22 October 2011. This serious piece of sci fi/fantasy work retains its grit and focus on the action thriller, no-nonsense presentation of a dragon plot device that is rather creative and takes the rest of the production from there. There are no really outrageous typical characters one might find it such movies as Mad Max (1979) and its various sequels, Cherry 2000 (1987), The Postman (1997) or Waterworld (1995). The dragons are really more like a stand in for the monstrous wild band of alien lifeforms or bacterial infections in this wasteland. Christian Bale and Matthew McConaughey are archetypes that don't abuse their natures for obvious dramatic effect and even the sexual implications usually promoted in such movies is omitted. In many respects, Reign of Fire has strong similarities to the classic Alien (1979) in its retention of the primary interest in the resolution of the dire situation. In some ways, the disaster scene towards the end of the movie was even more true to from than the one in Aliens (1986).
Review of Reign of Fire
