Film

What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases


Reign of Fire (2002)

Director: Rob Bowman

Average user rating
No reviews

Movie review

From Time Out Film Guide

'Only one species is getting out of this alive!' screams a character early in this post-apocalyptic yarn. Does he mean the flame throwing computer-generated dragons which raze the Houses of Parliament in London, England? Or Bale's plucky band of human survivors barricaded in a remote Northumberland fortress? It's a tough call. The script boils one spoon of DragonHeart fantasy spectacular with two big ladles of Mad Max action parody, with pinches of Fahrenheit 451 and other moral parables to taste. The director's general rule of thumb is to play it straight. But just as the film threatens to bog down in endless stuff about survival strategies and crop protection, the (American) cavalry arrives, headed by cigar-chewing battle tank driver McConaughey and his outrageous platoon of Kentucky 'irregulars'. The climactic SFX are well mounted and it's all too preposterous to dislike.

Author: WH

Time Out Film Guide


What do you think?
Post your review now

clear rating
Min 1 star. Zero stars will be treated as unrated.

*mandatory fields




Most popular on this site


Top Stories

Has David Cronenberg turned tame?

Has David Cronenberg turned tame?

Has director David Cronenberg veered too far from his radical and bloody roots with new film 'A Dangerous Method'?

The 10 worst date movies

The 10 worst date movies

Just in time for Valentine's Day, we present ten of the least romantic films ever made

Where to watch this year's Oscar-nominated films

Where to watch this year's Oscar-nominated films

Find out where to watch 2012's Oscar-nominated films in London cinemas

10 unlikely badboy biopics

10 unlikely badboy biopics

Featuring Phil Collins, Jeremy Clarkson, Nick Clegg, David Starkey and a host of other unlikely subjects

Interview: Sean Durkin on 'Martha Marcy May Marlene'

Interview: Sean Durkin on 'Martha Marcy May Marlene'

The first-time director of the brilliant new thriller discusses religious cults and robot boxing

Pop-up cinema for Valentine's Day

Pop-up cinema for Valentine's Day

Side-step romantic clichés with some alternative Valentine’s viewing