‘Dragonheart’ Slain By Plot

The best giant lizard to hit the big screen since “Jurassic Park” is the dragon in “Dragonheart.”

Draco - as the amazing creature is called - has almost as many tricks in its bag as all the dinosaurs in “Jurassic Park” put together. Plus Draco breathes fire and even talks - with Sean Connery’s mellifluous voice, yet.

I wish I could report that the film - a sword-and-sorcery adventure set in the 10th century - lives up to the special effects that went into creating that dragon. But between dragon scenes, “Dragonheart” falls apart.

Watching this film is a bit like getting stuck in an endless game of Dungeons & Dragons with players who aren’t very clear on the rules.

There is a clever idea here: The film supposes that dragons are not the vicious monsters that they are usually made out to be. Instead, they are sensitive, intelligent creatures who are sometimes forced to resort to violence to defend themselves against the cruelty of uncomprehending humans.

The plot concerns what happens when Bowen (Dennis Quaid), a knight of the Old Code and the last of the dragon slayers, goes into business with Draco, the last of the dragons.

Their routine is simple. First Draco frightens a village with a few wellaimed fireballs. Then Bowen charges the village a bag of gold to kill the beast - or rather, for pretending to kill it.

As I say, the premise is promising.

But the narrative doesn’t develop so much as it sprawls. And the characters don’t evolve so much as they merely strike attitudes.

Feeling the plot strands collapsing between the scenes with special effects, I found a new respect for the creators of “Twister” and “Jurassic Park” - films in which there is just enough story line to keep you going between the effects without detracting from them.

I also renewed my respect for Mel Gibson, who staged the battle scenes in “Braveheart” with such fury - and clarity. The battles in “Dragonheart” are mostly a muddle of confusing choreography.

I’d call them frantic, not furious.

“Dragonheart” was directed by Rob Cohen, whose most recent film was “Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story.” (The guy obviously has a thing for all kinds of dragons.) Although the Bruce Lee film was somewhat overrated, it was undemanding fun.

Maybe the logistics of the special effects in “Dragonheart” overwhelmed Cohen and screenwriter Charles Edward Pogue, causing them to neglect other aspects of the production.

Which brings us to Quaid, whose all-American appearance does not, to put it mildly, make him an obvious choice for knighthood. What’s wrong, was Richard Gere busy?

As the evil King Einon, David Thewlis (“Naked”) appears vaguely amused by how little is expected of him here. (His irony saves him - barely.) Meanwhile, Julie Christie, as Einon’s mother, seems sort of irritated by how little she has to do.

As for Pete Postlethwaite (“In the Name of the Father”), he plays a literary monk who pops up whenever the filmmakers happen to remember that they want some comic relief. Similarly, Dina Meyer (“Johnny Mnemonic”) appears as a feisty peasant whenever they recall that their film needs romance.

Only Connery, who lends his voice to the dragon, is really any fun. When Bowen questions Draco’s peacefulness by pointing out that he once found the arm of a knight within the dragon’s mouth, Connery milks Draco’s response for all the wry humor it’s worth.

“I merely chewed in self-defense,” explains the beast, who quickly adds, “I never swallowed.”

MEMO: These 2 sidebars appeared with the story: 1. “Dragonheart” Locations: East Sprague, Lyons and Showboat cinemas Credits: Dennis Quaid, Julie Christie, the voice of Sean Connery Running time: 1:43 Rating: PG-13

2. OTHER VIEWS Chris Hewitt/St. Paul Pioneer Press: To put an upbeat spin on it, “Dragonheart” is not one of those movies that keeps you wondering whether it’ll be good. From the beginning, it’s clear that “Dragonheart” is wretched. Even on the most basic levels, it fails: Dennis Quaid and several other actors obviously had to re-dub some of their dialogue (because of garbled accents, maybe?) and they have not done it well. As a result, Sean Connery comes off best. You have to give director Rob Cohen props for trying something different. The idea of adding selfdeprecating humor to a medieval epic is intriguing, and creating Draco obviously took a lot of effort. But the jokes are dumb (including an anachronistic Bill Clinton gag), the special effects are flat and under-lit, and the talking-dragon gimmick just doesn’t work (imagine “Jurassic Park” if Jeff Goldblum and T-Rex had started chatting about honor, valor and halitosis). All I know is that, after “First Knight” and “Braveheart” and “Dragonheart,” I’m starting to think I’d rather live through the Middle Ages than see another movie about them.

David Hunter/The Hollywood Reporter: In an attempt to appeal to family audiences and the young-adult action-movie market, Rob Cohen’s “Dragonheart” is a bit brawny for early grade schoolers but its script and special-effects-created star are strictly kid stuff. Staying off the endangered list at the box office will be tough, but the relative uniqueness of the film could keep the medieval adventure fantasy flapping in theaters long enough to achieve modest hit status. Although the strong cast is undermined throughout by weak dialogue, “Dragonheart” is a widescreen storybook come to life and is sure to thrill impressionable viewers raised on its animated cousins of the past decade or so … While the plot shows its seams and the pieces are sometimes in danger of coming apart and derailing the whole affair, the special effects are great and display the kind of meticulous care that should have attended the drafting of the screenplay.