Unlike Any Dragon You’ve Seen Before
THE AGE OF THE DRAGON (CINEMA)
Metrodome
Release date: March 4th 2011
Certificate (UK): 12
Running time: 91 minutes
Director: Ryan Little
Cast: Danny Glover, Vinnie Jones, Corey Sevier
Ever heard the saying “You just can’t get a good dragon movie these days?” well, probably not, but there should be a saying like that because it’s true.
The mythical beasts have been around for centuries in folktales from Europe and China and there really ought to be some amazing films to tell their stories. Or not?
How To Train Your Dragon (2010), Dragon Wars (2007), Eragon (2006) and Reign of Fire (2002) didn’t have much fire in their bellies at all. Rather follishly, I thought I’d give it one more try with a new one, The Age of the Dragon.
It’s a re-working of Herman Melville’s Moby Dick set in a mythical realm, substituting the classic story’s whales for dragons.
We first meet Ahab as a young man who cowardly watches as his younger sister is killed by a dragon. Although he doesn’t lose his leg, his encounter leaves him scarred physically and emotionally.
He now runs a ship with his adopted daughter, Rachel (Sofia Pernas) and they use it to hunt dragons for a valuable liquid found in their throats.
Ahab takes on two new men, Ishmael (Corey Sevier), an adventurer and poet and Queequeg (Kepa Kruse), a quiet but skilled harpooner. No sooner than they’re aboard, there’s trouble, first with Flask (Larry Bagby) who’s jealous of Ishmael and then with Ahab as it becomes clear that they’re not on a hunt, but risking their lives for his obsession with the White Dragon.
As Ahab takes the men closer to the dragon’s den they begin to wonder who is more dangerous; their captain or the White Dragon?
While the idea to swap the setting and creatures for something more mythical might have been an ambitious one, The Age of the Dragon makes many fatal mistakes in its attempt to pull it off successfully.
The starting point is a very weak screenplay which doesn’t carry over the plot, themes, characters and settings as well as expected.
This is further hindered by its misguided directing, delivery of dialogue and CGI which altogether creates an awkward parody of Melville’s novel rather than something the 19th century writer would be happy about if he saw it.
There are many questions to ask where The Age of the Dragon is concerned and mostly they begin and end with “Why?”
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