Die Herrschaft des Feuers

The creators confidently claimed that this film would be the hit of the summer season. And yet, it's a poor, dull B-movie that doesn't impress, doesn't entertain and you won't enjoy the digital dragons much either. The worst thing is that the film takes itself too seriously, it lacks insight, on the contrary, there is no lack of long glances, warm embraces and "profound" proclamations. Awfully boring and a big flop. (22.06.2003)

A delightful dead end in the field of blockbusters. It is tempting to say that we should be grateful for the box-office bomb Reign of Fire due to the fact that Hollywood gave up on original concepts at the beginning of the millennium and took the safe route of tried-and-tested comic-book movies. When it comes to absurdity, insipid dialogue, randomness of logic, unintentional comedy and flamboyant homoeroticism, this mish-mash of post-apocalyptic, modern spec-ops action and medieval fantasy can in no way compare to the highlights of the trash genre movies of the previous two decades. It is elevated to the level of camp gold by its magnificent casting, with the trio of lead actors doggedly playing against their usual respective types. Whereas Bale displays proper macho fatalism, Butler is surprising as the cheerful sidekick, but everything is subordinate to McConaughey, who conceived his commander of motorized dragon slayers as a mix of a hyper-masculine Tolkien dwarf and Apocalypse Now’s Colonel Kurtz on speed. Unfortunately for the film and for us viewers hoping for non-generic popcorn entertainment, however, Reign of Fire didn’t manage to fake the sense of depth and gravitas as successfully as comic-book movies. So, this is where we find ourselves today, in a world of tired, would-be intelligent blockbusters that are unable to entertain us even a fraction as much (whether intentionally or unintentionally) or imprint themselves on the memory (whether intentionally or unintentionally) as this deliriously bizarre movie in which American heroes use a tank, helicopter, explosive arrows and a large axe to slay dragons in a charred post-apocalyptic version of Arthurian England. (08.07.2023)