Dragonheart

• Cat.no: PLFEB 36171
• Cert: PG
• Running time: 99 minutes
• Sides: 2 (CLV)
• Year: 1996
• Pressing: UK, 1997
• Chapters: 35 (16/18+1)
• Sound: Dolby Surround
• Widescreen: 2.35:1 (Panavision)
• Price: £24.99
• Extras : Trailers : Daylight, The Nutty Professor
  

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  Director:

  Rob Cohen

  (Daylight, Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story)

Cast:

Dennis Quaid (Flesh and Bone, Innerspace)
David Thewlis (Naked, Prime Suspect 3, Life is Sweet)
Sean Connery (The Untouchables, Hunt for Red October)

Dragon Designs:

Phil Tippett

Medievalcreature feature material traditionally lends itself to theexpensive epic school of film making weighed down by heavy productionvalue – and, all too often, leaden script (remember Dragonslayer,anyone?).

On the latter front, at least, Dragonheart tries something different aswriter Charles Edward Pogue (responsible for 1986’s The Fly) cleverly weaves atale about a despotic prince, whose noble tutor knight persuades a dragon tosave his student’s life by donating its heart. However the knight (Quaid)quickly becomes disillusioned when the prince grows into a king (Thewlis)every bit as despotic as his late father. The dragon, unlike beasts inprevious outings, is blessed with the power of speech (specifically animpressive Connery voiceover). But if the script is original and clever,overall direction by Cohen is uninspired if workmanlike, occasionally employingslightly too much violence for a childrens audience. However the effectselement of the film – and the sequences in which they (i.e. the dragon) appear -prove truly stunning.

The dragon is yet another marvel from stop frame genius (Robocop’sED209, Dragonslayer’s dragon, those giant walker-fighters in The EmpireStrikes Back) turned 3D computer graphics collaborator(all the best dinosaurs in Jurassic Park) Phil Tippett, here credited asDragon Designer.

Together with a not-inconsequential team of effects personnel, he’screated a mythological beast that has far more character than Jurassic Park’smarauding monsters, while the effects shots truly employ 2.35:1 widescreenvisuals in a manner that eludes the remainder of the proceedings. Plus, thedragon gets a great build up – hidden in dark caves, glimpsed as a terrifyingshadow crossing wheatfields. Alas, the film’s best moment altogether on thebig screen (spoiler alert!)- when a hitherto presumed piece of scenery suddenly opens its eye -doesn’t really work on disc. Maybe you need to see that on a really bigcinema screen for full impact. Or maybe it simply isn’t so effectiveonce you know it’s coming.

Pioneer’s disc is a good 2.35:1 transfer, but given the highly irregularif frequent use of the very edge of the frame it would have been nice tohave seen more of the overscan at the sides than usual. Aside from somearresting leathery wing-flapping effects, there’s not a lot of intereston the soundtrack. Chaptering is sensible without drawing attention toitself and more than adequate at slightly above fifteen stops a side(and in most of the obvious places). In the end, though, the verdict hasto be, nice dragon – shame about the film.

Film: 3/5
Picture: 4/5
Sound: 3/5