La dernière tueuse de dragons

Ignore the overly pedantic critics, this is a very easy to enjoy movie. It's not meant to be anything special, just a good old fashioned family fantasy movie. If you go in expecting it to be a blow-you-away Hollywood blockbuster then you just won't enjoy it. It won't win awards for filmmaking but there is absolutely nothing wrong with this movie.

I thought The Last Dragonslayer was surprisingly good, considering the ridiculously mediocre average rating. Okay, it's obviously low budget for an effects film, and doesn't have any A-list actors in it, but it has wit and charm aplenty. I would much rather watch this again than a fairly long list of tediously average fare with much bigger budgets. Maybe I'm prejudiced because I'm British and so is this film (yes, I'm looking at you again, Hollywood), but I'm mightily bored of identikit LA feisty/angsty/hormonal teens dressed up with some special effects to let us all know we're watching a fantasy film, and The Last Dragonslayer at least looks and feels different from that. It feels like an adaptation of a children's book, with its bright colour palate, gentle humour and slightly pantomimish characterisation. The acting isn't outstanding, but it's perfectly acceptable for this type of film, and none of the characters jarred me out of the story. If you don't want to watch a 'family' film, then don't watch this; you're liable to slate it unfairly for not being what you want it to be. If, however, you like family films, I see no reason why you wouldn't like this one. It has a good pace as far as I'm concerned, but if you have the attention span of a goldfish and require something to explode every 5 seconds or so, or endless quick-fire dialogue and slick, snappy rejoiners, then maybe give it a miss. I note one reviewer in particular (not naming any names) who had a braindead list of supposedly unanswered questions pertaining to the plot (which is fairly simple and not entirely unpredictable, but that didn't bother me), all of which were, so far as I could see, answered by the conclusion of the film. Ergo, don't be a massive root vegetable and knock plot holes in a film you can't even be bothered to watch! :-)

Good old fashioned fun. A pleasant romp that is nothing more than a yarn to be enjoyed. Not the best CGI but hey it's a kids fantasy film and they won't care.

Very clever, charming, amusing, funny and unique fantasy movie! There are fantastic beasts, wizards, but also technology and capitalism. The probably lower budget than most screened fantasy movies is no problem for creative minds and good taste: even not amazing special effects appear as charming and give the film a vintage spirit. The world created by Jasper Fforde is very interesting and well brought to screen by director Jamie Magnus Stone, writer Tom Edge and crew. Actors also do a good job and make their characters very alive. Art direction and locations are also appropriate for bringind the desired atmosphere. There are many references do Monty Python and Harry Potter, what is also quite funny.

I watched this with my family, aged six to eighty. We all enjoyed it. Rating it for myself I'd probably give it 7 or 8, as it was witty and warm-hearted and silly and great holiday viewing, but not as action-packed as I'd hope (though I imagine it had 1/20th of the budget of a Harry Potter or whatnot).

But its hard to please a whole family and it really felt like this was something we could all enjoy together, which is rare outside of those big Pixar animated movies.

The girl playing Jennifer was really great and the whole thing had a sort of riotous pantomime air that felt very English. I hope they make more.