MovieChat Forums > Dragonslayer (1981) Discussion > A real gem of a film fantasy - worthy o...

A real gem of a film fantasy - worthy of a remake?

posted 20 years ago by gerardx
76 replies | jump to latest

Dragaonslayer was a bomb commercially as we know, as early 80's audiences were a very fickle bunch, spoiled by the likes of "The Empire Strikes Back" and bored to death by the sword and sorcery films like "The Lord of the Rings" (1978).

I remember reading in an magazine (maybe American Cinematographer) that Dragonslayer suffered from some poor release prints. The prints were very dark (possibly timed this way to hide some hideous matte lines courtesy of ILM.) There were reports of viewers complaining to the theater managers that they could not see - especially in the dragons lair and the final battle sequence.

Still, the film endures as a cult classic mostly because of the astounding go-motion effects and full size dragon model photography. In addition, the film hits on some very interesting themes, especially the sub-plot related to the rise of Christianity and the death of the "dark arts" - dragons and sorcerers.

I think the film is worthy of a re-make. What would you want to see changed, added or removed altogether from the original story?

[–] sirlordcoake 19 years ago

Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal, Dragonslayer... perhaps a few others. They all came out of the same time in my childhood, and I remember them very well and fondly. They are some of my favorites, and are classics in the fantasy genre. I would shudder to hear of a remake... These were plenty good for their time and I wouldn't change them a bit.

[–] neptune_metal_reviews 19 years ago

This film is excellent, and has stood the test of time the last 25 years, and there is no need of a remake (that would likely suck anyways).

[–] sicher-nicht 19 years ago

Most of them had special puppet effects from jim henson and he is unfortunately dead. IMO jim hensons puppets always gave movies a very special look and feel ..

[–] johnericbackstrom 19 years ago

Didn't he do the Alien queen? The T-rex from Jurassic park is my favvo special effect thou

[–] robalmighty 19 years ago

I say yes to a remake. The original will still be there. I think a prequel would be cool. If it ended up being great, that's awesome. Another great dragon/fantasy movie. If it ended up sucking you could always put in Dragonslayer and let the good times roll. Nothing to lose.

I'm the dude...so that's what you call me, you know?

[–] 19 years ago

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[–] GunsGirlsCars 19 years ago

Yes, I could see it now.....Blonde-Blue-eyed-Genchy-Big-Boob-Skinny-Dipping-Sword-Swinging-Spear-Throwing-Political-Proper-Babes remake!
Better yet....hope P. Jackson does the remake and make everything Blue eyed and proper!

[–] 19 years ago

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[–] nosnojsirhc 18 years ago

If THIS is a real gem, I've got some jewels to sell. Two of them, actually. Takers?

[–] GunsGirlsCars 17 years ago

Hey...just drop in to see where this thread went.
Yes. P Jackson sucks.
Remember....he did The Freightners somewhere in New Zealand b4 LOTR, than...King Kong?
I should investigate this, but, I'll live with it.
E-O....it's my time to die

[–] bijou-2 17 years ago

This film was a box office flop in 1982. Everyone thought it was lame sh*t. It saw it on a big screen in Dolby Stereo and it was lame sh*t.

Should it be remade. NO! It is lame s....

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] ceedum7877 17 years ago

The original is just fine, thank you very much. However I think the film needs to be digitally remastered. Redo the matte outlines to make them sharp and make some of the overly dark scenes brighter.

If only this film was given the same treatment that Blade Runner is getting -all over again!

[–] ohauss 17 years ago

Thanks, but no thanks. A "modern" remake would strip bare the story of any and all mythological characteristics and "improve" on it for the sake of cash-milking by letting the wizard debate for hours and hours whether he should really do this (They'll call it making the character more human and realistic) and give the princess some armor and a sword and have her go and fight the dragon instead of rigging the lottery. And the "if the dragons go, the wizards have to go as well" dualism will be deemed to philosophical and complicated for the audience.

Alas, I'm afraid, the time for stories such as this seems to be over. PJ showed very well that in order to "succeed", you just need a thin veneer and bombastic imagery. I can live without such successes.

[–] go_titans 17 years ago

i sort of agree, although i still think there are directors with class out there who still have the ability to capture the public's imagination.

peter jackson did a stunning job with lotr, so let's have someone new come along and do a fab wizards v dragons movie! i'm sure it can still be compelling.

while i love dragonslayer, i have to admit that the choice of hero did not do it any favours. he's not the type of actor that will grab audiences and drag them into the cinema.

imagine russell crowe doing a dnd film. whether you like him or not is imaterial. he would bring people into the cinemas in droves, and together with a great script, dark mood to the film and fabulous sfx, a wizard and dragon fantasy movie with crowe would surely be a winner!

[–] ohauss 17 years ago

I disagree, most importantly because Peter Jackson didn't do a stunning job with LotR at all -especially not compared to Dragonslayer. Jackson transformed a story with similar mythological heft into a standard fantasy trope. He even said so, referring to LotR as a "fantasy advanture story" and completely missing it was written by someone specializing in Beowulf and other early medieval epics.

[–] go_titans 17 years ago

hmm, you're the third person i've come across now that didn't like lotr.

i'd quote the number of people i've met who love it, but my fingers would get tired typing in all the digits.

[–] ohauss 17 years ago

So? You mean because plenty of people have no more than superficial acquaintance with Tolkien's writings, that makes a movie somehow a better adaptation?

[–] jbruggs88 16 years ago

No, not a remake. Mabye a sequal, but even then it would be so hard to do. On the plus side if it was to happen at least there is the chance that the hero won't be such a puss. And by that I mean the actor himself, no the character. I just didn't think Peter MacNicol was the best choice. But hey, opinions vary.

[–] magic8ball2112 16 years ago

A remake of Dragonslayer is as good an idea as a remake of The Rocky Horror Picture Show: BAD!!!!

[–] Vaderules 16 years ago

People are looking at this movie through rose-colored, nostalgic glasses. I grew up in the 80s, but just saw this movie for the first time. It has a lot going for it, but a remake with a more epic feel would do wonders for it, and could be a hit. Hell, you could even bring the awesome Ian McDiarmid back to play the same role.

Then again, I'm not an anti-CGI guy. I think many films have worked wonders with new technology.

How about somebody like Guillermo Del Tero, who likes to use a mix of puppetry and CGI, and doesn't skimp on the heavy themes and gets good performances from his actors.

Under the right supervision, I say bring on a remake.

Just don't cast a bunch of Orange County-looking actors.

[–] solar_tide 15 years ago

My problem with most (nearly all) remakes is that the remakes usually show VERY LITTLE respect towards the original properties and those involved. Studios throw piles and piles of money at the remake for updated CGI (read:boring and synthetic) FX and then cast BIG NAME ACTORS (who don't fit the parts, they just sell tickets, or so studio heads think) in a vain attempt to recoup their losses.

Also, in this day and age, a remake of a movie such as Dragonslayer would be pathetic, as Dragonslayer was rated PG back in 1981. In today's overly-sensitive climate, it would have a PG-13 rating while being twice as tame. Hell, certain movies that were rated PG in the early 80's would get an R rating now.

This movie has achieved cult status, I say leave it alone. No, wait ... I ORDER YOU TO LEAVE IT ALONE!

But hey, that's just my opinion.

Short in stature, tall in power, wide of vision, and narrow of purpose.