Reign of Fire

Directed by Rob Bowman, Reign of Fire follows several grizzled characters, including Matthew McConaughey’s Denton Van Zan and Christian Bale’s Quinn Abercromby, as they attempt to fight the dragons that have taken over the planet. It’s novel subject matter that is, for the most part, employed to watchable (albeit slightly disappointing) effect by Bowman, as the filmmaker, armed with a script by Gregg Chabot, Kevin Peterka, and Matt Greenberg, delivers a far-from-propulsive endeavor that never quite becomes as engrossing or enthralling as one might’ve anticipated – with the less-than-gripping vibe perpetuated by an atmosphere that’s just relentlessly grungy (and kind of unpleasant). Having said that, Reign of Fire benefits from the first-class and sporadically mesmerizing efforts of its talented cast, with, especially, McConaughey’s commanding turn as the ultra-grizzled Van Zan undoubtedly standing as a recurring highlight within the proceedings. (There is, for example, a terrific scene wherein Van Zan dresses down an entire room full of revellers.) By the time the predictably larger than life climax rolls around, in which a certain character makes an extremely memorable sacrifice, Reign of Fire has cemented its place as a decent piece of work that had the potential to be a whole lot better.

**1/2 out of ****