Reign of Fire
Encyclopedia
Reign of Fire is an action
fantasy film
directed by Rob Bowman and starring Christian Bale
, Matthew McConaughey
, Gerard Butler
, and Izabella Scorupco
. It takes place in the year 2020 in England, after dragon
s have reawakened.
The film grossed about $
82 million on a $60 million budget.
, workers penetrate a underground cave in which a huge hibernating
dragon
awakens, incinerating the construction workers. The only survivor is a boy named Quinn Abercromby (Ben Thornton) whose mother, Karen (Alice Krige
), was crew chief on the project. She is crushed while protecting Quinn as the dragon makes its way to the surface. The dragon flies out and more dragons begin appearing, multiplying rapidly. It is shown through various newspaper clippings and a voice-over that scientists discovered that dragons are a lost species that are responsible for the dinosaurs' extinction by burning them all to ash. The speculation was that dragons instinctively hibernate after destroying most of the earth's living creatures, waiting until the Earth
repopulates. In the months and years following the awakening of the dragons, humanity tried to resist using their combined military might, including nuclear weapons in 2010, but this only hastened the planet's destruction, and within a few years, human civilization worldwide was almost entirely wiped out.
One decade later, in 2020, Quinn (Christian Bale
) leads a community of survivors living in a castle
in Northumberland
. The survivors are starving, though, while waiting for their crops to ripen. While many trust Quinn's leadership, some are becoming restless and openly defiant. While everyone is asleep, Eddie (David Kennedy
) steals a truck to take his group to harvest tomatoes. Picking the crops too early won't allow the seeds to germinate so they can be used the next season. The group is attacked by a lone dragon, one is killed and the rest are surrounded by fire. They are rescued by Quinn, Creedy (Gerard Butler
), and Jared (Scott Moutter) using old fire engines and firesuits. But while trying to escape, the dragon kills Eddie's son, who was manning a water cannon.
Later, an army of Americans
, the Kentucky Irregulars, arrive, led by Denton Van Zan (Matthew McConaughey
), including a Chieftain tank
and an Agusta A109
helicopter
, piloted by Alex Jensen (Izabella Scorupco
). Van Zan and his heavily armed soldiers have an elaborate tracking system to hunt dragons. Quinn is initially distrustful and surprised that anyone can kill dragons. After an intense discussion, Van Zan convinces Quinn to cooperate. Working together, Quinn and Van Zan kill the dragon that destroyed the crops.
The inhabitants of the castle celebrate, only to be chastised by Van Zan, who lost three men in the hunt. Later, Van Zan tells Quinn that all the dragons they have encountered have been female. They have also found that all females carry unfertilized eggs and that their metabolism
is so high that they live only a few months. The Americans believe there is only one male and that if they kill it the species will be unable to reproduce. Quinn knows about the male dragon since it is the one that killed his mother. He refuses to help since the male has attacked and destroyed any group who went after it before.
Van Zan orders his soldiers to shanghai
the best men at the castle. Quinn becomes enraged and attacks Van Zan, but loses the fight. Quinn announces that if Van Zan's group finds the male it will kill them and backtrack to the castle. Ignoring Quinn, Van Zan's group head to London, but the male finds them and attacks them on the road, killing all of the soldiers. The male then finds the castle and kills most of the castle's residents. Some survive in the underground bunker. Creedy (Gerard Butler
) tries to find more people, but is killed when the bunker entrance collapses.
Van Zan and Jensen, the only survivors, return to the castle and free the residents trapped in the bunker. Quinn tells Van Zan he'll help them hunt the male in London, which is the main nesting ground. Quinn knows the male's nest is near the construction site where his mother was killed. They fly to London, where they find hundreds of dragons. They witness the smaller dragons being cannibalized by the much larger male. Van Zan's plan is to fire a magnesium
and C-4 explosive charge with a crossbow bolt down the dragon's throat during the brief moment it opens its mouth to inhale and breathe out fire. The male attacks, but Van Zan is unable to hit him with his crossbow. Out of desperation Van Zan jumps off the building to attack the dragon with his giant axe, but he is caught in mid-air and eaten. Quinn and Alex lure the dragon to street level, where Quinn is able to fire his own explosive crossbow
bolt into the dragon's mouth, killing it.
Quinn and Alex are later seen sitting on a sunny hill overlooking the North Sea
, Quinn telling her there have been no dragon sightings for over three months. They are there to erect a radio tower. Jared rides up to tell them they have made radio contact with another group of survivors in France, who wish to speak to their leader. Quinn tells Jared he is now the leader and sends him back to talk to the French. Quinn then announces his dedication to rebuilding. He views the possibility of the dragons' return as remote; he says that, if they ever return, "They'll burn. We'll build". Joining Alex and the rest of the group, Quinn stops to pick up Van Zan's axe.
, in the Wicklow Mountains
. They were only allowed to film there under the condition that they clean up entirely after themselves, without damaging the landscape.
The film was shot at the time of an outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease in Ireland which, due to restrictions in place, meant that many planned sequences could not be shot.
The design and construction of the dead dragon were provided by Artem and the special visual effects provided by The Secret Lab.
and Men in Black II
, which was on its second week at the top.
Reign of Fire received generally mixed reviews. Rotten Tomatoes
gives it 40% on the "tomatometer" based on 147 reviews, and labels it "an enjoyable B-movie if you don't use your brain." Metacritic
gives it a score of 39 (out of 100) based on 30 reviews from critics, with a score of 6.2 (out of 10) from users.
On July 7, 2005, ABC
had scheduled a broadcast of Reign of Fire, but because of the terrorist attack
on London that day, it was replaced with another movie, Big Fat Liar
.
, and won one other Sitges award:
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
fantasy film
Fantasy film
Fantasy films are films with fantastic themes, usually involving magic, supernatural events, make-believe creatures, or exotic fantasy worlds. The genre is considered to be distinct from science fiction film and horror film, although the genres do overlap...
directed by Rob Bowman and starring Christian Bale
Christian Bale
Christian Charles Philip Bale is an English actor. Best known for his roles in American films, Bale has starred in both big budget Hollywood films and the smaller projects from independent producers and art houses....
, Matthew McConaughey
Matthew McConaughey
Matthew David McConaughey is an American actor.After a series of minor roles in the early 1990s, McConaughey gained notice for his breakout role in Dazed and Confused . He then appeared in films such as A Time to Kill, Contact, U-571, Tiptoes, Sahara, and We Are Marshall...
, Gerard Butler
Gerard Butler
Gerard James Butler is a Scottish actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television. A trained lawyer, Butler turned to acting in the mid-1990s with small roles in productions such as the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies , which he followed with steady work on television, most notably in...
, and Izabella Scorupco
Izabella Scorupco
Izabella Scorupco is a Polish-Swedish actress and model, best known for her portrayal of Bond girl Natalya Simonova in the 1995 James Bond film GoldenEye.- Biography :...
. It takes place in the year 2020 in England, after dragon
Dragon
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
s have reawakened.
The film grossed about $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
82 million on a $60 million budget.
Plot
Soon after the new millennium, during construction on the London UndergroundLondon Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
, workers penetrate a underground cave in which a huge hibernating
Hibernation
Hibernation is a state of inactivity and metabolic depression in animals, characterized by lower body temperature, slower breathing, and lower metabolic rate. Hibernating animals conserve food, especially during winter when food supplies are limited, tapping energy reserves, body fat, at a slow rate...
dragon
European dragon
European dragons are legendary creatures in folklore and mythology among the overlapping cultures of Europe.In European folklore, a dragon is a serpentine legendary creature. The Latin word draco, as in constellation Draco, comes directly from Greek δράκων,...
awakens, incinerating the construction workers. The only survivor is a boy named Quinn Abercromby (Ben Thornton) whose mother, Karen (Alice Krige
Alice Krige
Alice Maud Krige is a South African actress. Her first feature film role was as the Gilbert and Sullivan singer Sybil Gordon in the 1981 Academy Award-winning film Chariots of Fire...
), was crew chief on the project. She is crushed while protecting Quinn as the dragon makes its way to the surface. The dragon flies out and more dragons begin appearing, multiplying rapidly. It is shown through various newspaper clippings and a voice-over that scientists discovered that dragons are a lost species that are responsible for the dinosaurs' extinction by burning them all to ash. The speculation was that dragons instinctively hibernate after destroying most of the earth's living creatures, waiting until the Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
repopulates. In the months and years following the awakening of the dragons, humanity tried to resist using their combined military might, including nuclear weapons in 2010, but this only hastened the planet's destruction, and within a few years, human civilization worldwide was almost entirely wiped out.
One decade later, in 2020, Quinn (Christian Bale
Christian Bale
Christian Charles Philip Bale is an English actor. Best known for his roles in American films, Bale has starred in both big budget Hollywood films and the smaller projects from independent producers and art houses....
) leads a community of survivors living in a castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
in Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
. The survivors are starving, though, while waiting for their crops to ripen. While many trust Quinn's leadership, some are becoming restless and openly defiant. While everyone is asleep, Eddie (David Kennedy
David Kennedy (actor)
-Career:Kennedy appeared in many television dramas in the UK since 1983. He has appeared in Ashes to Ashes, Trial & Retribution, Ultimate Force, The Bill, London's Burning, Rose and Maloney, Waking the Dead, Reign of Fire and Holby City...
) steals a truck to take his group to harvest tomatoes. Picking the crops too early won't allow the seeds to germinate so they can be used the next season. The group is attacked by a lone dragon, one is killed and the rest are surrounded by fire. They are rescued by Quinn, Creedy (Gerard Butler
Gerard Butler
Gerard James Butler is a Scottish actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television. A trained lawyer, Butler turned to acting in the mid-1990s with small roles in productions such as the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies , which he followed with steady work on television, most notably in...
), and Jared (Scott Moutter) using old fire engines and firesuits. But while trying to escape, the dragon kills Eddie's son, who was manning a water cannon.
Later, an army of Americans
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the Kentucky Irregulars, arrive, led by Denton Van Zan (Matthew McConaughey
Matthew McConaughey
Matthew David McConaughey is an American actor.After a series of minor roles in the early 1990s, McConaughey gained notice for his breakout role in Dazed and Confused . He then appeared in films such as A Time to Kill, Contact, U-571, Tiptoes, Sahara, and We Are Marshall...
), including a Chieftain tank
Chieftain tank
The FV 4201 Chieftain was the main battle tank of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s. It was one of the most advanced tanks of its era, and at the time of its introduction in 1966 had the most powerful main gun and heaviest armour of any tank in the world...
and an Agusta A109
Agusta A109
The AgustaWestland AW109 is a light-weight, twin-engine, eight-seat multi-purpose helicopter built by the Anglo-Italian manufacturer AgustaWestland...
helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
, piloted by Alex Jensen (Izabella Scorupco
Izabella Scorupco
Izabella Scorupco is a Polish-Swedish actress and model, best known for her portrayal of Bond girl Natalya Simonova in the 1995 James Bond film GoldenEye.- Biography :...
). Van Zan and his heavily armed soldiers have an elaborate tracking system to hunt dragons. Quinn is initially distrustful and surprised that anyone can kill dragons. After an intense discussion, Van Zan convinces Quinn to cooperate. Working together, Quinn and Van Zan kill the dragon that destroyed the crops.
The inhabitants of the castle celebrate, only to be chastised by Van Zan, who lost three men in the hunt. Later, Van Zan tells Quinn that all the dragons they have encountered have been female. They have also found that all females carry unfertilized eggs and that their metabolism
Metabolism
Metabolism is the set of chemical reactions that happen in the cells of living organisms to sustain life. These processes allow organisms to grow and reproduce, maintain their structures, and respond to their environments. Metabolism is usually divided into two categories...
is so high that they live only a few months. The Americans believe there is only one male and that if they kill it the species will be unable to reproduce. Quinn knows about the male dragon since it is the one that killed his mother. He refuses to help since the male has attacked and destroyed any group who went after it before.
Van Zan orders his soldiers to shanghai
Shanghaiing
Shanghaiing refers to the practice of conscripting men as sailors by coercive techniques such as trickery, intimidation, or violence. Those engaged in this form of kidnapping were known as crimps. Until 1915, unfree labor was widely used aboard American merchant ships...
the best men at the castle. Quinn becomes enraged and attacks Van Zan, but loses the fight. Quinn announces that if Van Zan's group finds the male it will kill them and backtrack to the castle. Ignoring Quinn, Van Zan's group head to London, but the male finds them and attacks them on the road, killing all of the soldiers. The male then finds the castle and kills most of the castle's residents. Some survive in the underground bunker. Creedy (Gerard Butler
Gerard Butler
Gerard James Butler is a Scottish actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television. A trained lawyer, Butler turned to acting in the mid-1990s with small roles in productions such as the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies , which he followed with steady work on television, most notably in...
) tries to find more people, but is killed when the bunker entrance collapses.
Van Zan and Jensen, the only survivors, return to the castle and free the residents trapped in the bunker. Quinn tells Van Zan he'll help them hunt the male in London, which is the main nesting ground. Quinn knows the male's nest is near the construction site where his mother was killed. They fly to London, where they find hundreds of dragons. They witness the smaller dragons being cannibalized by the much larger male. Van Zan's plan is to fire a magnesium
Magnesium
Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg, atomic number 12, and common oxidation number +2. It is an alkaline earth metal and the eighth most abundant element in the Earth's crust and ninth in the known universe as a whole...
and C-4 explosive charge with a crossbow bolt down the dragon's throat during the brief moment it opens its mouth to inhale and breathe out fire. The male attacks, but Van Zan is unable to hit him with his crossbow. Out of desperation Van Zan jumps off the building to attack the dragon with his giant axe, but he is caught in mid-air and eaten. Quinn and Alex lure the dragon to street level, where Quinn is able to fire his own explosive crossbow
Crossbow
A crossbow is a weapon consisting of a bow mounted on a stock that shoots projectiles, often called bolts or quarrels. The medieval crossbow was called by many names, most of which derived from the word ballista, a torsion engine resembling a crossbow in appearance.Historically, crossbows played a...
bolt into the dragon's mouth, killing it.
Quinn and Alex are later seen sitting on a sunny hill overlooking the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
, Quinn telling her there have been no dragon sightings for over three months. They are there to erect a radio tower. Jared rides up to tell them they have made radio contact with another group of survivors in France, who wish to speak to their leader. Quinn tells Jared he is now the leader and sends him back to talk to the French. Quinn then announces his dedication to rebuilding. He views the possibility of the dragons' return as remote; he says that, if they ever return, "They'll burn. We'll build". Joining Alex and the rest of the group, Quinn stops to pick up Van Zan's axe.
Cast
- Christian BaleChristian BaleChristian Charles Philip Bale is an English actor. Best known for his roles in American films, Bale has starred in both big budget Hollywood films and the smaller projects from independent producers and art houses....
as Quinn Abercromby - Matthew McConaugheyMatthew McConaugheyMatthew David McConaughey is an American actor.After a series of minor roles in the early 1990s, McConaughey gained notice for his breakout role in Dazed and Confused . He then appeared in films such as A Time to Kill, Contact, U-571, Tiptoes, Sahara, and We Are Marshall...
as Denton Van Zan - Gerard ButlerGerard ButlerGerard James Butler is a Scottish actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television. A trained lawyer, Butler turned to acting in the mid-1990s with small roles in productions such as the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies , which he followed with steady work on television, most notably in...
as Creedy - Izabella ScorupcoIzabella ScorupcoIzabella Scorupco is a Polish-Swedish actress and model, best known for her portrayal of Bond girl Natalya Simonova in the 1995 James Bond film GoldenEye.- Biography :...
as Alexandra Jensen - Alice KrigeAlice KrigeAlice Maud Krige is a South African actress. Her first feature film role was as the Gilbert and Sullivan singer Sybil Gordon in the 1981 Academy Award-winning film Chariots of Fire...
as Karen Abercromby - Scott Moutter as Jared Wilke
- David KennedyDavid Kennedy (actor)-Career:Kennedy appeared in many television dramas in the UK since 1983. He has appeared in Ashes to Ashes, Trial & Retribution, Ultimate Force, The Bill, London's Burning, Rose and Maloney, Waking the Dead, Reign of Fire and Holby City...
as Eddie Stax - Alexander SiddigAlexander SiddigSiddig El Tahir El Fadil El Siddig Abderrahman Mohammed Ahmed Abdel Karim El Mahdi is a Sudanese-born English actor, also known as Siddig El Fadil and his stage name Alexander Siddig. He is known for playing Dr...
as Ajay
Production
Reign of Fire was filmed in IrelandRepublic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
, in the Wicklow Mountains
Wicklow Mountains
The Wicklow Mountains form the largest continuous upland area in Ireland. They occupy the whole centre of County Wicklow and stretch outside its borders into Counties Carlow, Wexford and Dublin. Where the mountains extend into County Dublin, they are known locally as the Dublin Mountains...
. They were only allowed to film there under the condition that they clean up entirely after themselves, without damaging the landscape.
The film was shot at the time of an outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease in Ireland which, due to restrictions in place, meant that many planned sequences could not be shot.
The design and construction of the dead dragon were provided by Artem and the special visual effects provided by The Secret Lab.
Reception
The film opened at #3 in the U.S. box office in the weekend of July 12, 2002, taking in $15,632,281 USD in its first opening weekend, behind Road To PerditionRoad to Perdition
Road to Perdition is a 2002 American crime film directed by Sam Mendes. The screenplay was adapted by David Self, from the graphic novel of the same name by Max Allan Collins. The film stars Tom Hanks, Paul Newman, Jude Law, and Daniel Craig...
and Men in Black II
Men in Black II
Men in Black II is a 2002 science fiction action comedy starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. The film also stars Lara Flynn Boyle, Johnny Knoxville, Rosario Dawson and Rip Torn...
, which was on its second week at the top.
Reign of Fire received generally mixed reviews. Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
gives it 40% on the "tomatometer" based on 147 reviews, and labels it "an enjoyable B-movie if you don't use your brain." Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
gives it a score of 39 (out of 100) based on 30 reviews from critics, with a score of 6.2 (out of 10) from users.
On July 7, 2005, ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
had scheduled a broadcast of Reign of Fire, but because of the terrorist attack
7 July 2005 London bombings
The 7 July 2005 London bombings were a series of co-ordinated suicide attacks in the United Kingdom, targeting civilians using London's public transport system during the morning rush hour....
on London that day, it was replaced with another movie, Big Fat Liar
Big Fat Liar
Big Fat Liar is a 2002 American teen comedy film directed by Shawn Levy, written and produced by Dan Schneider and Brian Robbins, and starring Frankie Muniz, Paul Giamatti, and Amanda Bynes...
.
Awards
Reign of Fire was nominated for one Saturn Award, one award from Festival de Cine de SitgesFestival de Cine de Sitges
The Sitges Film Festival is a Spanish film festival that is one of the most recognizable ones held in Europe, considered the world's foremost international festival specializing in fantasy and horror movies...
, and won one other Sitges award:
| Group | Award |
|---|---|
| Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films (2002) | Best Fantasy Film Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Film The following are a list of Saturn Award winners for Best Fantasy Film:... |
| Festival de Cine de Sitges Festival de Cine de Sitges The Sitges Film Festival is a Spanish film festival that is one of the most recognizable ones held in Europe, considered the world's foremost international festival specializing in fantasy and horror movies... (2002) |
Best Visual Effects |
| Best Film |