Could this ever have been good? - Reign of Fire (2002) Discussion

[–] MisterE (704) 6 years ago

I'm not sure what you're going on about, this movie is entertaining. One of the best for both Matthew McConaughey and Christian Bale.

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[–] CoachGainz (453) 6 years ago

IDK... good question.

The actual foundation, in my opinion, was fantastic but how it played out was just awful if I'm remembering correctly. The idea was intriguing and that's probably what got the actors on board but the writers only made this for the most part so I can't imagine there was a lot of difference creatively.

The Director was clearly not ready for a project this size and thats probably why we only got 2 or 3 actual action scenes.

If anybody has any good info on the behind scenes please share.

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[–] mobocracy (845) 6 years ago

The idea of dragons as real is interesting but it shares the same problem as all monsters when facing down modern military weapons -- physics.

I mean, we have rapid-fire weapons capable of destroying armored vehicles -- you're telling me a 30mm cannon can fire depleted uranium and punch through a Soviet tank, but it doesn't kill a dragon? Fighter planes can climb to 60,000 feet, go over mach 2 and fire guided missiles that can destroy buildings or planes but they can't stop a dragon? I can buy "not using nukes at all" as a thing, but of course if they use them you expect nothing to survive.

It just doesn't make sense that military weapons are apparently useless, which is required for dragons to nearly drive humanity to extinction.

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[–] ShogunofYonkers (71645) 6 years ago

Nice to meet you mob
Nothing you stated is incorrect, i just took it for a fun, stupid creature feature...i enjoyed it a lot and didnt mind the flaws

But yep, our modern military technology is more than a match for most horror movie beasties...except maybe Aliens👽

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[–] mobocracy (845) 6 years ago

I think part of what made Alien(s) work was that while the humans (especially in Aliens) had superior technology, they were isolated and had limited supplies to work with which made the Xenomorphs advantages believable.

This might have worked better as some kind of isolation thing -- dragons against some kind of isolated human force unable to call on reinforcements or better weapons. That the made the dragons wipe out humanity makes the entire exercise kind of hard to believe.

I did love Matthew McConaghey's character a lot, and geeze, Gerard Butler looked young.

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[–] ShogunofYonkers (71645) 6 years ago

Yeah
Good cast and good fun! sort of a silly one but pretty entertaining

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[–] aavfreak (2861) a month ago

This is exactly the problem with Zombie apocalypse movies and shows. They work fine for an isolated group, which makes the zombie advantages believable. But worldwide collapse of civilization is a stretch.

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[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Fun points. I have a few responsesabout the weapons you're using as an example. A 25mm, 30mm, or 120mm firing system is limited in height and response. Tanks are slow and low to the ground. Dragons arent. So That's actually not going to work.

A MK19 would be interesting alternative, but the mounting system would cause the same issue with height. Its also too heavy and powerful for an unmounted fire.

An 8T4 would be a fun option, but its single fire. One miss and you're screwed.

Helecopters are awesome. It's pilots that are needed. Mount a 50 cal nd it may be a good option. The 50 cal is still very pwerful and needs a stong mounting system which makes it hard to use.

Fun subject.

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[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

"It just doesn't make sense that military weapons are apparently useless"

All that is history , in the film. Its not shown.
If you take the film from its start point "Dragons have taken over - mankind's civilisation has collapsed",
then you dont have to worry about wether 30mm cannon would kill a dragon.

Just make up your own backstory about how it happened.
Personally id go for "Society collapses due to fossil fuels running out" this is very possible and would make for a very fast collapse. Then , during deep drilling for the last drops of oil - dragons be found and released.

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[–] Strazdas (2328) 4 years ago

The movie kind of tries to explain that. We killed the dragons. But they just kept coming back, spawning more and more numbers. You will run out of ammo eventually.

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[–] chumbawampa (142) 5 months ago

They used the same trope dating back to Godzilla. Modern weapons that can pierce tank armor can't even take down a big lizard? It's the whole basis of the movie.

Makes no sense, really, but every Godzilla film ever made wouldn't work without it.

It's a movie / TV trope. Any time you have big monsters, they can't just be killed by guns or missiles. In reality, of course you could just blow them up with heat-seeking missiles.

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[–] moviechatterer (13270) 5 months ago

Its worse for godzilla as its a single huge target.

Dragons be swarmin' , like locusts , which we still cant eradicate with 30mm canons.

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[–] thingmakersback (1181) 5 months ago

No, I think Godzilla actually solves the problem. The sheer physical impossibility of an animal the size of Godzilla (square cube law/ strength of materials) is already a clue to why Godzilla is beyond our weapons. Add to this the fact that this supposed animal breathes nuclear fire, and you realize that what you are dealing with is essentially a Lovecraftian being. It has to be from some other reality and carries a localized field of totally non-local physics with it. Thus, it is not crushed by its own weight, it is capable of ridiculous feats and is nearly unaffected by any known weapon.

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[–] chumbawampa (142) 5 months ago

I still think missiles that can penetrate pure steel and titanium would be able to get through a large lizard's skin. Even if it was the size of godzilla, it would still have skin, it's not like reptillian scales are made of some superhuman alloy or anything. So why would Godzilla's 'scales' be impenetrable from missiles and explosive that can level buildings made of metallic alloys and concrete?

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[–] thingmakersback (1181) 5 months ago

"Non-local physics" is VERY soft science fiction code for what amounts to magic. So, by this standard, Godzilla is basically a super-being. Nothing can penetrate Superman... This is just another way of explaining the obviously physically impossible. Not to be taken seriously.

There's a growing faction of what i term "mundane nerds", who want Superman and Godzilla to make sense and my explanation is pretty much the only one which explains Godzilla. So, if you enjoy watching unfeasibly huge monsters emitting nuclear fire and whatnot, but are troubled by the fact that it is impossible, and uncomfortable with just calling it fantasy - here's your out.

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[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

"Could this ever have been good?"

What you talking about , it WAS good!

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[–] Otter (24464) 5 years ago

I wish I could agree, I really wanted to like this movie.

I've started watching it several times, because I like dragons and sci-fi/fan and the cast... and I've never made it through to the end. I get distracted and call friends or do the dishes orsomething, and I look at the TV and something else is on. That doesnt say much for this movie's ability to enthrall.

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[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

I was getting that feeling with Alien 4 last night. (distracted)
That , for me , is the ultimate measure of a movie , if at no point are you wondering how long is left , or staring around the room - its a good one!

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[–] Otter (24464) 5 years ago

IMHO that is one reason I like going to movie theaters, the lack of all the distractions available at home. Mid-level movies are easier to enjoy that way, the great ones will grab you no matter what, but some films need a little help to keep your attention.

Of course movie theaters have their own sorts of distractions, such as the sort if people I'd never have over for movie night. But not always.

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[–] GotWood84 (384) 5 years ago

If you're a man with a big penis, you enjoy this movie.

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[–] AmeriGirl26 (12280) 5 years ago

I'm afraid this is another sad case of a B-rated movie with more holes in the plot than Swiss cheese. The worst part was, it had all the trappings of a serious, well-made movie with high-level special-effects, and yet it's just another post-apocalyptic nightmare story that humanity has to survive in.

The only reason my brother enjoyed watching it was because of the dragons and watching the humans fighting them. Otherwise, this story doesn't have much going for it.

Plus, Matthew McConaughey looked AWFUL in this film. He's normally a hottie with curly blond hair and a winning smile (or he was at the time this film was made), but in this, he was a jerk with no hair, a goatee, and a terrible taste in fashion.

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[–] Strazdas (2328) 4 years ago

It was good. You just have to watch it for what it is - a silly action B movie.

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[–] TandyMan (10361) 5 months ago

I see your point. This is a cool movie. But it's certainly not a great movie and it could have been. Definitely feels like two different scripts shuffled together. Could have ever been good? No. They were right to lean into the dumb action. This far too niche of a genre to be good. Should have been an anime film.

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[–] Anotherday (6865) 5 months ago

People enjoyed this movie when it came out. McConaughey got a lot of press for getting in shape. It's fun and that's all it needed to be back then.

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