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Post by janntosh on Jun 27, 2021 1:28:44 GMT
fantasy adventure co produced by Disney and Paramount. Has a surprisingly dark and scary tone. Wasn't successful at the box office but has gained a cult following. Probably the main issue was casting Peter MacNicol as the lead. He is a fine character actor but not a good fit for a heroic lead character  |
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Post by politicidal on Jun 27, 2021 13:15:36 GMT
Yeah it gets brutal in parts and commits to it.
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Post by Prime etc. on Jun 27, 2021 16:41:00 GMT
The story is very counter-culture bleak. The king spares his own daughter by rigging the lottery-and after the dragon is slain he is there posing with a sword like he did it himself.
That hasn't aged well because it is so negative--yet another "your society is corrupt" theme.
Considering this was Disney and before the take-over---it has nudity and a princess getting her foot chewed off. unusual for a movie with a Disney connection.
One thing that was good is how they foreshadowed the arrival of the dragon by using rocks and straw effigies etc.
It's grim all around--the dragon scenes were impressive. The shots of flying in the air with the clouds in the background looked really good.
The score was good.
One of the best uses of a hand puppet where the dragon finds the dead babies and rises up into frame to eye level.
The full size mechanical version didn't work well so they used a little hand puppet instead.
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