ferocious dragons dominating the air and burning the land. But tempers also flare when Quinn clashes with a hotshot American militia leader (McConaughey). Gasp at the bone-charring special effects in spectacular 1080p and cower as fire-breathing dragons roar in thunderous 5.1 48kHz, 16-but uncompressed audio. Feel the heat with Blu-ray High Definition. Cast Notes: Christian Bale (Quinn Abercromby), Matthew McConaughey (Denton Van Zan), Izabella Scorupco (Alex Jensen), Gerard Butler (Creedy), Scott Moutter (Jared Wilke [as Scott James Moutter]), David Kennedy (Eddie Stax), Alexander Siddig (Ajay), Ned Dennehy (Barlow), Rory Keenan (Devon), Terence Maynard (Gideon), Doug Cockle (Goosh), Randall Carlton (Burke [Tito]), Chris Kelly (Mead), Ben Thornton (Young Quinn), Alice Krige (Karen Abercromby). User Comment: Noel Bailey (uds3@hotmail.com) from Longmont: Colorado US, 4 October 2002 • The usual quota of "surface reviews" here. Are we living in a totally one-dimensional society these days that has no time now for unsupported fantasy - "Just the facts Ma'am, Just the facts!" We have here an adult fairytale no less, yet what do I read (and I include paid media critics here) but absurd negative comments such as "How did McConaughey and his intrepid band of marines come up with the fuel to cross the atlantic?" "Why are the children seemingly so well fed in a period of pestilence?" "Where does the seemingly limitless fuel come from?" etc etc. Who CARES????????? this is a DRAGON fantasy for God sakes! Someone want to set up a Government enquiry as to why fairies speak English? the possibility that Humpty Dumpty had a middle-ear infection? Perhaps the Easter Bunny has some communicable diseases that he should be tested for? Ok REIGN OF FIRE is not up there with other sci-fi classics and the marketing department should be answering charges of misrepresentation for that poster showing an aerial armada of helicopters battling the fire-breathing beasties over central London - that just never happens but I gotta tell you REIGN OF FIRE has some of the greatest set designs and cinematography I have ever seen. It is extremely interesting to LOOK at from a technical viewpoint. The dragons themselves make the least interesting contribution to the film and except for the final confrontation which almost "gets there" they are really secondary to the film itself. If you were to actually record the amount of dragon "screen time" I doubt it would be 18 minutes....and most of them are not far off laughable. Curiously, that aspect alone should have wrecked it for me...but it didn't - I found the "wasteland asharamas" totally credible and involving. I thought the much maligned McConaughey's role not without interest. Still haven't worked out whether or not "Mad Matt" was supposed to be some hybrid creation - part Patton, part Maximus, part Captain Ahab or just all "grunt." He certainly handled his last solo flight with flair and derring-do. Basil Rathbone himself never swung a meaner sword! Christian Bale replete with his best "know wot I mean" brit accent was pretty good I thought as Quinn the reluctant colony leader. What I couldn't believe is how the years have treated Izabella Scorupco the most beautiful Bond girl I ever saw (GOLDENEYE). I realise that a decade of fighting dragons and close-contact aeriel combat takes a lot out of a girl but she looked 20 years older! I would never have recognised her. Totally shattered an illusion I have maintained of her. If she said "Boys with Toys" now, I think I'd need a double vodka-martini! But I digress. The dragon fx were just so-so, they saved the best for last sensibly. The script had its moments but the production work and set-design were simply awesome...SO good in fact, the rest of the film really didn't matter! Overall I would bequeath it a 6.9. Worth seeing if one is prepared to watch it in the spirit that it was made. Summary: Ashes to Ashes! User Comment: ccthemovieman-1 from Lockport, NY, United States, 24 May 2006 • This was a bit different than one expected. There was no nonsense, no tongue-in-cheek humor or special-effects just for the sake of it: this was simply a humans vs. dragons story taking place in the future. No laughs and nothing hokey, which is what I expected. They played it straight, simply as a fight story between the two parties. Yes, there were credibility problems with the story but overall, it was good escapist adventure. The dragons were realistic-looking, the scenery dreary but the story interesting and intense in spots. I wouldn't buy it, but I would definitely recommend it if you are looking for a night of adventure on film. You could do a whole lot worse, especially with two young actors who have arrived as stars: Christian Bale and Matthew McConnaughey. Summary: Pretty Straightforward Stuff. IMDb Rating (01/12/10): 5.9/10 from 35,537 users
 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
