Dragon Crusaders (2011) User Reviews

Fugitive KnightsTemplar stop to do a good deed and accidentally become cursed. There's a lesson in this. MYOB.

[Someguysomwhere · 4/10 · 7 October 2011]

A bunch of Knights Templar on the run after breaking with their king come across a village being attacked by pirates. After some argument about whether or not they should intervene or be on their merry way before the kings men catch up to them they decide to help out. Later they learn that one of the villagers, a young woman, is being held captive aboard the pirate ship. They commandeer a boat and go out to get her not realizing she has cursed the ship with an amateurish attempt at magic. Anyone who has spilled blood and boards the ship is cursed to become a gargoyle. It never occurred to this not-too-astute novice witch that those who have spilled blood and board the ship might do so on her behalf. And so unwittingly she cursed her rescuers, the Knights Templar, who must now odyssey for a cure.

Well now, lets see.....what did I like about this movie? On the up side I thought the dragons looked okay. As well, there was a not-bad-looking agile swordswoman about 4 feet tall who likes to strike a pose after she kills. On the down side, the movie seems budget-challenged; one gets the impression that the dragons and effects siphoned off most of their funds leaving little left over for a better wardrobe for the Knights Templar (their Knight Templar outfits looked like something handed out by a homeless shelter) and a tighter script (especially better lines for the Knight Templar who liked to crack wise; he was so not funny).

Listen, these are working people on a budget who are making an effort to entertain and make a living. I appreciate that. But certainly a little better script and directing could have given their limited resources more mileage since we all know that tons of money cannot save a bad script, and that, conversely, limited funds can go a long way with a good one. Hmmm, so lets see: 1 star for effort + 1 star for the dragons + 1 star for the sword-wielding short chick + 1 star for the movie in general. That's my rational folks. 4 stars. Love, Boloxxxi.

Better than most SyFy efforts but still not a good movie

[TheLittleSongbird · 4/10 · 11 February 2012]

I was interested in seeing Dragon Crusaders because the title was one of those titles that immediately makes you want to see it, as this seemed like my kind of movie, and the cover actually made it look fun. I was also dubious though seeing as it was from SyFy/The Asylum, notorious for making bottom-of-the-barrel type movies.

Seeing Dragon Crusaders for myself, it is not a good movie. However it could have been worse, you could have been watching something like Battle of Los Angeles, Quantum Apocalypse, Alien vs Hunter or Titanic II. Dragon Crusaders is made tolerable by some nice scenery, the tiny swords-woman(played very well by Cecily Fay) who really did kick ass and some good looking dragons, even if I would have liked to have seen more of them.

Conversely, apart from the scenery I could tell Dragon Crusaders was shot on a low budget. The camera shots are haphazard, or at least some of them are, and the costume design while not bad in look were inauthentic in detail, especially with the knights, the heavy red lipstick and the hair extensions, not to mention the sweat pants for the pirates. The dialogue also is never sure whether it wants to be in Old English or in the language of today, this jars with the setting and comes across as stilted.

The action has moments where it is spirited, but overall I found it a little too hectic and eager to please particularly with the tumbling, screaming, kick boxing and wire spinning. There are also goofs that are very noticeable, such as the business with the quiver of arrows for two reasons, one that many are used yet the numbers in the quiver don't change and also where it should be empty but in the next scene it's full. The props are just as jarring as the costuming, they look cheap and seem more at home on a Halloween display than a swords and sorcery tale.

Story-wise it is disappointing, the idea is good but too much time is spent on the action and when something other than that happens it is rushed, a longer length might've sufficed perhaps, so you don't engage with it. The characters are cardboard thin, the direction is sloppy in some scenes and erratic in others and the acting doesn't fare much better, with Dylan Jones an uncharismatic lead and Simon Lloyd Roberts equally unmemorable. Fay is the sole bright spot.

All in all, not a good movie, but if I were to choose between watching this and watching something like Titanic II again, I would pick this easily. 4/10 Bethany Cox

It is made by the Asylum! What did you expect?!?

[MoodyB84 · 3/10 · 23 March 2013]

Firstly, let's establish the facts: This is one of the many films produced from The Asylum, they can usually be found on the SyFy channel or Movies for Men. So, we have: A ridiculous title, an even more ridiculous story, wooden acting, extremely clunky dialogue and mega drive standard CGI.

Of course, for the reasons I just listed Dragon Crusaders is an absolute turd of a film. It would be easy to go on a rant, but I will refrain from that temptation. The fact is that Asylum films know their place, all those involved surely know what they are making, and these films that they make tend to actually make a profit, so fair play to them. Calling these films B movies is probably too much of a compliment, maybe Z movie, but they certainly deserve to be a genre in their own right. As long as you know what you are getting in too, have a strong alcoholic beverage at your side, then films like Dragon Crusaders are more entertaining and certainly funnier (intentionally or not) than anything Adam Sandler or Nancy Meyers ever produce.

Total Dreary Drivel

[deanpenfold · 4 October 2011]

I can't believe this film actually made it through production. I thought there was a recession going on in the world but there still seams to be people out there with money to throw away (albeit a miserly sum). The whole thing feels like a Live Roleplaying session on a weekend. Every single close up of a weapon supposedly hacking or stabbing, pathetically portrayed worse than beginners stage night at the local primary school. The actors are so cardboard, they could be recycled for cereal packets. The CGI could well have been done by a self taught enthusiast in their bedroom late one night. The sounds of people running in terror, gives the impression of crowds fleeing, then the camera pans around and 4 to 5 is all there is. They should be running for their lives, but a gaintily trot is all your given. The only realism of the whole thing is the horses, and they act better too.

Unbelievable

[eccemedia · 1/10 · 16 September 2012]

Few movies could be considered worst than this one. Terrible acting, haircuts and costumes, martial art fighting (sic), non credible crusaders, poor scenery, elementary computer graphics, lousy plot and music and whatever you can expect by a boring movie. Plus, the warrior lady seems the result of mixing up Red Sonja, Xena and any other comic book female fighter, and i didn't know that women wore hot pants in the middle ages. The whole movie is a bad screen version of an annoying RPG. Also the weapons have not much credibility, while the people that fall struck often display no wounds. The movie lines could have been written by my nephew, and the evil wizard is a scandalous tribute to the "Wizard of Oz". I don't understand how someone spent money to produce something like this.

Good enough to watch once

[doctorsmoothlove · 5/10 · 21 April 2023]

Dragon Crusaders" is a fantasy film by The Asylum filmed in the United Kingdom. People often overlook that when unburdened by its primary business strategy of producing tie-ins to blockbusters, the studio can produce enjoyable films. This happens to be one as is its sister film "Merlin and the War of the Dragons." Not good by an objective standard when comparing to other fantasy films or even within the context of B films generally. The film is merely enjoyable because one has the impression that the director and the actors had a goal of telling a story and they succeed with enough conviction to allow the viewer to overlook many shortcomings.

The story is inconsequential. A group of templar knights attempt to rescue a village and a maiden trapped on their ship. She has cursed the ship to cause anyone who enters it to be turned into a gargoyle if he is evil. The knights are thus cursed and set out to find a cure. Eventually, they learn the cure involves killing a dragon and a sorcerer who have taken residence to the mountains in the north.

The group is accompanied by a swordswoman who is a professional stuntwoman. The actor can convincingly fight in a manner that is reminiscent of martial arts films. Her talent really helps overcome the poor pageantry of everyone else. Her first scene is edited to pieces with all the jump cuts one would expect of modern action films. As the film progresses, it becomes less difficult to follow. It is almost as if the editor learned his craft as the film was edited in order.

The film benefits from the beautiful natural scenery and the portion filmed within a real castle. It is a bit distracting to see modern clothing (sweatpants on the pirates) during one such segment. It's also odd that hardly anyone seems to bleed when stabbed but that is mostly due to the mandatory made-for-tv limitations.

The film features a main heroine who wears the nearly provocative cleavage-bearing top that doesn't show enough. The actor playing her is competent as giving the character an innocence that makes the chaste love story seem believable. Sometimes the illusion of a good film is good enough especially for free on Tubi.

"Why can't he be called Snowball. Or something like that."

[hwg1957-102-265704 · 5/10 · 30 November 2020]

Well it's got flying dragons, dogged crusaders, some pirates, panic stricken villagers, occasional zombies, doomed miners, emerging gargoyles and three witches brewed together in a story about lifting a curse and ridding the land of a sorcerer which does sound awesome but what lets it down is a poor script (the few attempts at humour don't work) and underwhelming acting. It might have worked more convincingly with a better cast. The fight scenes were over edited.

However I did like sprightly Cecily Fay as Aerona, the leathery winged CGI gargoyles and the beautiful locations in Wales, so there's that.

Sword and Sorcery Exploitation Done Well

[daniel-mannouch · 5/10 · 30 May 2019]

Well thank you Eragon for this. Released in 2011, just before Game of Thrones had launched on HBO and changed everything about the fantasy genre and beyond, Dragon Crusaders is directed by Mark Atkins, who some say is the best director to ever work for The Asylum, for what that's worth, and to my pleasant surprise, Dragon Crusaders is a good example of why this opinion is held. I have not fared well in the past exposing my eyes to Atkins' output, having seen only Snakes on a Train which is one of the worst films i have ever seen and recently Planet of the Sharks which was not that much better.

However, by the Asylum's standards of direct to video trash, Dragon Crusaders entertains as a lean 85 or so minutes of sword and sorcery carnage. What prevents Dragon Crusaders being the bad kind of bad is an effective, driving score by fellow Asylum alumni, Chris Ridenhour, decent CGI considering, and tight-ish editing by Atkins himself, which compliments well Atkins' cinematography which is also decent, however he might have shot himself in the foot if he did the colour grading also because the whole picture now looks like washed out garbage, or maybe the lighting was blown out to begin with, i don't know.

However, you are probably starting to wonder why this review has such a negative slant as i am noting all these film's positives. Well, for all that is does right, Dragon Crusaders set out to be, and achieved nothing more, than being direct to DVD era exploitation trash. Blood, dragons, and a quest, that's all what this film is. And i didn't expect much more, so i had not reason to be annoyed really, and i wasn't. I was just indifferent. Dragon Crusaders just goes about its business, competently, and i haven't got much at all. It's sword and sorcery exploitation ala early 2010's. I was not bored, i was not frustrated, i was entertained, simply put.

Skip, skip and SKIP ! ! !

[slobodan-904-950438 · 1/10 · 23 November 2011]

I watched quite a bit of bad production movies in my life, but not one of them came even close to this one Acting is terrible (I don't know if they hired actors or regular pedestrians from the streets), movie effects (CGI) - let's just say that I think that better CGI can be made even on Commodore64 - only if the person doing CGI KNOWS what is he doing...

And one more - Why, WHY would you involve pirates, Templars, knights, dragons, gargoyles and all others in the same movie??? It just makes NO SENSE!

Please, don't waste valuable time watching this movie - go out, buy popcorn's, sit in the park and enjoy them (you'll have better time looking at normal everyday people then watching this movie)

Price of sh1t!!

[smtodd-398-237562 · 1/10 · 16 June 2012]

Dragon Crusaders can suck my D1CK!!!!Worst movie ever rather watch George Lopez do his stand up routine.the guys were very cute!!The Pirates were a bunch of dipsh1ts that the director picked up at a truck stop. This was the biggest waste of time and life. Burn this movie and then take a huge bloody sh1t on it. The maybe is watch it again. What was the point of this movie ? Did we really need another movie about dragons and crusaders? You can spend better time watching grass grow or even just watching a dark screen. Screw This Horrible Movie Just Don't! Do it. The special effects locked like an elementary school class got together and tried to make this movie . You should get payed to watch this.

This is Asylum's picture ?

[ebiros2 · 3/10 · 25 July 2012]

First look of this film reminded me of Reign of Fire, then I saw that it's made by Asylum. It's surprising that Asylum the same company that made Two Headed Shark Attack, made such a dark movie. But I like Asylum's picture in general, so I decided to watch.

There's nothing wrong with the movie except that it's boring. There's no central figure in this whole story that binds things together. Character of Neem was super annoying.

At least in other Asylum's pictures there're the giant lizards and fishes that keeps the story going.

Not so bad of execution, but the characters just sucked in this movie.

Great low budget movie

[info-11159 · 10/10 · 10 October 2011]

Asylum films have come back to the Uk with their new instalment of dragon fantasy - Dragon crusaders!!! Filmed in North wales , UK.... we see the return of local actors, Simon Lloyd Roberts and horse master and Actor, Dylan Jones.

The story line was solid for the most part.... CGI again , low budget but with character.

The horse scenes , I think, made the movie.... as well as the Snowdonia landscape!! All, in all , an enjoyable movie for all the family. Hope to see more of this talent from Wales.

Well done all involved!!!

Remember, i hear it took 2 weeks to shoot! Well done!

Surprisingly entertaining in an odd way

[jhpstrydom · 6/10 · 21 March 2012]

From the few films I've seen from the SyFy channel and The Asylum in the past few weeks I must admit DRAGON CRUSADERS was surprisingly entertaining in an odd way, don't get me wrong its not a gem that's for sure but out of all the others that included films like 2012 MOBY DICK and TITANIC 2, this film had a sense fun to it despite the fact the effects weren't ground breaking in any way, the costume designs weren't very accurate in terms of historical detail and the acting and the dialog needed a little work.

The one character who steels the show is a sword wielding woman about 4 feet tall who kicks butt like nobody's business and looks good while she does it and the dragons actually look okay despite the film's obvious low budget.

Honest opinion, the only thing that really sucks about films from The Asylum and SyFy is the fact that they get the film to a certain stage and by that I mean we all know the production value of their films and they all had the potential of being hugely entertaining but their main problem is not the cheap looking CG or the acting, its their scripts, if they would just put a little bit more effort into writing a better script for a film it would be so much better, they don't need that multi million dollar budget to make a film entertaining, they just need a good script and that's all.

Overall, DRAGON CRUSADERS won't please a huge audience but if you're willing to give the film critic inside you the day off its very entertaining.

Ultra-cheesy low budget fantasy

[Leofwine_draca · 3/10 · 13 April 2018]

DRAGON CRUSADERS is another ultra-cheesy low budget fantasy film, made by The Asylum and shot in the Welsh countryside. A bunch of mumbling actors are involved in a nonsensical storyline that mixes up the Knights Templar with a plot involving them being cursed into transforming into dragons. The emphasis here seems to be on low rent action scenes, with horse riding and sword fighting mixed into the fray. It looks cheap, nasty and digital, and fails to connect with the senses in any way. It's neither bad enough to be amusing, nor good enough to be entertaining, just poor and below average.

dragon crusaders why...Why!?... WHY!!??

[busoftbl · 30 October 2011]

Jesus Christ what a piece of crap and waste of precious time watching this horrible abomination! It was so bad, I simply had to waste more precious time writing a sort of review, only to warn my fellow movie fans not to watch this movie! this movie is probably the number one example why you should not put templar knights, pirates, dragons, gargoyles, zombies, Xena and a 20th century sailing cutter in one movie! why?

As a fantasy fan I liked the catchy title and the great front cover. I should have been warned by then.

It goes wrong straight at the beginning, when some knight-looking pirates sail an early 20th century sailing ship... why!? I know there is something like budget, but buying a rowing boat would be cheaper and more authentic! Next, these pirates siege a medieval castle as if they came with an entire army with only Xena's sister to protect the castle. Some templar knights decide to help and after that the sit hits the fan to fantasy land! pirates change to gargoyles and zombies.WHY!!?? What drug using acid junkie made this movie?

Further poor acting but I've seen worse: in series like "dynasty" and "the bold&." I have to admit, the scenery was nice and the camera-work wasn't that bad, also I can remember more expensive movies with worse CGI. That's the reason why I will give this piece of trash 4 of 10.

MEH! Not Grand

[Rainey-Dawn · 3/10 · 14 October 2021]

Well I didn't expect much from this film - and I'll say it's a bit less than I did expect. I will call this a Z-film -- that means is a lot less than a B-film in quality.

Remind me not to get another film made by The Asylum!! Their films are not very good.

3/10.

Steaming Cow Flop

[alyssaabernaughty · 2/10 · 30 October 2013]

I give this movie a 2 out of 10 instead of just 1 because it is at least unintentionally interesting and entertaining because you will end up laughing at how stupid it is. The effects are laughable, very very bad, even by standards of like 2001 these effects are cheap and unreal looking. The acting is also terrible and I won't even mention the writing but then again what do you expect when you pick up a discount bargain bin movie called "dragon crusaders" at a grocery store for 2.99? This movie is very bad but if you are a fan of laughing at super horribly done and acted movies then you can do a lot worse than this one, you'll end up laughing at it a few times at least.

WHY CAN'T THEY NAME IT SNOWBALL

[nogodnomasters · 3/10 · 24 April 2019]

Some knights become cursed and will turn into gargoyles unless the curse is removed. They must seek out the feared black dragon to remove the curse. They are aided by Aerona (Cecily Fay) who recited her lines in a very dry fashion. Her choreography had my head scratching. She tried to do that urban fighting stuff where you jump up on a wall and turn around, but she couldn't get that far up the wall which made it look comical. In one seen she fights with a towel, perhaps a tribute to her former film, "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."

One of the Knights did have personality and some good lines but only one of the Knights.

This is certainly not the worst dragon film, but might be one for the kids instead.

No swearing, sex, or nudity.

Incredible

[amadioludovica · 10/10 · 16 November 2020]

The final scene when the dragon is suspended in the atmosphere was MY GOD SUCH AS BEAUTIFUL THING AHHAH, it seems like I'm playing prehistoric video games, trust me see this, it's worth it! See this film with humour, I'm just kiddin:)

Underrated

[aswarp2007 · 6/10 · 18 March 2015]

This film is not LotR but has been quite underrated. Granted: acting performance is improvable, but for its budget it came out quite enjoyable and imaginative. It gets better as the party progresses to the dragons' layer, ending with an unexpected twist of the plot. The outdoor landscapes are great, it casts some (unfrequent) strong female leading characters and the makeup, clothing and atrezzo look quite realistic. After the initial supression of incredulity, the plot kind of sucks you into the movie. Though it exhibits some severe mistakes here and there due probably to filmmakers' inexperience and budgetary constraints, it is a good product for lovers of the D&D genre that can keep you entertained throughout a rainy day or late night.

Can somebody ask the people behind this movie to stop making movies anymore!

[johanjongepier · 20 October 2011]

Unbelievable, this is a real bad movie! Well, not all of it. The actors have enough talent for a soap, but not for a movie. But the girl with the swords is okay, but only compare to the others of the cast. In a better movie she would fade away in the shadow of more talented actors. But the director of this movie has really zero talent. It's like there was no director at all while they where shooting this picture. And the ones in the editing room did really a lazy job. Like they just put together some scenes without looking at them. The cameraman made some nice shots once in a while. That was the only reason I kept watching, but nevertheless I was shocked that movies like this make it to DVD. I guess the ones who made this movie where not interested in making something good, but just making something because they had to. That's not a good motivation. Please, don't make any movies. Do something that you like but don't make a movie anymore. Can somebody tell the people behind this crap to look for another profesion.

why?

[garethslough · 27 October 2011]

Why was this film even made?

Did the people who made it watch it as a serious piece of work and think people were going to love it? It maybe fits into the 'so bad, its funny' category. The budget is so low it really doesn't give the film a chance. I would think from the point of view of someone that knows nothing about making films that the fantasy genre is the one genre you cant get away with a low budget?

Another tip if your going to make a film set in medieval times don't shoot the film in ruined castles as they wouldn't have been ruined at that time! Also use old stuff in general.....the pirates boat they board looks like what it is a brand new holiday cruiser. The type of boat you might hire for a boating holiday not one you would expect cut throat pirates to be on. Did the pirates in between raping and pillaging do some nice sightseeing making sure they maintain the boat to a high standard?!?

The cgi is poor. The gargoyles remind me of the ones off ghostbusters.

In conclusion this film looks like a group of middle aged office staff on an outward bound course running about waving puny looking axes and swords at each other. The script is non descript play the movie on mute and make your own up it will be better. The acting is bad but its a bad film so maybe the actors didn't have much chance either!

the only highlight for me was the tiny sword woman she was hot!

Cecily Fay whips up on Gargoyles & Other Beasties !

[guestar57 · 19 October 2011]

Starring: Cecily Fay & Dylan Jones. Directed : Mark Atkins.

I interviewed Cecily Fay earlier on my blog,She is amazing woman,Nay,Athlete with swords who deserves tons of accolades and roles in the future.

Without seeing her wonderful turn in this film, She can better any number of baddies with a sword or two and do some stunts,That well,Someone taller might not try.

The special effects,Actually thats kind of rude explanation of how we can see Gargoyles,Dragons and other assorted creatures.

The plot where the Gargoyles come from is very creative and once seen,Makes you anticipate.

Hate to go and on about Cecily Fay,Because Dylan Jones is very good as male lead and breaks all kinds of molds of heroes past.

This was mostly filmed in Wales and it looks great for on-location.