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'{{short description|2002 film}} {{more citations needed|date=February 2015}} {{Infobox film | name = Reign of Fire | image = Reign of Fire movie.jpg | alt = A dragon flying over the British Houses of Parliament breathing fire on the city below. | caption = Theatrical release poster | director = [[Rob Bowman (director)|Rob Bowman]] | producer = {{Plainlist| * [[Richard D. Zanuck]] * [[Lili Fini Zanuck]] * [[Roger Birnbaum]] * [[Gary Barber]] * [[Dean Zanuck]] }} | writer = | screenplay = {{Unbulleted list|[[Matt Greenberg]]|Gregg Chabot|Kevin Peterka}} | story = {{Unbulleted list|Gregg Chabot|Kevin Peterka}} | starring = {{Plainlist| * [[Christian Bale]] * [[Matthew McConaughey]] * [[Izabella Scorupco]] * [[Gerard Butler]] }} | music = {{Unbulleted list|[[Edward Shearmur]]|Brad Wagner||Grant Claytor|[[Mad at Gravity]]}} | cinematography = [[Adrian Biddle]] | editing = {{Unbulleted list|Declan McGrath|[[Thom Noble]]}} | studio = {{Unbulleted list|[[Touchstone Pictures]]|[[Spyglass Entertainment]]|[[The Zanuck Company]]}} | distributor = [[Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures|Buena Vista Pictures]] | released = {{Film date|2002|7|12|df=y}} | runtime = 102 minutes<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/reign-fire-2002 |title=REIGN OF FIRE &#124; British Board of Film Classification |publisher=BBFC.co.uk |access-date=2017-04-22}}</ref> | country = {{Unbulleted list|United Kingdom|Ireland|United States}} | language = English | budget = $60 million<ref name="mojo">{{mojo title|reignoffire|Reign of fire}}</ref> | gross = $82.2 million<ref name="mojo"/> }} '''''Reign of Fire''''' is a 2002 [[dystopian]] [[Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction|post-apocalyptic]] [[science fantasy]] film directed by [[Rob Bowman (director)|Rob Bowman]] and starring [[Matthew McConaughey]] and [[Christian Bale]], with the screenplay written by [[Matt Greenberg]], Gregg Chabot, and Kevin Peterka. The film also features [[Izabella Scorupco]] and [[Gerard Butler]]. The film is set in [[England]] in the year 2020,<!--WARNING! It takes place in 2020, as seen in the film was confirmed. Do not remove or change--> twenty years after London tunneling project workers inadvertently awakened [[dragon]]s from centuries of slumber and the creatures have subsequently replaced humans as the dominant species on Earth. With the fate of mankind at stake, two surviving parties, led by Quinn Abercromby (Bale) and Denton Van Zan (McConaughey), find that they must work together to hunt down and destroy the beasts in a desperate attempt to take back the world. The film was released by [[Touchstone Pictures]] on 12 July 2002. Upon release, it received generally mixed reviews from critics and audiences and was a box office disappointment, grossing far less than expected, only $82&nbsp;million on a $60&nbsp;million budget.<ref name="boxofficemojo">{{cite web | url= https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=reignoffire.htm | title = Reign of Fire (2002) | publisher= IMDB | work = [[Box Office Mojo]] |access-date= 2011-10-10}}</ref> ==Plot== Soon after the start of the 21st century, during construction on the [[London Underground]], workers penetrate a cave and a huge [[European dragon|dragon]] emerges from [[hibernation]], incinerating the workers with its breath. The only survivor is a boy, Quinn Abercromby (Ben Thornton), whose mother, Karen ([[Alice Krige]])—the project engineer—is crushed to death protecting him. The dragon flies out of the Underground, and soon more dragons appear. Years later, Quinn ([[Christian Bale]]), now an adult, records the events that transpired after the first dragon siting. Scientists discovered that dragons were the species responsible for the extinction of the [[dinosaur]]s and most plant life on the planet when they razed it with fire; the ash from this event caused the first [[Ice age]] before the dragons disappeared, presumably in a cycle of hibernation. Once re-emerged, the population surged to several million, prompting most militaries to use increasingly devastating weapons, finally leading to targeting the largest population areas with [[nuclear weapon]]s in 2010; however, this only hastened the destruction, and by 2020, humans are [[Endangered species|nearly extinct]]. The dragons, now starving as well, are dying off and increasingly aggressive in search of food. Quinn, along with his best friend Creedy ([[Gerard Butler]]) leads a community of survivors at [[Bamburgh Castle]], [[Northumberland]] where he plans to outlast dragons until they go back into hibernation; as insurance, he shares his notes and plans with Jared (Scott Moutter) an orphan he rescued as a child and is grooming to lead the community. The community is short on supplies and in a state of unrest pending the harvest of their meager crops. Eddie ([[David Kennedy (actor)|David Kennedy]]) and his group steal a truck to pilfer the crops early, but they are attacked by a dragon. One man is killed and the rest are surrounded by fire. Quinn, Creedy, and Jared rescue them with old fire engines, but the dragon kills Eddie's son before escaping and burns the majority of the crops, leaving the community without a means to feed itself. Shortly afterwards, a group of heavily armed [[Americans]] arrive in an armored convoy with a [[Chieftain tank]] and an [[AgustaWestland AW109]] utility helicopter. The Leader, Denton Van Zan, explains that they are The Kentucky [[Irregular military|Irregulars]], some of the last remaining military dragon hunters seeking safe haven on their way to London. Initially skeptical and worried that they are marauders, Van Zan convinces Quinn by sharing the dragons' main weakness: poor vision during twilight. With Quinn's help, Van Zan and his team hunt and slay the dragon who destroyed the crops. The survivors enjoy a celebration at the castle that night but Van Zan is embittered by the loss of three of his men. Van Zan introduces Quinn to Alex Jensen ([[Izabella Scorupco]]), his team's helicopter pilot and intelligence officer and together they brief Quinn on their mission. After killing nearly 200 dragons, Alex discovered that they were all female; she postulates that they reproduce quickly because the species relies on a single male to fertilize the eggs. Having tracked the spread of the dragons, they believe that the male is located in London and that if they kill it, they will effectively stop dragons from reproducing. Although Quinn suspects that the male dragon is the same that killed his mother, he refuses to help knowing that London is a dragon stronghold and that if they fail, the dragon will track them back to their shelter. Van Zan first recruits, then [[Conscription|"drafts"]] the castle's best defenders, including Jared, despite Quinn's objections and a physical altercation. Van Zan and some of the castle's men then depart, but true to Quinn's warnings, their caravan is attacked by the dragon in the ruins of a town {{convert|66|mi}} from London. Everyone but Van Zan and Jensen are killed The dragon then finds the castle and kills many of the inhabitants. Quinn gets the survivors to a [[bunker]], but they are trapped when the dragon returns; during its final attack, Creedy is killed. Van Zan and Jensen return and free everyone trapped in the bunker. Quinn leaves Jared in charge and decides to help Van Zan and Alex hunt down the male dragon as their best chance at survival. They fly to London and find hundreds of small dragons, one of which is cannibalized by the larger male. This scatters the smaller dragons and leaves the male undefended. Without the support needed for a major battle, Van Zan coordinates a simplified plan: split up, bait the male into attacking, and then shoot explosives down the dragon's throat. The plan initially works, but the dragon manages to detonate the explosives early; Van Zan sacrifices himself as a distraction while Quinn and Alex gather the last explosives. Together, they lure the dragon to ground level, where Quinn fires another explosive into the dragon's mouth, killing it. Later, Quinn and Alex erect a [[Radio masts and towers|radio tower]] on a hill overlooking the [[North Sea]]. There has been no dragon sighting for over three months. Jared arrives to say they have contacted a group of [[French people|French]] survivors who want to speak to their leader. Quinn officially makes Jared the community leader and dedicates himself to rebuilding civilization with Alex. ==Cast== {{Cast listing| * [[Christian Bale]] as Quinn Abercromby ** Ben Thornton as Young Quinn * [[Matthew McConaughey]] as Denton Van Zan * [[Izabella Scorupco]] as Alex Jensen * [[Gerard Butler]] as Creedy * Scott Moutter as Jared Wilke * [[David Kennedy (actor)|David Kennedy]] as Eddie Stax * [[Alexander Siddig]] as Ajay * [[Ned Dennehy]] as Barlow * [[Rory Keenan]] as Devon * Terence Maynard as Gideon * [[Doug Cockle]] as Goosh * Randall Carlton as Burke * Chris Kelly as Mead * [[Alice Krige]] as Karen Abercromby * [[Jack Gleeson]] as "Kid" (uncredited) }} ==Production== Kevin Peterka and Gregg Chabot wrote the original [[screenplay]] in 1996, after which they sold it to [[Spyglass Media Group]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Wehner |first1=Christopher |title=Reign of Fire |url=http://www.screenwritersutopia.com/article/d17f4b37 |website=Screenwriter's Utopia |publisher=Screenwriter's Utopia |access-date=26 July 2020}}</ref> In 2000 [[Matt Greenberg]] revised the screenplay for production.<ref name="Reign of Fire screenplay PDF">{{cite web |title=Reign of Fire Screenplay PDF |url=https://www.scriptslug.com/assets/uploads/scripts/reign-of-fire-2002.pdf |website=Script Slug |publisher=Script Slug |access-date=26 July 2020}}</ref> ''Reign of Fire'' was filmed in [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]]'s [[Wicklow Mountains]], at the Glendasan Valley Lead Mines. Permission was given on the condition that the area was not damaged and the crew removed all sets once filming was complete. However, an [[2001 United Kingdom foot-and-mouth outbreak#Spread to the rest of Europe|outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Europe]] stopped many planned scenes from being filmed due to quarantine restrictions. The dead dragon was designed and built by [[Artem]], with visual effects by [[List of animation studios owned by The Walt Disney Company#Secret Lab|Secret Lab]]. The dragon's digital effects posed a problem for animators: <blockquote>"In recent years there have been several movies starring creatures with scaled surfaces. Among these are ''[[Jurassic Park (film)|Jurassic Park]]'', ''[[Dragonheart]]'', and ''[[Lake Placid (film)|Lake Placid]]''. The surfaces of these creatures have generally been constructed by layering painted textures atop displacement maps. This gives the model texture, but the scales stretch and shrink under the movement of the creature, giving a rubbery look that is not realistic."<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Petti|first1=Ernest J|last2=Thompson|first2=Thomas V, II|last3=Lusinsky|first3=Adolph|last4=Driskill|first4=Hank|title=Dragon Scales: The Evolution of Scale Tool for ''Reign of Fire''|journal=ACM SIGGRAPH 2002 Conference Abstracts and Applications|date=2002|pages=172|doi=10.1145/1242073.1242185|publisher=ACM|s2cid=2034980}}</ref></blockquote> In order to overcome this limitation, the then-groundbreaking work done by digital effects animator Neil Eskuri on [[The Walt Disney Company|Disney's]] 2000 release ''[[Dinosaur (film)|Dinosaur]]'' was utilized as a benchmark in order to create a realistic physical simulation of the dragon. According to Carlos Gonzalez-Ochoa, the film called for "{{convert|100|ft|adj=on}} creatures with wing spans of {{convert|300|ft}} that could undergo enormous speeds and accelerations. The artistic direction required each dragon to have wings that transition between a variety of physical behaviors and interact with the environment."<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Gonzalez-Ochoa|first1=Carlos|last2=Eberle|first2=David|last3=Dressel|first3=Rob|title=Dynamic Simulation of Wing Motion on ''Reign of Fire''|journal=ACM SIGGRAPH 2002 Conference Abstracts and Applications|date=2002|pages=174|doi=10.1145/1242073.1242187|publisher=ACM|isbn=978-1-58113-525-1|s2cid=12852396}}</ref> ==Soundtrack== {{Infobox album | name = Reign of Fire: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | type = film | longtype = ([[Music download|Digital download]] / Audio CD) | artist = [[Edward Shearmur]] | cover = | caption = | alt = | released = {{film date|2002|7|23|df=y}} | recorded = | venue = | studio = | genre = | length = 50:30 | label = [[Varèse Sarabande]] | producer = | prev_title = | prev_year = | next_title = | next_year = }} {{Track listing | headline = ''Reign of Fire: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack'' | total_length = 50:30 | all_writing = | all_lyrics = | all_music = | title1 = Prologue | length1 = 3:22 | title2 = Enter the Dragon | length2 = 3:20 | title3 = An Early Harvest | length3 = 2:42 | title4 = Field Attack | length4 = 4:11 | title5 = Marauders | length5 = 2:47 | title6 = Meet Van Zan | length6 = 3:49 | title7 = Archangels | length7 = 3:58 | title8 = Dawn Burial | length8 = 3:02 | title9 = A Battle of Wills | length9 = 5:31 | title10 = The Ruins at Pembury | length10 = 2:11 | title11 = Inferno | length11 = 3:23 | title12 = Return to London | length12 = 4:11 | title13 = Magic Hour | length13 = 5:23 | title14 = Rebirth | length14 = 2:40 }} ==Reception== On [[Rotten Tomatoes]] the film has an approval rating of 42% based on 175 reviews. The site's consensus states: "''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."<ref>{{cite web |title= Reign of Fire |url= https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/reign_of_fire/ |publisher= [[Fandango Media]] | work = [[Rotten Tomatoes]] |access-date= 4 May 2020 }}</ref> On [[Metacritic]] it has score of 39 out of 100, based on 30 reviews from critics.<ref name="metacritic">{{cite web |title= Reign of Fire |url= https://www.metacritic.com/movie/reign-of-fire |website= [[Metacritic]] |access-date= 4 May 2020 }}</ref> Audiences surveyed by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film a grade B on scale of A to F.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/ |title= REIGN OF FIRE (2002) B |work= [[CinemaScore]] |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181220122629/https://www.cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/ |archive-date= 2018-12-20 }}</ref> Joe Leydon of ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' said of the film, "An uncommonly exciting and satisfying post-apocalyptic popcorn flick, Director [[Rob Bowman (director)|Rob Bowman]] deftly combines an uncommonly satisfying mix of medieval fantasy, high-tech military action and "[[Mad Max]]"-style misadventure."<ref>{{cite web |last= Leydon |first= Joe |title= Reign of Fire |url= https://variety.com/2002/film/reviews/reign-of-fire-1200547364/ |website= Variety |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170928175126/http://variety.com/2002/film/reviews/reign-of-fire-1200547364/ |archive-date= 28 September 2017 |date= 12 July 2002 }}{{rating|3|4}}</ref> [[Lisa Schwarzbaum]] of ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' agreed, saying "the season could do with more grinning, spinning, un-self-important, happy-to-be-B throwback movies like this one."<ref>{{cite web |last= Schwarzbaum |first= Lisa |title= Reign of Fire |url= https://ew.com/article/2002/07/10/reign-fire-2/ |website= [[Entertainment Weekly]] |date= 10 July 2002 }}</ref> [[Elvis Mitchell]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' noted that "the movie might have been a minor classic if it had maximized its own possibilities. But until the rush wears off, the picture is as much fun as a great run at a slot machine: even when your luck runs out, you're losing only pocket change."<ref>{{cite news |last1= Mitchell |first1= Elvis |title= FILM REVIEW; Fire-Breathing Dragons Make It Hot for Humans |url= https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9C06E4D81330F931A25754C0A9649C8B63&mcubz=3 |access-date= 28 September 2017 |work= [[The New York Times]] |date= July 12, 2002 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170928180244/http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9C06E4D81330F931A25754C0A9649C8B63&mcubz=3 |archive-date= 28 September 2017 }}{{rating|4|5}}</ref> [[Roger Ebert]] lamented the film as "a vast enterprise marshaled in the service of such a minute idea", adding that "the movie makes no sense on its own terms, let alone ours. And it is such a grim and dreary enterprise. One prays for a flower or a ray of sunshine as those grotty warriors clamber into their cellars and over their slag heaps."<ref>{{cite web |last= Ebert |first= Roger |author-link= Roger Ebert |title= Reign Of Fire Movie Review & Film Summary (2002) |url= https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/reign-of-fire-2002 |website= [[Chicago Sun-Times]] |date= July 12, 2002 }}{{Rating|1|4}}</ref> ''Reign of Fire'' was third at the US box-office receipts during its opening weekend (12 July 2002), taking in $15,632,281, behind ''[[Road to Perdition]]'' and ''[[Men in Black II]]''.<ref>{{cite web |date= July 15, 2002 |author= Brandon Gray |title= Blessed Business for 'Perdition' as 'Men in Black II' Hangs Onto Top Spot |url= https://www.boxofficemojo.com/article/ed326370308/ |website= [[Box Office Mojo]] }}</ref> ==Awards== ''Reign of Fire'' was nominated for one [[Saturn Award]], but lost to ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers]]'' and two [[Festival de Cine de Sitges]] awards, winning one.<ref>{{cite web |date= 7 March 2003 |last1= Phillips |first1= Jevon |title= 'Towers,' 'Report' top Saturn nominees |url= https://variety.com/2003/digital/awards/towers-report-top-saturn-nominees-1117881826/ |website= Variety }}</ref><ref name="sitges" /> {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Award ! Category ! Result |- | Saturn Awards | [[Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Film|Best Fantasy Film]] | {{Nominated}} |- |rowspan=2| Festival de Cine de Sitges | Best Visual Effects | {{Won}}<ref name="sitges">[http://sitgesfilmfestival.com/eng/arxiu/2002 Sitges 2002 Awards]</ref> |- | Best Film | {{Nominated}} |} ==Video game== In 2002, [[Kuju Entertainment]] released the [[video game]] adaptation ''[[Reign of Fire (video game)|Reign of Fire]]'' for [[PlayStation 2]], [[Xbox (console)|Xbox]] and [[GameCube]], which received mixed reviews.<ref>{{cite web | date= October 23, 2002 | author= Tyler Winegarner | title= Reign of Fire review |url= http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/action/reignoffire/review.html |website= [[Gamespot]] |access-date= 17 July 2020 }}</ref> ==Possible sequel== In a 2002 interview, Christian Bale was asked: "Is there a sequel possibility to Reign of Fire?" to which Bale responded "Possibly. I told Scott Moutter, who plays my stepson in the movie, that he's well positioned to take the sequel from me because of the way the movie ends!".<ref>{{cite web |date= 2002 |author= Clint Morris |url= http://www.webwombat.com.au/entertainment/movies/reignfire1_int.htm |title= Movies: Christian Bale Interview |website= MovieHole.net |via= Webwombat.com.au |access-date= 2020-04-22 }}</ref> ==Legacy== The mechanism of dragon's fire breath in this movie, inspired from biology of real-life creatures such as [[anti-predator adaptation]] of [[bombardier beetle]] and poison glands of vipers, was used in later works such as ''[[Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)|Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire]]'', ''[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1]]'', ''[[Gods of Egypt (film)|Gods of Egypt]]'', and ''[[Game of Thrones]]''.<ref>Frederick Blichert, 2017, [https://www.vice.com/amp/en/article/vbb4dy/without-reign-of-fire-cgi-dragons-would-probably-suck Without ‘Reign of Fire’ CGI Dragons Would Probably Suck], VICE</ref> ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== {{Wikiquote}} * {{Official website|http://www.thefilmfactory.co.uk/reign}} * {{Official website|https://web.archive.org/web/20020905062804/http://bventertainment.go.com/movies/reignoffire/index.html}} * {{Amg movie|263133|Reign of Fire}} * {{IMDb title|id=0253556|title=Reign of Fire}} * {{mojo title|id=reignoffire|title=Reign of Fire}} {{Rob Bowman}} [[Category:2002 films]] [[Category:2000s disaster films]] [[Category:2000s fantasy films]] [[Category:2000s monster movies]] [[Category:2000s science fiction thriller films]] [[Category:2000s thriller films]] [[Category:American disaster films]] [[Category:American dystopian films]] [[Category:American fantasy action films]] [[Category:American films]] [[Category:American monster movies]] [[Category:American science fantasy films]] [[Category:American science fiction action films]] [[Category:British action horror films]] [[Category:British films]] [[Category:British monster movies]] [[Category:British science fantasy films]] [[Category:British science fiction action films]] [[Category:Films about cannibalism]] [[Category:English-language films]] [[Category:Irish fantasy action films]] [[Category:Irish films]] [[Category:Irish action horror films]] [[Category:Films scored by Edward Shearmur]] [[Category:Films about dragons]] [[Category:Films directed by Rob Bowman]] [[Category:Films set in 2000]] [[Category:Films set in 2020]] [[Category:Films set in castles]] [[Category:Films set in England]] [[Category:Films set in London]] [[Category:Films set in Northumberland]] [[Category:Films set in the future]] [[Category:Films shot in Ireland]] [[Category:Films shot in County Wicklow]] [[Category:Films produced by Richard D. 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