Philip Fibiger

Of course, seeing it early and for free might have influenced my opinion a bit, but I enjoyed Reign of Fire. Matthew McConaughey was over the top, but I felt like his performance worked. I guess I liked it as much as I did because the setting (and to some degree the premise) was so different from your typical summer action blockbuster. The dragon-ravaged near future resembled what we think of as the middle ages, aided by some of our heros being holed up in a castle in scotland. It was then interesting to see those visuals contrasted with thoroughly modern items like helicopters, tanks, and Jimi Hendrix. Emily pointed out that they did an interesting job of using the trope of the Political leader vs. the Millitary leader, much like King Arthur and Lancelot.

I did feel, however, that the climax of the movie was less intense than other parts. Without giving any major plot points away, the long sequence after the americans arrive would qualify for the ‘best action sequence involving a fall from great heights’ if it wasn’t for Matt Damon’s brutal move at the end of The Bourne Identity.