Released in 1996, the film received mixed reviews, but became one of the most popular titles of a generation.
“The last dragon and the last knight who finally meet at a stalemate and make a deal”. That was the premise that made Patrick Read Johnson able to carry out his film idea, which would be released in 1996 under the name Dragonheart. The screenwriter contacted the producer Raffaella De Laurentiis to propose a project and, between drinks and meetings, the script ended up in the hands of Universal Pictures, who gave the green light after being excited to read it.
Dragonheart revolves around the tenacious dragon hunter Sir Bowen (Dennis Quaid) and his unexpected friendship with a dragon. Bowen is a knight who is teaching the heir to the throne, Einon, how to become a good king, but, when The boy is seriously injured in an accident, only half a dragon’s heart can save his life. In return, he promises the great monster Draco that he will become an honorable and just king. Einon fails to keep his promise and turns out to be a tyrant in adulthood.
Sir Bowen blames the half-dragon heart and wants to erase all dragons from the land. When only one remains, Draco, an unexpected friendship develops between Bowen and the supposed beast.
Universal Pictures
The film was released in 1996 under the direction of Rob Cohen. Despite receiving a lukewarm reception from critics, Dragonheart It was a box office success, as it grossed $115 million compared to the $57 million they used in the budget. Rob Cohen always defended his production and has spoken of it with great affection over the years. “We were the first to make a completely computer generated character. “There is great love for this film in a certain audience and I receive many reactions from very unexpected sectors,” she said in an interview with Flickering Myth in 2018.
Dragonheart’ pointed the way. There would be no ‘Lord of the Rings’ without Dragonheart
A good beginning that lasted over time, since we can say that this adventure film is one of the favorites of an entire generation. The legendary critic Roger Ebert noted that had “a joy and a carefreeness” that was reminiscent of the days when movies were made, which possibly influenced many children to connect with it and, decades later, still point to it as one of the films of their childhood. Universal Pictures was aware of the pull and wanted to turn it into a franchise, but that didn’t work out so well.
A saga that nobody knows
The director, Rob Cohen, did not return to the director’s chair of the dragon series – he moved to the franchise The Fast and the Furious (2001) and Triple X (2002) -, but the story continued in the form of four sequels that very few people know about. Dragonheart 2: a new beginning (2000), Dragonheart 3: The Witcher’s Curse (2015), Dragonheart 4: Heart of Fire (2017) and Dragonheart: Vengeance (2020).
That 15-year jump between the second and third could have worked in favor of the saga – something like an image wash to capture the old generation while it reaches a new one – but that is not what happened. It resulted in a feature film that the audience gave 43% and that did not obtain any type of impact. At least the most nostalgic memory will remain.
