Age of the Dragons

Age of the Dragons
Directed by Ryan Little
Produced by Gil Aglaure
Devin Carter
McKay Daines
Steven A. Lee
Joe Pia
Peter Urie
Fred Huet
Written by Gil Aglaure
Anne K. Black
McKay Daines
Starring Danny Glover
Vinnie Jones
Music by J Bateman
Edited by John Lyde
Distributed by KOAN
Metrodome Distribution
Release dates
  • March 4, 2011 (2011-03-04) (United Kingdom)

[1]

Running time
 91 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $5 million
Box office $1 million

Age of the Dragons is a 2011 fantasy film starring Danny Glover and Vinnie Jones, directed by Ryan Little. A fantasy-themed reimagining of Herman Melville's classic novel, Moby Dick, it was released in the United Kingdom on March 4, 2011.

Plot

Harpooner Ishmael (Corey Sevier) joins Ahab (Danny Glover) and his crew on the Pequod, in this instance an armored land boat that hunts for dragons. The seven-strong crew ostensibly seeks the precious "vitriol", a highly explosive liquid substance found inside the fire-breathing winged creatures, which powers the mythical realm they live in. Ishmael joins their quest, and soon learns that in fact, Ahab's mission is one of revenge on a particular great white dragon that decades ago scarred and injured him, and also killed his sister. Forced to hide from the sunlight due to the burn wounds on his body, Ahab now tries to kill all dragons, and especially the white one. Conflict arises through a romantic entanglement between Ishmael and Ahab's adopted daughter, Rachel (Sofia Pernas), which causes hostility from the jealous hothead Flask (Larry Bagby). In the white dragon's lair, Ahab's secrets are revealed and Rachel must choose between following him on his dark quest or escaping to a new life with Ishmael. She chooses the latter and in a final confrontation, Ahab's spear, which was tied to his foot, becomes entangled in the White Dragon's neck. The creature flies off with a screaming Ahab, until he is slammed against a rock pillar and silenced. The white dragon flies off into the distance, with Ahab's body clinging on to it.

Cast

Development

The film was originally going to be called Dragon Fire.[2] On February 3, 2010 it was announced that Danny Glover and Vinnie Jones had joined the cast, and that filming would begin in Utah the following week. The film's budget was around $5 million,[3] and was the first film developed by distribution company Metrodome. A video from the set was revealed on March 5, 2010.[4] Several of the scenes were filmed at Castle Amphitheater in Provo, Utah behind the Utah State Hospital. Other filming locations included Stone Five Studios in the Riverwoods Business Park. Glover was quoted as saying "This is a great idea ... it's going to be fun."[5] The trailer for the film was released on October 15, 2010.

Reception

The film received almost universal negative reviews in the British press. The Guardian[6] (1 star out of 5): “A textbook lesson in how not to adapt a literary classic – though it's so spectacularly bad, it could well achieve mythical status of its own . . . The deadly serious tone just makes it funnier; there's not a whale in sight but this movie blows.” Whilst The Observer stated[7]　“This crude picture, shot in snow-covered Utah, where the Pequod becomes a battle engine on large wooden wheels, is unamusingly ridiculous.” Variety added[8]　“Generic dialogue and dull incident. Shoddy CGI indicates a production budget that's fatally inadequate for the task at hand.” Little White Lies stated[9] (1 star out of 5) “While ropey CG monsters, half-baked stabs at drama, awkwardly-choreographed action sequences and wooden acting are all part of the fun, neither the script, nor Little’s direction revel enough in camp or B-movie thrills to give Age of the Dragons true schlock value . . . This pittance fails to make Age of the Dragons anything more than disposable. Expect to find it wedged among the ‘Two for £10’ DVDs in a year’s time, tantalising you with the promise of a so-bad-it’s-good quickie. But beware: here be dragons.”

References

  1. ↑ "Age Of The Dragons". TotalFilm.com. 2011-03-04. Retrieved 2012-11-29.
  2. ↑ "Danny Glover Riding Dragon Fire | Movie News | Empire". Empireonline.com. Retrieved 2012-11-29.
  3. ↑ "Age of the Dragons Trailer". FilmoFilia. 2010-10-15. Retrieved 2012-11-29.
  4. ↑ "Danny Glover Goes Moby Dicking for a White Dragon | Horror Movie, DVD, & Book Reviews, News, Interviews at Dread Central". Dreadcentral.com. 2010-03-05. Retrieved 2012-11-29.
  5. ↑ Cody Clark - Daily Herald (2010-02-28). "Here there be dragons: Local film has fresh take on 'Moby Dick' : The Ticket". Heraldextra.com. Retrieved 2012-11-29.
  6. ↑ Steve Rose (2011-03-03). "Age of the Dragons – review | Film". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 2012-11-29.
  7. ↑ Philip French (2011-03-06). "Age of the Dragons – review | Film | The Observer". London: Guardian. Retrieved 2012-11-29.
  8. ↑ Gant, Charles (2011-03-08). "Variety Reviews - Age of the Dragons - Film Reviews - New Int'l. Release - Review by Charles Gant". Variety.com. Retrieved 2012-11-29.
  9. ↑ Leader, Michael (2011-03-03). "Age Of The Dragons review". Little White Lies. Retrieved 2012-11-29.

External links

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