Customer Reviews

Dragon Fighter [VHS]

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Director Philip Roth rises above the B movie status in this cleverly filmed sci fi movie. By using multiple screen shots and loading us with a cache of completely unbelievable characters, he focuses mainly on the genetically engineered dragon, and that's why this movie is fun.
For a low budgeter, the dragon effects are very good; unfortunately, the CGI guys don't do as well with the helicopter scenes, but since the dragon is the star, who cares?
Dean Cain gives another one of his earnest, good guy performances as the security guard who saves the day.
The movie is fun to watch and we can predict the ending, but if you like good old fashioned fun, this one passes.

Several people are trapped in an underground laboratory with a 12-foot tall, fire-breathing, man-eating dragon.Does that sound cool? It is. But don't be expecting a dozen Apache Longbows to be going after the dragon like on the front cover.

The special effects are so-so, I've seen much better but I've also seen worse. The dragon is pretty cool and fairly well rendered. However, the acting and writing are quite bad. And when I say bad, I mean BAD.

Despite its large flaws, I found DRAGON FIGHTER to be loads of fun. I you like B-Movies, then this is for you. If you don't stay far away.

This movie didn't deserve the 1 star that I gave it. I only put 1 star because you can't put zero. To start off with, my friend, who is an amateur film maker, can do better special effects. The front end helicopter shots were horrendus!! It was all 2-D and just not realistic. The shots of the dragon were a bit better, but hardly high quality.

Now the acting was a big shaky. Dean Cain, who I respect as an actor, lost a lot of my respect from this film. During too many scenes it looked as if he was trying too hard to fit the part, and it just wasn't working.

Well enough of my gabbing about how horrible this movie was. My advice to you, DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY TO RENT OR BUY IT!!!!!!!!!!

Read on before you remark, "Duh! Dragons unrealistic? As If!" No, seriously, the dragon isn't the problem. It looks like a screen shot from a video game, and it doesn't seem to have to eat for fuel for growth, flight or firebreathing, but at least you understand its motivation, and it behaves in a consistent and believable fashion. And the basic premise is really no harder to believe than with dozens of other movies - very Jurassic Park. I could swallow the premise more easily than I could, for example, "Farenheit 9/11" (another fictional work but one sorely lacking charismatic reptiles.) No, the major flaw of Dragon Fighter is the character development of the humans. They behave inconsistently and completely at-odds with what we know humans to be. The leads, for example, see a string of their friends and compatriots die (this is hardly a spoiler, since it is true of almost any movie with the word "dragon" OR "figher" in the title) and yet are laughing and joking just as soon as they think they've made their escape. More battles, near-death experiences and fallen-friends later, they make another escape at the end of the movie... and arrange a date. Yes, a date. It's sad when the monsters are more realistic than the people. And it makes this movie rather annoying to watch.

If you like dragons and sci-fi adventures, this is a good one for your collection. If you're a Dean Cain, fan this is one of his better "macho" roles.

The story line isn't what's important here. It's the ol' "Playing with science can lead to miracles or...MONSTERS!" theme. It doesn't matter how predictable it is -- this is roaring good fun. Fans of Dean Cain will especially enjoy him in this role as the security chief in an underground military bunker. The dragon created by military scientists playing around with cloning ends up growing to full-size, escapes, and begins to wreak havoc on the world. Will the earth and humankind survive? Grab some popcorn and enjoy the ride! Some of the special effects are terrific.

This is a low budget film but it was surprisingly good for all that. Yes some of the props look phoney but not everyone has a budget of $60m. But i enjoyed this because it stars my favourite actor DEAN CAIN. He is a talented actor so why he takes roles in low-budget movies i don't know, to pay the rent for sure. But at least it keeps him in work.
I was pleasantly surprised by Kristine Byers who co-stars.
Having said that, low-budget movies at least provide work for the many actors/actress of all nationalities. Most of the cast were Bulgarian, which was the location for the film.

Sometime in the past of England, some brave nights set out to slay a dragon. They were not very successful, but the dragon's flame set off their gunpowder and caused a cave-in that trapped the dragon.

In present day, Dean Cain is the new head of security for an underground lab facility. He arrives piloting a helicopter and bringing with him the lead scientist who is clutching a sample case. Once at the facility, Dean learns that they are, indeed, performing cloning and that the scientist has a new sample. He got it in England so you can guess what it is.

An attempt is made at cloning the new sample, it develops much more rapidly than it should and it escapes into the facility. The facility setting actually made it easier on the animators as all of the sets the creature was in looked the same and only allowed one posture. A few plot twists put a time limit on when the survivors must get out of the facility and the tension builds. The ending is typical but still fun with a few shades from other movies.

The odd part of the movie is that the new Head of Security seems to have no security clearance and everyone outranks him. He cannot open doors and much of the facility is off-limits to him. There seems to be a complete lack of security systems (although there are some lab cameras that conveniently stop working when the plot demands). This all makes the film lighter than was probably intended but does add to the entertainment value of the film.

Dragon fighter was a pretty decent flick. I personally like B-movies, and this was one of the better ones recently.

The plot - who cares? A poor man's reign of fire. By cloning some remains, russian scientists bring back a 1,000 year old dragon. Of course it runs amok. The world is in danger, and it's up to Dean Cain to come to the rescue. There you go.

The thing about this one is that it featured some really cool camera work. The cinematography was great, and made for a really cool looking movie. Whoever the director was, they should give him a try at a big budget movie. The sound was also top notch, but could have been better in the surround department. My only gripe with this DVD is that it isn't presented in Widescreen format. Other than that, it makes for a great rental.

I adore Dean Cain and will watch any movie he makes - low budget or not. This movie was better than I expected. I love the action and of course I love watching Dean Cain take charge to save the day.