Coração de Dragão

This was kind of a hokey Class-B fantasy-adventure story but with Grade A special effects (with the dragon) and sound. Those visual and audio treats make it worth watching. This was early "demo"-type DVD disc, exhibiting some excellent surround sound when very few other DVDs were as audibly as good.

The story begins a bit slowly but once the dragon appears it's a fun and fascinating movie to watch. A decade ago when this came out, I marveled, "It's amazing how they can make strange creatures so lifelike." Of course, FX has only gotten better and better.

For me, the dragon was the only endearing character in the movie. Dennis Quaid plays the good guy, but he's mostly annoying in here. I think it was his fake raspy voice that was irritating. In all, a fun movie.

At any rate, the movie is pure medieval fantasy and theology but entertaining enough for kids and adults. There is no bad language in here.

I watched this movie sitting in a bus on the way home from a day of skiing. I didn't expect anything, and to begin with I thought it was one of the silliest "sword and ruin" movies ever made.

That changed somehow when the dragon appeared - they sure did a wonderful job creating 'him'. I was impressed by the way he spoke, and the facial expressions that followed. Still the movie can't get more than 7 out of 10, being so cliche-heavy and not-so-thrilling when it comes to the human characters (though I have to agree with some of the other reviewers, that this movie is decent in the way it avoids splatter-effects and is remarkably un-blood-thirsty).

The film Dragonheart answers the question whatever happened to those mythical beasts of legend. Or at least how the last of the breed nobly met his fate.

Dennis Quaid is a knight true to the old code of chivalry as set down by King Arthur for his posse at the Round Table. But it's some three to four hundred years later and we're just entering another millennium. Dennis tries to teach a young prince the right way of things, but the kid is just plain no good. He grows up to be David Thewlis and one nasty tyrant of a king.

This is after his life was saved by transplanting half a dragon's heart into his wounded body on the condition he mend his evil ways and trod the straight, narrow, and just as a king. Thewlis has no intention of living up to that.

Dragonheart would be a nice kid's story, but for the presence of one thing, the voice of Sean Connery coming out of the mouth of the animated dragon. To me it is absolutely inspired how the animation folks managed to invest so much of Sean Connery's personality into their work. Connery is droll and witty as the last of his kind and I love just listening to him.

Even though Dragonheart is recommended for kids, it's also recommended for Sean Connery's fans even though you only get to hear his voice coming out of a dragon.

But what a voice.

How very depressing that this only has an average of 6 stars. Even today, now that I'm in my 50s, this film continues to entertain with a heart warming message and some great scripting. If you have kids they will enjoy this as much as any other 'modern' film. They don't seem to make films for children like this any more. Just animations. So treasure the ones we do have. Connery is perfect as the Dragon and probably one of his best acting performances in my opinion. Quaid is a bit American but Postelthwait brings it all back down to gritty Earth with his bard performance. Drago heart is a film with... heart. A great family watch.

Ah, Dragonheart. I still love this film... I could talk about the top-notch special effects of the time and the inclusion of Sean Connery and Dennis Quaid, who performed their roles of noble dragon and despairing knight incredibly well...I guess I just did...but I think there's something else about this film that needs mentioning.

Dragonheart is an incredibly uplifting film. In a day when a lot of movies are chilling visions of the world around us, we need something to show us hope. Dragonheart, with its tale of a knight who lost his faith and a dragon who was trying to restore his honor, paints a beautiful picture of kindness, friendship, love, and sacrifice that never fails to inspire me. I am not a man given to displays of emotion, really...but the film makes me laugh and cry throughout everything.

And the soundtrack certainly helps. It is a textbook example of the proper use of a soundtrack to emphasize the plot and emotion. The beautiful "To the Stars" remains one of my absolute favorite songs. I can never listen to the soundtrack without seeing the movie happening again before my eyes.

Get the movie. And get the soundtrack. You'll love them both.