The setup
In 10th-century England, a disillusioned knight named Bowen forms an unlikely partnership with Draco, the very last living dragon on Earth.Years after a tragedy turns Bowen into a cynical, wandering dragon slayer, he crosses paths with Draco. Realising that fighting each other is a waste of time, the two strike up a clever partnership: they travel from village to village staging fake "dragon attacks" so Bowen can "slay" Draco and collect the reward money.However, as a tyrannical king pushes the realm to the brink of ruin, Bowen and Draco are forced to stop their con games. Together with a band of rebels, they must stand against the corrupt monarchy to restore justice to the kingdom.
Dragonheart is one of those films that is just pure 90s fantasy fun. You’ve got Dennis Quaid running around fighting dragons, David Thewlis playing a perfect villain, and then Sean Connery turns up as a dragon.
Draco is easily the best thing about the film. He’s funny, sarcastic and actually feels like a proper character rather than just a CGI monster. For a film from 1996, the effects are also surprisingly good, and the armour, costumes and battles all give it that proper medieval feel.
There are plenty of strange moments and plot holes, though. Bowen spends years hunting dragons and somehow can't recognise the one he's looking for, and don't even get me started on the medieval watermelon. where did ancient Britain manage to get a cart full of watermelons!!!
But none of that really matters because Dragonheart has loads of charm. The relationship between Bowen and Draco is what makes it work, and the ending still hits you right in the feels.
It's cheesy, it's old school, and it's a hell of a lot of fun.
NCN Score
Our final score for Dragonheart.
