Customer Reviews

Dragons - Fire & Ice

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I actually liked this movie a lot. For a direct-to-video release, it was above and beyond par and exceeded all expectations.

1) The story made sense AND was relatively interesting (gasp!--a novel concept in the world of DTV releases!)
2) They actually did a lot of cool stylization; Celtic and Oriental--you can tell they put work into it (WORK!--yet another of the many unheard of concepts when making a DTV movie!)
3) The designs of the characters and even the dragons were pretty cool with only a few minor exceptions (see! MORE work and effort! The surprises go on and on!)
4) The opening backstory wasn't just "blah, blah, blah"; they actually had put some effort into the style and so continued it in the opening--which was actually cool (they didn't even stray into the realm of cliched storybook openings!)
5) An actual PLOT TWIST (oh, it's TOO MUCH!)

Really, the only downside was that the characters didn't move so well and a few minor coreography/fighting details that even most feature films miss. All in all, I applaud the makers--this movie is good in the DTV release view. It could even hold its own among some feature films.

This was good for BOTH boys AND girls. The female main character, for once, was a real character, as opposed to a love interest. And when she fought, she actually fought as opposed to "fought sexily." And the energy between the two characters was unique and kinda sweet. Add all the wizards, explosions, troll-like villans and pretty well-done fights and you've got a decent mix. The only complaint I had was that the only other female character was dead. What of both of the main characters' mother's too?

My little brother was jabbering about this for days when he discovered that Megabloks had made a movie. I was a little skeptical at first. I thought the movie wouldn't be any good or the bad guys might be too scary for him.
Turns out, after looking all over for a movie store that had it for rent, it was a really good movie! Everyone enjoyed it, even me! The story was good, the bad guy(s) were mean and creepy, and the dragons were AWESOME!!! They were my favorite part; aside from Princess Kyra and her cool martial art skills.
I was happy that the main guy in a movie got shown up for once.
Kyra and Dev had a short fighting sequence and Kyra must've knocked the prince down at least three times!
The dragons were very cool! The wing flaps and tail movements were very realistic. The legs were realistic too, but the dragons didn't walk that much.
Anyway, it was a great movie and I'm glad I had the chance to watch it. If you like dragons, creepy wizards, and sword fights, you will love this movie!!!
Now, if only Megabloks could make their building toys as good as their movies.

My 10 year old daughter thinks this is brillant.She's a tweener who is phasing out Barbie and Bratz and has fallen in love with this toy concept.Though this animation seems to be c-grade to me I am not it's target.I don't think children care about the quality of animation,direction if the concept moves them ( my daughter cannot stand Finding Nemo).The relationship between the human prince and princess is refreshingly platonic and perfect for this age.I would reconmend this for any fantasy loving child.

While Dragons: Fire and Ice did not have the best animation it could have, the excellent storyline more than made up for it. It is rare these days to find an animated movie that has an actual plot to it. Hats off to Dragons! A movie well-worth the time of any dragon lover.

This movie has a lot of things boys like - Dragons, flying, Wizards, magic. It really has a pretty good story with twists and turns clever enough to surprise kids. The only reasons I gave it 4 rather than 5 stars is the animation of the characters could be better (like the new GI Joe movie), but some of the structures and scenes are quite beautiful. In the sequel to this movie, the directors should do more first person view shots like things flying past and almost hitting you etc. for even more excitement. Overall, a very good story.

This show Rocks! THe animation was Excellent! The directing was fantastic, and the look in very awe inspiring. Freeze frame any spot in the show, and you have a work of art.


I wish it was a TV series.

I'll cut right to the chase: This movie was bad. The animation was poor, the plot was completely predictable, the dialogue was chliched and silly, the voice acting was hilariously over-done, and the jokes weren't funny.

It was BAD... but it was also incredibly entertaining. I watched this movie without having any idea what to expect, it was on the list of Netflix recommendations and I thought "oh, I like dragons." It's not what I could call a good film, but it is fun to watch and has a certain amount of charm from the campy-ness.

If you go into it expecting it to be bad, it can be a really enjoyable movie. After all, it's cheap and keeps the kids entertained.

If, like me going in, you find yourself wondering what in the world is Dragons Fire & Ice, rest assured, there is a bit of explanation required. Apparently turning building block-inspired franchises into direct-to-DVD computer animated films has become big business these past few years. Perhaps you're familiar with the Lego inspired Bionicle film series? If not maybe you have heard of Lego Hero Factory, or Clutch Powers. Well what we have here is the same concept only rather than Legos, Mega Bloks represents the source material and, out of a seemingly limitless pool of genres to select from therein, Dragons Fire & Ice (DF&A) opts to focus on a medieval/ fantasy setting on which its tale is woven.

So just what is this tale you wonder? The back-story centers on two feuding kingdoms: Draigar and Norvagen who, apparently have been unimpressed with one another for a good thousand years and counting. It turns out that much of the conflict can be attributed to the fact that the peacekeepers of the land, the Great Dragons (with a little help from their magic gemstones) have all but fled through a portal to a dimension where foolish war-mongering humans are not an issue.

In fact the piece opens with there remaining but a single dragon on each side of the conflict and a member of royalty (Prince Dev of the Viking-like Norvagen and Princess Kyra of the feudal Draigar) setting up an offensive against the other. Playing both sides of the coin is a shady wizard with control over the element of ice named Xenoz.

On the brink of all out war between the kingdoms, an army of trolls (Vorgan) said to be in the service of a rogue dragon appears and levels the playing field in one fell swoop. In an instant, the embers of conflict that have kept the two nations at odds for a century are pushed aside for the common good: In this case survival.

If there is anything that can be said about the story-line here, it would have to be that aside from being quite original, it's rife with plot twists and turns that will keep most viewers on their toes. Considering that the film was marketed toward a fairly young-viewer demographic, I suspected plot predictability to be a factor and yet came away quite impressed with what the writers managed to accomplish here.

Visually the animation is quite stiff and limited, even back in 2004's standards. Perhaps the most accurate comparison would be to think of early computer animated television series work (such as Reboot or Max Steel). Human character models are fairly inflexible and expressionless though the creatures (the dragons especially) seem to be decently modeled. Textures are hit and miss throughout and the backgrounds, though simplistic, seem to portray an honesty reminiscent of hand-paintings at times.

Please realize however that this piece is a diamond in the rough in that the visual limitations fail to oppress what boils down to solid story-telling, impressive pacing and crafty narrative. So often with modern computer animation, one gets the impression that the filmmakers were eager to show off their technical capabilities even though they lacked a plot worthy of the endeavor. This is simply not the case with Dragons Fire & Ice. In fact, quite contrary, DF&I is that very rare work whereby a modest budget kept the visuals, casting and promotion to a minimum but the beauty of the underlying material refused to allow such limitations to hold it back.

About the only script device the film could have used a tag more of is comic relief, although in saying that I realize I would prefer a decent humor-less prose over failed attempts at humor any day. I suppose I bring the whole thing up simply because after watching such a well told tale, one gets to asking what would be different if this material had landed in the lap of say Pixar or DreamWorks (obviously aside from visual improvements). The closest answer that comes to mind is what DreamWorks accomplished with 2010's How to Train Your Dragon: Perhaps a bit more character-driven wit to accompany the otherwise well developed back-story.

In all though, this little film could very well be one of the finest indie pieces of computer generated animation you could ask for. Whereas most films of this caliber are rife with compromises, failed ambitions, and limitations, Dragons Fire & Ice is triumphant with charm and honesty. I strongly recommend this film to viewers with the capacity to overlook the visual limitations for the well-constructed tale underneath. Dragons Fire & Ice is a refreshing reminder of the art of story telling in film amidst an age of ever skyrocketing visual effects budgets.

I should also note, as this is news I only just discovered, the film was popular enough to generate a 2005 sequel called Dragons II: The Metal Ages. The first one was certainly strong enough to convince me to give this next one a go. Full review coming soon.

My kids really like this dvd. They've watched it three times since I got it the other day. I got it at Walgreens a few days ago in the dvd bin for $3.33. So if you live near a Walgreens, and you're reading this not too long after I posted it, then save yourself some cash and go get this dvd at Walgreens.