Nostalgia November: DragonHeart

by Opaque Senator, GGR Contributor

I can't go through anything called “Nostalgia November” without talking movies. I was trying to decide what movie best encapsulates nostalgia for me. There were a number that came to mind; Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, Cool Runnings, Batman '89, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were all in the running. But there was always one that really hits me in the most nostalgic way, DragonHeart.

This Rob Cohen movie from 1996 stars Dennis Quaid, David Thewlis (of Harry Potter fame), Pete Postlewaithe, Dina Meyer, and none other than Sean Connery as the voice of Draco the Dragon. The movie takes place in the 1200s, in a fictional time period when the last of dragons still roamed the world. Quaid plays Bowen, a knight of the Old Code, and protector of the prince Einon. Einon's father was a ruthless king, and the movie begins with a quick training session between Bowen and Einon showing their bond. The peasants organize a rebellion where Einon's father is surrounded and killed. Einon gets enveloped as well and is mortally wounded when he separates from Bowen. Einon's mother, Queen Aislinn, takes Einon and Bowen to a cave, where a dragon lives. Aislinn asks the dragon to help her dying son, to which he removes half of his heart to replace Einons, swearing him to vow to live and rule justly, to which Einon agrees.

Little does Bowen know, Einon's heart is already very dark, and not long after recovering, Einon begins following in his father's cruel ways, becoming even more cruel. Believing the dragon's heart had polluted the good in Einon, Bowen vows to eliminate all dragon kind from world. When Bowen returns to the cave, Draco is gone.

12 years later, we pick back up with Bowen as he slays one of the two last dragons. The only other one left is Draco, who Bowen encounters not long after. They have a fight, which ends in a draw. Earning each other's respect, and realizing each of them is facing difficult times, the knight and dragon enter into a pact where Draco pretends to be slain by Bowen, who collects the fees from the townspeople to keep himself alive and the dragon protected.

Meanwhile, back in the kingdom, Einon's cruel ways continue and he takes prisoner a commoner by the name of Kara (played exceptionally well by Dina Meyer) the girl who maimed him initially. After escaping imprisonment thanks to Einon's mother (working behind the scenes as best she can to help people despite her son's cruelty), Kara eventually crosses paths with Bowen and Draco and they begin to discover a shared desire to change the world. They organize a rebellion, this time with Bowen training the commoners how to fight, and with Draco raining fire down from the skies.

During the battle, Einon is wounded, and this wound causes Draco to fall from the sky, as they are bound by the drago heart and share each other’s wounds. It is revealed that Draco must die for Einon to die. Einon retreats to the castle and orders Draco chained down and locked up for all eternity so he can live forever. Bowen, Kara, and a group of raiders break into the castle to free Draco, leading to one last sword fight between Bowen and Einon, while Kara takes out one of Einon strongest soldiers. Bowen gets the upper hand thanks to Draco injuring himself, and pleads with Bowen to take his life. Draco's whole goal in giving Einon a piece of his heart, despite actually knowing his true nature, was to hopefully change his heart so that when Draco dies, he would join his ancestors among the stars (a sort of “dragon heaven” if you will. Draco now knows the only way to end the tyranny is by sacrificing his life. Bowen fights his feelings, but eventually does his duty. Einon dies, Draco assumes his position among the Draco constellation, and the movie ends.

So, what makes this movie so special to me? After all, it’s just a basic “boy and his dragon” story that we have seen many times before. Well, disillusioned older man and his dragon...but still! What impact did this have? Well, for starters, this movie was nominated for its visual effects. At the time, and even today, Draco looks amazing! He looks like he's there with Bowen. And really, what boy didn't want a dragon as a best friend? Being voiced by the awesome Sean Connery did not hurt either. All the talk of honor in an honorless world, the two strong female leads, not just being damsels in distress but owning their situations. Not to mention, there are many funny parts in this movie. Bowen being stuck in Draco's mouth in their fight, as well as, the banter back and forth between the leads added much needed humor to the film.

Recently I re-watched this movie for the first time in years, but this time I watched the DVD extras as well. This movie was in development for 5+ years, starting in 1991. The movie was finished filming in early 1995, after which director Rob Cohen went off to direct the Sylvester Stallone-led movie Daylight. Cohen spent every evening while filming that movie working with the VFX people to animate Draco for DragonHeart, going into pain-staking detail for each movement he wanted from the dragon; everything from flight patterns to the facial expressions borrowed from Sean Connery's movies so Draco would resemble him and match his voice. The effort was astounding. Another positive was the score of the movie. You can still download it today, it has a wondrous feel to it in sections, brooding in some, lighthearted in even more. It matches the movie perfectly.

The dynamic between Bowen and Einon is also fantastic. You really feel the loss in Bowen when he confronts Einon for the first time in a duel mid-movie. You see his agonized expressions as he realizes his star student was evil, and that he was fooled and almost defeated by him.

I love this movie. If you've not seen it, highly recommend checking it out. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I think if nothing else, the VFX , the score, and the humor, if not the whole thing, will keep you invested,