The Crown and the Dragon

Have you ever started reading a book, only to find that you simply can't put it down?

As a film, The Crown and the Dragon is no such animal. I started and stopped this thing over a three day period.

It's not a bad movie. But it's not a great one, either. The acting is decent. The scenery is lovely and this is reasonably well directed. This is a fantasy film and the genre is populated with both very good and very bad efforts. This one leans good but it won't win any awards.

This is the kind of project where the producers and director know that they're on a tight budget, they have to take a few shortcuts, and still get a working product out within those constraints. I give them credit.

But again, this is not the kind of film that is over before you know it. At times the pace drags and tempts you to take a break (I obliged). At other times it's compelling enough to make you want to see what's gonna happen next. If you're a fantasy fan, you're more likely than not to enjoy it.

I gave a 6 out of 10. Worth a box rental or a view on your Amazon or Netflix account. But must see? Meh...

The stunts in this movie were horrible. It felt like the director gathered a bunch of drunks from the local pub and paid them to be in a movie. Any fight scene you find in this will look like the drunks were too inebriated in order to coordinate properly. The special effects appear as though they were made on a 15 year old computer running Windows ME operating system.

The acting (during dialog only) wasn't overly bad, but that is about all this movie had to offer. I seriously felt like I could make a better movie with a $100 camcorder and a couple of bored friends. The plot was weak and predictable. I can honestly say that the CIA should use this movie as a new form of torture. Do not waste taxpayers money on torture devices, just simply strap the terrorists to a chair and make them watch this movie on repeat until they talk.

This got a huge 2 from me only for the very few times I chuckled from the pseudo-witty dialog. I have never given a movie on IMDb a 2 before, but this one takes the cake. They should have named this movie the Yawn and the Flagon. Seriously, spend your money elsewhere. The director sure did.

To say this movie was a disappointment would be an understatement. I feel BETRAYED.

The trailer and lack of an all-star cast warned me that "The Crown and the Dragon" was probably going to be a low-budget film, so I was not surprised or disappointed by the poor quality of the acting or the mediocre cinematic aspects of the film. The effects actually somewhat exceeded my expectations, which are pretty relaxed and forgiving for low budget movies. However, a small budget is no excuse for terrible writing. The story made little sense and the dialogues and narration were heavy handed. The directing was also mediocre.

The Crown and the Dragon's greatest fail, however, was the quality of its characters. This movie touts a female director/co-writer and a plot synopsis that gives the impression of a progressive storyline with a strong, inspiring female protagonist (rare in the fantasy genre):

official synopsis: " In a country cursed with a dragon, Elenn, an arrogant young noblewoman, accompanies her aunt on a mission to bring an ancient relic to the secret coronation of the rightful king of their people. When her aunt is murdered on the road by occupying enemy soldiers, Elenn hires a smuggler and criminal, Aedin, to escort her across the dangerous country so she can take her aunt's place at the coronation. But when Corvus, a rogue magister of the empire, employs a dark magic to retrieve the ancient relic for his own evil designs, Elenn must find the humility and strength within herself to fulfill her aunt's calling to free her people, and become a Paladin - the long foretold dragonslayer"

Elenn sounds like a hero, right? Wrong.

Without revealing too much, I will say that the "heroine" Elenn is far from an inspiring female figure. She's a damsel in distress trope who, despite supposedly being the protagonist of the film with purported powers, is reduced to a love interest/the object of men's affection... men who are the ones that ultimately drive the plot. The other few women of the film don't escape the filmmaker's internalized sexism, either.

In short, this film is a B movie that promises a breath of fresh air to the fantasy genre, but delivers little more than stale, hot wind. Thanks, Anne K. Black, for throwing women under the bus.

Let me start off by saying that The Crown and the Dragon is one of those rare movies that makes you forget it's a low-budget production. Which, in my humble opinion, is a reflection of good direction, cast and crew. The acting, location, and ambitious special effects (with a nod to all the other equally-important processes that go on behind the scenes), all worked together to pull off a very watchable flick with a commendable storyline.

That being said...

This is the story of a spoiled noble woman who comes of age in a conquered land, ravaged by war. She is an unwitting heroine with a surprise destiny.

Ellen Barethon's privileged lifestyle has ill-prepared her to survive in a world where the line between good and evil has become increasingly blurred. She experiences firsthand just what people will do in order to survive -- first as a witness, then as a participant as she herself becomes a fugitive.

Her transition from naive, pampered and arrogant young woman into someone more worthy of the noble destiny she is bound for, is forced upon her over the course of a few days. Guided in an intolerant, taming-of-the-shrew-like manner by her unlikely travel companion, Aiden, Ellen quickly learns to rethink her self-importance, reconsider her priorities, and to think and act quickly on her feet. Ultimately, her new-found courage and confidence drives her to complete her mission, oblivious to the fact that this is only just the beginning for her.

Without any formal training or preparation, or even knowledge and acceptance on her part, the viewer is left doubting until the very end whether or not she is capable of fulfilling her destiny. But this is what I liked most about the movie. Finally a heroine I could relate to. While there's no shortage these days of strong women figures in movies, what I've felt lacking is one that more of us can relate to and sympathize with.

And the morals our heroine learns along the way are reminders of what we ourselves have learned/are learning along our own life journeys. For example, the idea that nobility is not just a title or something one's born into, it's something that can reside within anyone from any walk of life, achieved by living a life of honor and virtue. Another favorite theme of mine is that it's never too late to redeem yourself. But so as not to provide any spoilers for those who haven't seen this film yet, I'll leave it at that.

I'm quickly becoming a fan of Anne Black, the director. Her movies promise a quality balancing act between storyline, actors and effects. Also, this was my first introduction to actors Amy De Bhrún (Ellen Barethon) and David Haydn (Aiden), both of whom I thought portrayed their characters magnificently. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for any future projects that involve these two.

Add Dungeon & Dragons with Harlan Romance seasoning and stir in a bit of Game of Thrones, the end result is The Crown and the Dragon. Yes, the CGI-effects could been better and derivative factor is high but the Irish-Scots cast never treated the material with contempt - displaying admirable professionalism with director Anne Black keeping things tight as humanely as possible in this tightly-budgeted concoction.

Young and naive Ellen Barethon (Amy De Bhrún) accompanies her aunt to a secret enthronement of the rightful king in a land taken over by foreign empire to deliver an ancient artifact to the royal majesty. Ellen soon become the sole guardian of the relic after tragic circumstances and had to rely on one Aedin (David Haydn). Aedin saves her from certain death and later cuts a deal to be her 'protector' as Ellen vows to finish what her aunt started.

The artifact is merely a MacGuffin. The heart of the story lies in the burgeoning relationship between Ellen and Aedin from guarded suspicion into the inevitable you-know-what. Kudos to both Amy and Haydn for making the romantic entanglement authentic and grounded in reality with immeasurable help from no-frills script. The 'string' dance by the pair is beautifully choreographed and for me - one of the few highlights in the flick.

It's eye-catching performance of Amy De Bhrún that keeps the proceedings lively. Her spunky character is someone you can hold on to during dreary parts and the anchor holding together the movie as it head towards obligatorily revelations and proper intro of traitorous Corvus (Tim Treloar) coveting both the relic and bewitching Amy.

If you are looking for guts-ripping sword fights and battling mystical creatures, this is not the movie for you. The elements are there but purely on perfunctory level.