Dragons, which have long appeared in historical myths and legends, have captivated the human imagination. In Western culture, dragons are often depicted as powerful and terrifying creatures that breathe flames and wreak havoc. And in the East, dragons are sacred, honorable deities and guardians.
Regardless, dragons have always been a popular subject on screen, and many movies have used dragons as a selling point. From adventurous animation to live-action epics, this mythical creature transcends borders and languages to capture the attention of audiences across the globe.
February 10 is the beginning of the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Dragon has kicked off, in order to welcome the arrival of the Year of the Dragon, here are some classic movies about dragons.
Directed by Matthew Robbins, Dragon Slayer is a dark fantasy horror film set in a magical medieval kingdom where the people are threatened by dragons. In order to maintain the peace of the kingdom, the king selects one person to sacrifice to the dragon every year by lot. However, when a wizard's apprentice discovers that the lottery has been manipulated by those in power and that the daughters of princesses and other nobles are excluded, he volunteers to kill the dragon once and for all.
Dragon Slayer hit the silver screen in the early days of modern fantasy films, setting a high bar for monster effects and world-building. Whether it is an innocent commoner or a powerful nobleman, the mere hearing of the dragon's name will make them flee.
Combining stop-motion animation with computer-controlled puppetry, the monster has been praised by many famous directors such as Giorgio R. R Martin and Guillermo del Toro. At the heart of Robbins' film, though, is the intriguing, breathtakingly intense conflict between humans and dragons.
In Dragon's Empire, London's underground tunneling works drill through the caves where prehistoric Charizards hibernate. Fire dragons emerge from the ground and destroy human cities. Kill a dragon and countless more will appear, quickly establishing their dominance and pushing humanity to the brink of extinction. Fanzan (Matthew McConaughey), an American tough guy with ambitions to slay dragons, disagrees with the defensive ideas of the Englishman Quinn (Christian Bale), who is too cautious in his confrontation with dragons, and proposes the best way to end the dragon threat, so they set off together to find the dragon king.
Dragon-related movies never really made it into the mainstream of cinema, and the occasional film or two that appeared was also often set in a fantasy world from the past or the Middle Ages. In the future envisioned by director Rob Bowman, in 2020 (they didn't know that there would be a different type of global event that would happen that year), dragons would reappear, endangering the survival of humanity.
The film brings impressive action sequences, realistic dragons, and an exciting post-apocalyptic setting. Although the film was not well received at the time of its release due to the fact that it failed to meet the high expectations of the trailer, the film has stood the test of time and is still fresh in the memory of the spectacular scenes of the fire-breathing behemoth in the film today.
In Heart of the Dragon, Prince Aino (David Thewlis) promises Draco the dragon (voiced by Sean Connery) that he will follow the laws of the ancient in exchange for a small piece of the dragon's heart to save his life. Aino then broke his oath and became a ruthless tyrant. The angry knight Bowen (Dennis Quaid) blames the dragon for Aino's atrocities and goes on a killing spree against the dragon. However, there is a bond between the king and the dragon that if one dies, the other dies as well.
In Heart of the Dragon, Dennis Quaid and Sean Connery display an indelible chemistry as they explore the connection between humans and mythical creatures.
In terms of CGI and actual special effects, the film was ahead of its time, and it was an all-round success for Draco's portrayal. His scaly appearance, deep eyes, fire-breathing ferocity, and unparalleled intelligence are all on display.
Under Rob Cohen's solid direction, this excellent film revolutionizes the fusion of live-action and animated genres. It also paved the way for two sequels and a video game to follow.
Nearly 40 years later, this magical film by Wolfgang Peterson is still loved by children and **. Bastian is a shy 10-year-old who is often ostracized and bullied by other children. One day, he finds a safe haven in a bookstore and is immediately attracted to the magic books in the bookstore. After discovering an unusual book called The Story That Never Ends, Bastian is sucked into the fantasy world of the Fantasy Kingdom. Apparently, the world is about to fall apart, and Bastian must save the world he imagined.
Through Peterson's eyes, Mitchell Ender's beautiful ** has been adapted into a colorful and imaginative film. Barrett Oliver plays Bastian and Noah Hathaway plays Atreyu, and the performances of the two young actors are deeply moving.
Aside from the epic battles and bold visuals, though, the soul of the film is the lucky dragon Faulco, whose silly and wise demeanor teaches Atreyu how to find magic in the dark. His pearly white mane, Labrador face, floppy ears, and affectionate eyes were all created with dazzlingly realistic special effects, and although Faulco is not the protagonist of the story, he shows that dragons can also be the cornerstone of a story that celebrates courage and humanity.
The story of "Legend of the Dragon" is set in the mythical world of the Land of Dragons, where a long time ago, humans and dragons lived in harmony. The ** power known as Drune brought death and destruction to the land, turning all life into ashes and stones. The dragons sacrificed themselves to save humanity and, with their combined strength, destroyed Drouen. In the end, only a magical gem and the legend of the last dragon remained.
When ** descended on the land again, the warrior princess Raya (voiced by Kelly Marie Chan) spent six years searching for the last dragon in the legend. Raya joins forces with the last dragon Hisu (voiced by Awkwafina), which, combined with trust and teamwork between humans, defeats Drouen, restores life to the land, and saves all those who have been turned to stone.
With this high-caliber new film, Disney Animation has made a breakthrough in adventure, emotion, and the expressiveness of dragons. Kelly Marie Tran voices the main character, Raya, as she travels to the land of legends to find the truth about the last dragon, Hisu.
When it comes to Hisu, her lifelike smooth animations are stunning and refreshing. Her movements and demeanor in and out of the water are skillfully depicted to make people laugh and resonate with her.
Unlike the dragons depicted by most Europeans in this list, "Legend of the Dragon" draws heavily on the image of the Chinese dragon, where the dragon is not only a guardian, but also has no wings.
Smaug makes his debut in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, where he invades the Lonely Mountain and drives the dwarves out of their capital. But it's not until The Hobbit: The Battle of Smaug that the dragon, voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch, is shown in its entirety.
Thorin Oakshield (Richard Armitage) sends Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) to quietly retrieve the Akemberg from the dragon's lair, but only to awaken Smaug, who begins to attack them. An epic battle ensues between the dwarves and Smaug, who then takes to the skies and heads to a nearby town for revenge.
Directed by Peter Jackson, the film brings Tolkien's memorable character to life. From Cumberbatch's lava-perfect voice, to the elaborate special effects footage of motion capture technology, every aspect of the film is made more prominent by Smaug's appearance.
His height and majesty are vividly rendered, and unlike other dragons, this half-snake, half-leopard dragon exudes wisdom and malice. In this climactic battle, known as the Great Adventure, we see this angry dragon spewing flames frantically and terrifyingly to the human race.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves has dragons in its title. The film stars a group of thieves, including a bard (Chris Pine), a barbarian (Michelle Rodriguez), a wizard (Justis Smith), and a Tieflin druid (Sophia Lillis).
They try to recover a magical item so that the Bard can be reunited with his daughter, who has been adopted by his former friend and now enemy (Hugh Grant). In one of the missions, they join forces with a paladin (played by Reger Jean-Page) to fight against the dragon Tenbersaud.
Unlike the powerful and dangerous dragons who guard the treasure in films like The Hobbit: The Battle of Smaug, the dragons in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves exist more to create comedic effect. Although still huge and dangerous, it is alive and well as a pug dragon, rolling around with the help of its fat size.
It feels more like a giant corgi than a giant fire-breathing monster. Complementing the humorous tone of the film, the film presents a grotesque playfulness that is different from most fantasy films.
In Peter's Dragon, young Peter (Levi Alexander) and his family are driving away on vacation, and his parents suddenly turn around to avoid a deer, only Peter, who is sitting in the back seat, survives. Elliot (a dragon voiced by John Cassirer) rescues Peter from the wolves and lives with him in the forest.
Mr. Meacham (Robert Redford), a woodcarver, tells children the story of a dragon that lives in the forest. His daughter Grace (Bryce Dallas Howard) meets Peter (Oaks Figley) in the forest and learns that Peter lives with a huge and friendly dragon, thus discovering that the story is true. The lumberjacks threaten the wilderness, and Peter must go back to help Elliot, which means he has to leave his newfound family.
Peter's Dragons is a re-creation of the original 1977 Disney Dragon, an unconventional depiction of the incredible friendship between humans and dragons and the magic of this wondrous creature. Like the energy and emotion conveyed by Don Chaffey and Don Bruce in the original film, the film centers on the deep chemistry between Peter and Eliot.
The film is generally cheerful, but also has moments of sadness, giving us a lot of the multi-family aspect that not only provides a much-needed update for this remake, but also improves on the original.
In addition, through CGI and motion capture, director David Lowe's vision was realized, and Elliot was vividly portrayed as a likable dragon that any child would want to be friends with, and it was deeply moving.
Hayao Miyazaki's most successful Ghibli film, Spirited Away, tells the story of 10-year-old Chihiro and her family who strayed into a mysterious abandoned amusement park full of ghosts and ghosts. After her parents were turned into pigs by the witch Granny Tang, Chihiro bravely took on the responsibility of rescuing them and returning to the world.
Chihiro first meets a boy named Hakuryu, who guides her to a huge bathhouse run by Granny Yu and gives her a job. While working with the quiet White Dragon, Chihiro learns the dark secrets and bravely completes difficult chores.
Hayao Miyazaki's films take the story of dragons to new heights. For most of the film, Bailong is a thief and is forced to help Granny Tang steal. Eventually, he appeared in the form of a dragon and became a powerful river god.
During Chihiro's adventures, he holds up a piece of heaven for her with calm dignity. His path to salvation involves being oppressed by a witch who conceals his identity as she did with Chihiro, which only fuels his kindness and desire to protect her.
Spirited Away is a classic masterpiece, with Hakuryu's magical realism and Chihiro's emotionally resonant story that continues to captivate audiences even after all these years.
How to Train Your Dragon takes place on the island of Burke, where dragon fighting is a way of life. Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) is taken to a dragon school, where he must kill a dragon to prove that he has mastered the necessary dragon slaying skills.
He wounded a terrible dragon, but instead of killing it, he befriended it and took care of it. Hiccup names the little dragon"Toothless"。This friendship makes Hiccup realize that the dragon may be more complicated than he knows. Working with dragons opens up new possibilities for the lives of the Burkes.
The cutest dragon in the movie, Toothless, has captured our hearts with his soulful eyes and priceless smile. This DreamWorks 2010 anime classic focuses on the deep connection between the Toothless Boy and the misfit Viking boy. As they unleash each other's potential, it's clear that a deeper understanding has developed between the Vikings and the dragons.
Director Dean Deblos showcased his humorous visuals, which, combined with Jay Baruchel's energetic voice acting, made the audience laugh throughout the film. The magic and ferocity of Toothless, as well as its smooth flight, shook the big screen and brought us a wonderful adventure with ups and downs, which is still evocative today.
The film successfully kicked off a series, went on with two sequels, several television spin-offs, and a live-action film in the works. When people think of movies about dragons, they think of How to Train Your Dragon.