View source for Reign of Fire (film)

{{Short description|2002 post-apocalyptic science fantasy film by Rob Bowman}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{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]]
* [[Gary Barber]]
* [[Roger Birnbaum]]
}}
| writer         = 
| screenplay     = {{Plainlist|
* Gregg Chabot
* Kevin Peterka
* [[Matt Greenberg]]
}}
| story          = {{Plainlist|
* Gregg Chabot
* Kevin Peterka
}}
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Matthew McConaughey]]
* [[Christian Bale]]
* [[Izabella Scorupco]]
* [[Gerard Butler]]
}}
| music          = [[Edward Shearmur]]
| cinematography = [[Adrian Biddle]]
| editing        = {{Plainlist|
* Declan McGrath
* [[Thom Noble]]
}}
| studio         = {{Plainlist|
* [[Touchstone Pictures]]
* [[Spyglass Entertainment]]
* [[The Zanuck Company]]
}}
| distributor    = [[Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures|Buena Vista Pictures Distribution]]
| released       = {{Film date|2002|07|12|df=y}}
| runtime        = 102 minutes<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/reign-fire-2002 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140512232806/http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/reign-fire-2002 |url-status=dead |archive-date=12 May 2014 |title=Reign of Fire |publisher=BBFC.co.uk |access-date=2017-04-22}}</ref>
| country        = United States<ref name="allmovie">{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/reign-of-fire-am17741 |title=Reign of Fire (2002) - Rob Bowman {{!}} Synopsis, Movie Info, Moods, Themes and Related {{!}} AllMovie |language=en |access-date=2025-05-05 |via=www.allmovie.com}}</ref> 
| 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 American<ref name="allmovie"/> [[Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction|post-apocalyptic]] [[science fantasy]] film directed by [[Rob Bowman (director)|Rob Bowman]] and starring [[Matthew McConaughey]], [[Christian Bale]], [[Izabella Scorupco]] and [[Gerard Butler]] with the screenplay written by [[Matt Greenberg]], Gregg Chabot, and Kevin Peterka.

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--> eighteen years after a [[London Underground]] tunnelling project 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 [[Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures|Buena Vista Pictures]] through the [[Touchstone Pictures]] label on 12 July 2002. Upon release, it received mixed-to-negative reviews from critics and [[box office bomb|underperformed at the box office]], grossing $82.2&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==
In 2002, young Quinn Abercromby is visiting a London Underground construction project. Construction workers penetrate a cave and a [[European dragon|dragon]] emerges from [[hibernation]], incinerating the workers with its fire breath. The only survivor is Quinn, whose mother Karen, the project engineer, dies protecting him. The dragon flies out of the Underground and soon more dragons appear. The world's militaries fail to stop the spread of the dragon population and target large populated areas with [[nuclear weapon]]s, leaving humans [[Endangered species|nearly extinct]].

18 years later, in 2020, the dragons are dying off but have become increasingly aggressive in search of food. Quinn, along with his best friend Creedy, leads a community of survivors at [[Bamburgh Castle]], [[Northumberland]] where he plans to outlast dragons until they return into hibernation; as insurance, he shares his notes and plans with Jared, an orphan he rescued and is mentoring to take over as community leader. The community is short on supplies, causing unrest pending the harvest of their meager crops. Eddie and some of his followers steal a truck to harvest the crops for food but are attacked by a dragon. Quinn, Creedy, and Jared repel the dragon, which burns most of the crops, leaving the community without food.

A group of heavily armed [[Americans]] led by Denton Van Zan then arrive in an armored convoy. Quinn is initially sceptical and suspects they are marauders, but Van Zan convinces him to let them stay when he reveals the dragons' main weakness: poor vision during [[twilight]]. With Quinn's help, Van Zan and his team slay the dragon who destroyed the crops.

Van Zan introduces Quinn to Alex Jensen, his team's helicopter pilot and intelligence officer, and briefs Quinn on their mission. After killing hundreds of dragons, Alex discovered they were all female; she postulates that they reproduce quickly because the species relies on a single male to fertilize all the eggs en masse. Having tracked the spread of the dragons, they believe that the male is in London and that if they kill it, the dragons will no longer be able to reproduce, effectively eradicating the species. Quinn, suspecting that the male dragon is the same one that killed his mother, refuses to help, knowing that London is infested with dragons and that if they fail, the dragons will track them back to their shelter.

Van Zan drafts the castle defenders, despite Quinn's objections. Van Zan, Alex, and some of the castle's men then depart for London, but true to Quinn's warnings, their caravan is attacked by the male dragon. Everyone except for Van Zan and Alex are killed. The dragon then finds the castle and attacks, killing many of its inhabitants. Quinn gets the survivors to an underground [[bunker]], but they are trapped by rubble when the dragon returns; during this attack, Creedy is killed.

Van Zan and Alex 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. They fly to London and find hundreds of female dragons; one is cannibalized by the much larger male out of hunger. This scatters the female dragons and leaves the male alone. Van Zan coordinates a plan: split up, bait the male into attacking, ground him with explosive crossbow bolts, and shoot one into his mouth once he is ground level. The plan initially works, but the dragon detonates the first explosive bolt early with its fire breath and Van Zan is swallowed whole. Quinn and Alex gather the last explosives and lure the dragon to ground level, where Quinn fires an explosive down the dragon's throat, killing it.

Three months later, Quinn and Alex erect a [[Radio masts and towers|radio tower]] on a hill overlooking the [[North Sea]], having seen no dragons since the battle in London. Jared arrives and reveals they have contact with [[French people|French]] survivors who want to speak to the group's leader. Quinn declares Jared the new community leader and dedicates himself to rebuilding civilization with Alex.

==Cast==
{{Cast listing|
* [[Matthew McConaughey]] as Denton Van Zan
* [[Christian Bale]] as Quinn Abercromby
** Ben Thornton as Young Quinn
* [[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 |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/scripts/reign-of-fire-2002.pdf |website=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 not be damaged, and the crew removed all sets once filming was complete.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2001-02-27 |title='Reign of Fire' takes over park |url=https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/reign-of-fire-takes-over-park/26098111.html |access-date=2024-11-19 |website=Irish Independent |language=en}}</ref> 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 book|last1=Petti|first1=Ernest J|last2=Thompson|first2=Thomas V II|last3=Lusinsky|first3=Adolph|last4=Driskill|first4=Hank|title=ACM SIGGRAPH 2002 conference abstracts and applications |chapter=Dragon scales: The evolution of scale tool for ''Reign of Fire'' |date=2002|page=172|doi=10.1145/1242073.1242185|publisher=ACM|isbn=1581135254 |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 (2000 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 book|last1=Gonzalez-Ochoa|first1=Carlos|last2=Eberle|first2=David|last3=Dressel|first3=Rob|title=ACM SIGGRAPH 2002 conference abstracts and applications |chapter=Dynamic simulation of wing motion on "Reign of Fire" |date=2002|page=174|doi=10.1145/1242073.1242187|publisher=ACM|isbn=978-1-58113-525-1|s2cid=12852396}}</ref>

[[Alexander Siddig]] claimed in a 2015 [[The A.V. Club|''A.V. Club'']] interview that Matthew McConaughey insisted upon being referred to by his character's name on and off set, throughout production.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Alexander Siddig on being Bashir, quitting 24, and getting saddle-sore for Ridley Scott |url=https://www.avclub.com/alexander-siddig-on-being-bashir-quitting-24-and-gett-1798282506 |access-date=2025-05-05 |website=AV Club |language=en-US}}</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==

=== Box office ===
''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 |author=Brandon Gray |date=July 15, 2002 |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>

=== Critical response ===
On [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film has an approval rating of 41% based on 172 reviews, with an average rating of 6.4/10. 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= 6 March 2025 }}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], it has a 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]]  |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]]'' gave the film a B grade, saying "the season could do with more grinning, spinning, un-self-important, happy-to-be-B throwback movies like this one."<ref>{{cite magazine |last= Schwarzbaum |first= Lisa |title= Reign of Fire |url= https://ew.com/article/2002/07/10/reign-fire-2/ |magazine= [[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]] gave the film one star out of four, describing it 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>

=== Awards and nominations ===
''Reign of Fire'' was nominated for one [[Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Film|Saturn Award]] (but lost to ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers]]'') and two [[Sitges Film Festival]] awards, winning one.<ref name=":0">{{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
!Ref.
|-
| Saturn Awards 
| [[Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Film|Best Fantasy Film]]
| {{Nominated}}
|<ref name=":0" />
|- 
|rowspan=2| Sitges Film Festival Awards 
| Best Visual Effects
| {{Won}}
|<ref name="sitges">{{Cite web |url=http://sitgesfilmfestival.com/eng/arxiu/2002 |title=Sitges 2002 Awards |access-date=26 April 2019 |archive-date=26 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190426103429/https://sitgesfilmfestival.com/eng/arxiu/2002  }}</ref>
|-
| Best Film
| {{Nominated}}
|<ref name="sitges" />
|}

==Video game==
In 2002, [[Kuju Entertainment]] released the [[video game]] adaptation ''[[Reign of Fire (video game)|Reign of Fire]]'' for all major [[sixth generation of video game consoles|sixth generation]] platforms.  All versions received mixed reviews, much like the film it was based on.<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>

==Cancelled 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> However, due to the film underperforming at the box office, no development on a sequel has been spoken of since. Twenty years later, Bale joked that a sequel would be made "for ''[[Dexerto]]''<nowiki/>'s eyes only."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-01-05 |title=Christian Bale promises to make a Reign of Fire sequel (just for us) |url=https://www.dexerto.com/tv-movies/christian-bale-promises-to-make-a-reign-of-fire-sequel-just-for-us-1999816/ |access-date=2024-12-13 |website=Dexerto |language=en}}</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 [[Viper (snake)|vipers]], was used in later works such as ''[[Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)|Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire]]'', ''[[Gods of Egypt (film)|Gods of Egypt]]'', and ''[[Game of Thrones]]''.<ref>Frederick Blichert, 2017, [https://www.vice.com/en/article/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|https://web.archive.org/web/20020905062804/http://bventertainment.go.com/movies/reignoffire/index.html}}
* {{IMDb title|253556|Reign of Fire}}
* {{mojo title|reignoffire|Reign of Fire}}

{{Rob Bowman}}

[[Category:2002 films]]
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[[Category:Films scored by Edward Shearmur]]
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[[Category:American survival films]]
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