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Reign of Fire

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Reign of Fire

PG-13

Released Jul 12, 2002

1h 41m

Fantasy

Adventure

Action

Sci-Fi

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

41%

Tomatometer

172 Reviews

49%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

In present-day London, 12-year-old Quinn watches as his mother wakes an enormous fire-breathing beast from its centuries-long slumber. Twenty years later, much of the world has been scarred by the beast and its offspring. As a fire chief, Quinn (Christian Bale) is responsible for warding off the beasts and keeping a community alive as they eke out a meager existence. Into their midst comes a hotshot American, Van Zan (Matthew McConaughey), who says he has a way to kill the beasts.

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Critics Consensus

Reign of Fire gains some altitude with its pyrotechnic action and a smolderingly campy Matthew McConaughey, but the feature's wings are clipped by a derivative script and visual effects that fizzle out.

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SMH Staff

Sydney Morning Herald

The characters are sketchy, the plot is full of logical holes and the story is all fight and flight. But despite its flaws, it is enjoyable if you like special effects, warriors and computer-generated dragons.

Mar 31, 2019

Full Review

Anthony Quinn

Independent (UK)

For all its silliness, Reign of Fire never bores, and may actually appeal to your inner twelve-year-old.

Mar 31, 2019

Full Review

Tim Robey

Daily Telegraph (UK)

The poor dragons - on screen not nearly enough as it is - stand no chance pitted against this kind of heavyweight ham.

Mar 31, 2019

Full Review

Leah Rozen

People Magazine

Better than the trailers made it seem, but nothing to get fired up about.

Mar 31, 2019

Full Review

Malcolm Johnson

Hartford Courant

For all of its design and special-effects artistry, "Reign of Fire" is seldom convincing -- only slightly more alive than the silly 2000 "Dungeons & Dragons."

Mar 31, 2019

Full Review

John Wooley

Tulsa World

Look too closely at it, and you'll find a question or two that aren't satisfactorily answered by film's end. But it deserves high marks for not being quite like anything else -- for being, in fact, just different enough to impress.

Rated: 3/4

Mar 31, 2019

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Peter G

while not perfect its enjoyable fun with a serious edge. Maybe its partly nostalgia, as I saw it 23 years ago at the cinema as a child but I have a real soft spot for this film and the two main performances are strong and work well together

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/07/25

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cesar c

The characters are superficial but they work. A movie ahead of his time.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/09/25

Full Review

John A

Given the cast and atypical choice of director I obviously expected something more than mid-tier early 2000's Hollywood blockbuster fare that feels more like a B-side from Michael Bay than an involving inspired work.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/03/25

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Weston L

Props for being the only good dragon film. It has a cool modern twist and fun action, along side its colorful characters it's more than the sum of its parts. Matthew McConaughey steals the show and Christian Bale holds its heart, creating a balanced action drama. It's not a breath taking masterpiece, but it's a breath of fresh air in the genera of dragon slaying monster movies. Kinda a 2000s era gem in it's own right.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/02/25

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Thomas S

Good acting by a stellar cast and excellent effects .

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/25/24

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Brian S

The most underrated scif-fi action movie of the modern age. Denton Van Zan and Kentucky Irregulars alone are worth four stars.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/07/24

Full Review

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Rob Bowman

Director

Christian Bale

Quinn

Matthew McConaughey

Van Zan

Izabella Scorupco

Alex Jensen

Gerard Butler

Dave Creedy

David Kennedy

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Synopsis

In present-day London, 12-year-old Quinn watches as his mother wakes an enormous fire-breathing beast from its centuries-long slumber. Twenty years later, much of the world has been scarred by the beast and its offspring. As a fire chief, Quinn (Christian Bale) is responsible for warding off the beasts and keeping a community alive as they eke out a meager existence. Into their midst comes a hotshot American, Van Zan (Matthew McConaughey), who says he has a way to kill the beasts.

Director: Rob Bowman
Producer: Roger Birnbaum, Gary Barber, Richard D. Zanuck, Lili Fini Zanuck
Screenwriter: Gregg Chabot, Gregg Chabot, Kevin Peterka, Kevin Peterka, Matt Greenberg
Distributor: Touchstone Pictures
Production Co: Spyglass Entertainment
Rating: PG-13 (Intense Action Violence)
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Action, Sci-Fi
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 12, 2002, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 10, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $43.1M
Runtime: 1h 41m
Sound Mix: Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, SDDS, Dolby A, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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