"I won't! You're my friend..." "Then as my friend I beg you SRTIKE! PLEASE!......PICK IT UP!" "I won't!" "Then I will make you! FIGHT DRAGONSLAYER!!!" One of the most intense & heartbreaking conversations in any fantasy film
One thing I don't hear mentioned enough is the production design - the costumes, arms and armour are excellent for the time. Einon's armour especially is just lovely, with its multicoloured ring pattern, and a great example of a good looking norman style helmet.
The voice over is horrible though. From the first time I saw this movie all I can think of when I see/hear the dragon talk is "post voice-over". Even if it was done pre production, it still sounds like someone talking in a studio and the voice is added to film. It just sounds too clean, too human. I think it would have been way better if they added a growl to the voice as he talked, or maybe even a low volume reveb or something, that would have sold it but as it stands it seems like they _wanted_ people to know it was Sean Connery to sell the star power. When you rely on "star power" alone then you have a situation like in Judge Dredd where Stalone shows his face in a scenario where the material suffers the consequences.
When I was about 7/8 my dad taught me how to ride a bike. He said “if you can learn we can go to the video store you can pick any movie” I said “Dragonheart” Such a special movie to me. My father passed away 2 years ago, we didn’t have the best relationship but this movie reminds me of happier childhood memories ❤️ the ending gets me every time!! 😭❤️
Draco, at least to me, was the first believably animated emoting CG character. I think a greater leap in that direction was only made later with Gollum. Still a great movie.
And certainly for years afterwards, it was still the only remaining film to produce a decent talking dragon. Probably until Eragon....which didn't do much better IMO.
I know Im asking randomly but does anyone know of a way to log back into an instagram account? I somehow forgot the login password. I appreciate any help you can offer me!
Honestly i never remembered the soundtrack for this movie, even tho i loved the movie. Braveheart and Last of the Mohicans took over my favorite movie soundtracks of all time. Ill have to recheck this out again.
@@kevynhansyn2902 Braveheart and Mohicans were also great no doubt. I would also add Jurassic Park to my list, it came a couple years earlier but still its reached full on legendary status.
Thanks for doing this film, Oliver. I’ve always felt that this was a critically under appreciated film. I agree that isn’t a masterpiece, but it is a underrated an often forgotten film. I think this might be the first major film to feature an all CG character interacting with live action actors. People always think of Jar Jar Binks on that point, but Dragonheart did it first and did it better!
Full disclosure, I grew up in the 2000s, but I can clearly remember being in love with this film. Nearly a decade later, my feelings on Dragonheart have not changed!
Same, it was one of my favourites growing up and it still makes me feel things all those years later despite having been exposed to so much more since.
I loved this film when I was younger too. Looking back now, I still think it holds up extremely well. Sure, not all of it does but it's an original piece of cinematic fantasy that really took some interesting risks.
Great video Oliver. "DragonHeart" is a time capsule of 90s movie magic. A time when making movies was seen as something of dreams and amazement. I have great memories of watching the trailer for "DragonHeart" when i was a kid and loving it! Thank you for the great video and keep up with the good content. Cheers!
Also an era where CG was starting to gain popularity after experimental work in groundbreaking films like "Terminator 2" and "Jurassic Park". Compare CG back then to today. You instantly know its CG, but back then, it was real movie magic. In my opinion, that magic has diminished so much in the last 20 years.
That bit of "To the Stars" that started playing in the middle full blast hit me real hard. I saw the movie in theaters when it came out, but it wasn't until Mulan that I went searching for the soundtrack. Hearing that song on the Mulan trailer, I bought that soundtrack, only to end up disappointed that the trailer's music wasn't on it. It was several years later that I found out that it was actually a track from this movie, and I bought it instantly. I have adored it ever since. I've seen the movie itself twice, enjoying it as a kid and finding it ok as an adult, but the soundtrack remains one of my favorites to this day.
I would like to commend you for creating an engaging, and mostly accurate, portrayal of the events that led to the making of Dragonheart. There are a number of bits that are not quite right and some that are absolutely wrong. But... based on the available information... I think you did a very nice job piecing together this history. Thanks for taking the time to do it!
Hi Patrick. I hope Oliver sees your comment. I saw Dragonheart at the cinema on release in 1996, loved it then and love it now. Can I ask what Oliver got totally wrong in his retrospective and can you please share some juicy bits. I'd love to know who you and your original director friend saw as voicing Draco and casting as Bowen. To me, Connery & Quaide were perfect. Cheers
Patrick, if you are going to tell someone they a re " completely wrong" you should back it up with the corrections. Or at least give hints to where to find the right material. Otherwise, you are just blowing smoke.
@@johnfischner2189 was about to reply the same thing so thank you for doing it for me. Unfortunately he didn't respond but yeah, if you're gonna say how sure you are that someone is wrong, maybe explain why
This movie is one of my favorite movie ever. I still remember watching it in awe when I was 6 years old. It’s such a magical experience for me, the score by Randy Edelman is majestic and touching. But Draco is the main star in this movie, I’m very impressed by the visual effects that still hold up pretty nice today. I still don’t understand how the hell this didn’t win for best special effects back then, one of the worst snubs ever
Totally disagree with you when you said "I think Dennis Quaide was miscast." No way, Quaide was perfect and his chemistry with Connery as Draco was amazing. Thanks for making this retrospective though 😁
This movie is by far my favorite! Im 25 years old and I still cry when Draco dies! And the music is just .. it moves you so deeply. Every time I listen to it it’s like taking a deep breath after being under water - so amazing! I can’t be the only one feeling like this ✨✨✨
I think one of my favorite aspects of this movie is that the main protagonists, Bowen, Draco, and Kara, are all very broken and traumatized characters that grow to depend on each other and help each other to emotionally heal.
Very true. Draco's ultimate sacrifice was also pretty impressive for the time. They could have easily retconned his death at the end of the film (Avenger's Endgame style) but they chose to have him willingly "go to the cross" as it were so the villain could be defeated.
I have never actually seen it but I have seen Ladyhawke, was young when I first watched it. Showed it on a film channel. I've gotten myself into sword and sorcery like Dragonslayer (Krull, Excalibur, those kind of movies) Dystopian sci-fi and generally anything old.
I love the original I didn’t even realise there was a 3rd movie let alone the 4th. The music is stunning and emotionally the film always get me! Always loved the shot where draco flies over Bowen with his bow raised I think that still looks epic. It was the first film I felt I saw a real dragon it will always have a special place in my heart because of that.
Thank you finally getting around to my request. I am such a huge fan and I think you did a spectacular job on this retrospective. Thank you again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Who cares? If you really know accents of places, you can easily tell who is faking from another country or even if they are faking from another city/area of the same country, much less another country. A "British accent"? Tell Sean Connery he has(had) a "British " accent rather than Scottish accent. LOL , You might as well assume everybody from the South of the USA sounds like a Yankee. Need I bring up the "accent" differences between Edinburg and London? Boston and New Orleans? Manchester and Liverpool? Atlanta and Memphis ;). Okinawa and Tokyo? Berlin and Frankfurt? and I don't speak Japanese or German . LOL. What I mean is, "Local" accents are very difficult unless you are from that specific area of the world and already have spoken/experienced them over time and are recognizable even to people not from those areas or even speaking the language as, different . That actors/actresses fron other places get them wrong, is of no surprise. Can't change where you were born/grew up from, can't fake it either, for long. This is why linguistics is a college field , and not just speaking some language or "he doesn't sound like he is from here or there". There is alot more to it. Been drinking, been around the world,a little rant
this movie proves that Rob Cohen can direct a very good films. while he technically started both the "xXx" and the "Fast and the Furious" franchises by directing the first entries in the series, and "Stealth" was a fun switch-your-brain-off picture, it was here he truly showed his directing chops.
I loved this movie. I saw it with my class - we went on a school viewing of this film. Even one of my pals, the toughest kid in the class, left the cinema moved to tears :D. The funny thing is that the Polish translation of the movie's title was 'Ostatni smok' - 'Last dragon', which puts sequels in an awkward situation :D
Man, you miracle make review my favored movie 1996 )) I am glad that you could talk about him in a larger field)) Kenner's figures are generally treasures. It’s unfortunate that they did not realize screen the Griffin hybrid of a dragon and a gryphon in dark blue, two-headed Medusa and mystery Razorthorn, For the rest is simply ruined (( And thanks to Slovakia for providing beauties for the filming of this masterpiece, I already dream of going to those places and telling others about them) Since for some reason there is no mention of this. And yes, two questions always torment me: did Draco break the 4 walls in the film with his gaze (as he looked appropriately) and if the film were shot in real Wales, what would it be like?
Great to see a new retrospective, Oliver!! While I do think much of the CGI on Draco hasn't aged very well, it is still an enjoyable film; my cousin had a Draco toy when we were kids and I loved playing with it! The main theme by Randy Edelman is just *sublime* and I loved hearing it in trailers and online tributes and like so many classic film themes it just invokes the sound of cinema.
Even still, its not as bad as i would expect for 96. The mouth animations are pretty good and synched, its only weird to me to see it on a dragon. Dragon lips sounds like something in an RPG to make an epic belt
My favourite Rob Cohen movie along with Daylight, XXX, Fast and the Furious and Bruce Lee: A Dragon Story. Its just sad that he hasn't made a good film in years.
This movie sparked my love for dragons/fantasy. It was my absolute favorite movie as a kid. 6 year old me laughed, smiled and cried through out the entire thing. Beautiful movie
"Dragonheart" was my very first orchestral soundtrack and I remember the movie very fondly. So this retrospective brings back some warm, fuzzy feelings of nostalgia. Thanks för that. Gonna listen to the score later, I think.
I love this movie, I saw it first at the end of the 90s in TV. I fell in Love with it in an instant, and This is the reason, why I began to love Fantasy stories/movies 🥰
I remember watching this all the Time on VHS. My heart alwayed and still dropping when he kills Draco. The music though I didn’t realize was in other movies. The world of heart
0:00 - Omg omg omg a new video and it's one of my favorite movies of all time that I watch every year on my birthday!!! 3:32 - AAAH, THERE WERE FIIIGUUUURES?! 3:45 - I like the PS1 game :3 3:50 - Sequels are so bad ;-; 11:00 - This makes sense. 14:18 - VALOR! A KNIGHT IS SWOOORN TO VALOR! HIs Heart, knows only Virtue. His blade defends the Helpless. His Might upholds the weak. His words speak only truth. His wrath undoes the wicked. - If I remember it right. 16:10 - Draco will always be my favorite on-screen Dragon. ^_^ 17:00 - The Main theme always makes me tear up. " _To the Shtars Bowen, to the Shtarsh._ " 20:40 - It's not that bad. 21:30 - I seem to recall this movie being... alright. 22:10 - If I recall, this one sucked hard. 23:40 - This.. I haven't seen at all! I need to watch this. 26:05 - Even so, they never become an item so to say. They never kiss, they never make love, or any of that. They just remain friends. 30:30 - I will get my nephew this movie when he gets a little older ^_^ End: I love this movie, it's special to me.
John Badham was also approached to direct this film. I remember reading that in Empire when the film was released. According to Cohen, he'd first shown interest in the script, but the studio decided to first see if Richard Donner (shades of Ladyhawke) would do it, then when he dropped out they asked Badham. He turned it down as he was Cohen's business partner, and he knew how much C wanted it. The studio then said alright, you can have it, to Cohen.
Hi Oliver, speaking about dragons, i would like to see a Retro Review of Reign of Fire(2002). Also...i had the game on Sega Saturn and i wonder if i am truly the only one that really liked it :)
The Lord of the Rings is too present. Movies such as this is what i like about Oliver's channel. Good old classics over films that have been done over n over n over n over.
Doh! I clicked on this, and saw the Terminator Salvation video thumbnail in the sidebar (with what's his face, Batman on it), put them together, and was expecting an altogether different film, which I've just remembered is call Reign of Fire...
You forgot to mention the novel which dives deeper into the story. I need to find a new copy cause I lost it years ago. It you haven't read it, you should. To add, I love the sound track. This movie was a corner stone for my love of fantasy writing back in 1996. Saw it in theaters and have loved it forever.
The novelization is truly amazing. It's so good that it's now hard for me to watch the film anymore without thinking about how much better it could have been.
I had no idea there was a third and fourth entry. I had the original on video tape and liked it very much, I only ever saw the second one on TV by chance one day and only saw the first half or so.
Fun fact: Patrick Stewart, who replaces Sean Connery as Draco in one of the sequels to this movie also replaces Sean Connery as king Richard in robin hood men in tights, which was a parody of robin hood prince of thieves.
Wow man! what a great video and commentary, I loved the dragon heart as a child, I even remember asking my mom to draw a dragon for me. ah! such good memories. This video, has awakened very nostalgic memories but made me appreciate the old movies and their film making as a whole. cheers!
"A knight is sworn to valour, His heart knows only virtue, His blade defends the helpless, His might upholds the weak, His word speaks only truth, His wrath undoes the wicked." Long live the Code. Amazing movie, never forgotten
27:40 Sean Connery had provided his voice once before in an animated role. He was the original voice for Tack from The Thief and the Cobbler before being replaced by Matthew Broderick for the heavily compromised "Arabian Knight" version that was released in 1993.
I still have my origin copy of The Mummy Returns on VHS and I remember one of the ads they had before the movie was the sequel to this movie starring the guy who played Francis from Malcolm in the Middle. I watched the original movie all the time when I was a kid because I was obsessed with the classic Robin Hood and Zorro movies and this was such a throwback to that cinematic era. I actually think this and Zorro were what led me to watching Star Wars as I was really drawn to the lightsaber fights reminding me of these films.
I loved Quaid in the film, i thought the main Trio of Connery, Quaid and Thewlis was what really elevated the film to such a high level along with Postlewait. Lesser actors might not of been able to bring that air of epicness that’ they bring
This film has always been very special to me. The heart aspect/needing to sacrifice a character the audience cared deeply about to defeat the villain was something very original and the fact that they actually followed through on killing that sympathetic character rather then retconning it at the end of the film was pretty ballsy, especially for 1996. I'm surprised it isn't more well known because I do remember a lot of my friends at the time (I'm a 90s kid) talking about the film, especially how sad the ending was when Draco died. I still the soundtrack off and on today, especially when I'm playing medieval/ancient/fantasy games to create the proper atmosphere.
this film is so damned under-rated. one of my true favorites as a 16yo. excellent pick for a retrospective and another amazing, highly informative review from oliver. now, still waiting on Short Circuit...
Another thing Oliver, In Toronto, Canada, there has been a series of Dragonheart screenings that started in 2016 for it's 20th Anniversary that featured never before seen footage, enhanced visual effects, and a digitally remastered soundtrack. This could've been added to your review. Check out Wikipedia...
Great retrospective! My only experience with this was via the Sega Saturn game (not for long mind you, for obvious reasons). It sort of soured my desire to see the film and so I never did. Looks like it would have been fun back in the '90s, but is merely average now. I had no idea there were sequels until now!
wait... so in this Universe the dragons are basically the 'Gods' or 'aliens' that raised humanity? Huh, neat. I kinda like how dragons are from meteorites. Interesting take
I think you should a real dragon movie. Dragonslayer. Pretty graphic and dark for a Disney movie. Also features one of the best dragons ever, even though the special effects have aged. And best name ever, Vermathrax Perjorative. And it's a female dragon.
What I wish this film did was show glimpses of dragons thriving and then getting slaughtered by knights like Bowen later on so we can truly feel Draco's agony at being the last of his race and his death would have more of a tragic impact. Throughout Dragonslayer, the dialogue, setting, and overall mood helps convey how it is the end of an era and Vermithrax Pejorative is among the last of her kind. Additionally, more time spent on showing Einon learning cruelty from his father would've made his transition to evil bastard more effective. I don't think the film effectively shows the power of dragons, either. Reign of Fire especially has harrowing cinematography, sound effects, and good CG dragons that make you feel like you are in the presence of true demons of the sky.
Dragonslayer. Always struck me as a silly thing for any setting that aspires to be remotely realistic. Because in a realistic setting, a dragon flies by once, roasts the 'dragonslayer' and voila. Done.
Tear jerker ending that always gets me. A truly well made film. Great casting. The only criticism I have is Einon's hair. It looks ridiculous to the point of being distracting. Other then that I still love this. I was disappointed by the sequels. Let's hope #5 is as good as the original.
I also saw this movie when it first appeared in the cinema and loved it then and still enjoy it today. Yes, the plot has issues as does some of the casting and effects but in spite of those shortcomings I still find it a nice, light and entertaining family fantasy film. But more than the movie, I love the score. I bought the cd of the score at the time and it is stil played a great deal even now. Over all a cracking wee film and whilst I have seen the 2nd one I've not seen 3 and 4 and I am intrigued to check them out now.
Yup and every time i see that last scene from dragon heart , the score hits me in the heart all the time , no matter how much or how many times i seen the movie . i tear up really bad , because of the score to the stars. its a very emotional score that go along perfect for that last scene of the movie dragon heart.
