In honor of Raya and the Last Dragon being released this weekend, the SiftPop crew is counting down our favorite movies featuring a dragon. Let us know @SiftPop what your ranking is!
Reign of Fire is an underrated gem that deserves to be seen much more than it has been. 10 years after dragons are accidentally discovered and awakened, the earth is barren and charred; survivors spend their days scurrying like rats in the wreckage; children recite nursery rhymes that always end with “keep both eyes on the sky.” Christian Bale oversees a group of survivors in England — their life of scavenging is interrupted by Matthew McConaughey’s band of dragon-slayers from America (USA! USA!). Bale is typical here — solid and stoic — but this movie is really McConaughey’s: he is bald, bearded, and ripped like the Spartans from 300, glowering at everyone, and chewing through scenery like it is going out of style. Once the Americans arrive, Reign’s tone changes; it morphs from a post-apocalyptic film into a movie of obsession, and how far someone will go to complete a mission. This is not 90 minutes of humans-vs-dragons that the trailer promised us it would be — it is a much quieter survival film with moments of action, like The Walking Dead crossed with Moby Dick… except now the white whale is black, it flies, and it spits drooling jets of fire. And while the majority of special effects from 2002 do not hold up today, Reign’s effects still looks great! Wisely keeping the great beastie out of clear view until near the end of the film (one exception being a convoy attack at night that is just epic), the filmmakers made the best use of their effects budget, and every dollar shows. This is one of the best dragons even put to screen: tough, scary, and just plain mean, and I am confident it would dominate just about every one of the winged lizards making up the rest of the BEC this week! (Donald Skidmore)
Not gonna lie, folks, I had never heard of the movie Dragonslayer prior to this week, and boy do I wish I had. Peter MacNicol (possibly best known as “The Mad Hatter” in the Arkham games) plays a sorcerer’s apprentice who, after his master is killed, decides to join the villagers who asked for their help in slaying a dragon. The special effects in this movie are amazing for when this film was released (1981), and the story is beautifully well done and feels ripped straight from a fantasy story or a game of Dungeons and Dragons (though I might now have an idea for a character). The mystical aspect of this film is beautiful, as character motivations feel organic and fitting in the film as you see the development of Galen (MacNicol), Valerian (Caitlin Clarke), and their band as they work to stop the dragon their kingdom has been sacrificing civilians to. While this film may have lost the Oscar for Best Visual Effects to Raiders of the Lost Ark, it will easily win you over. (Joseph Davis)
As a fan of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, I was excited when The Hobbit came to the big screen. We still have the killer fight scenes, elves, dwarves, and orcs, lengthy running times, and “my precious.” Yes, those are the ingredients for a fantasy saga, but there’s one more thing: the monstrous dragon Smaug (voiced and motion captured by Benedict Cumberbatch). We only catch a glimpse of Smaug at the end of An Expected Journey but his grand entrance is in the third act of The Desolation of Smaug, going toe to toe with Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman). The dragon is massive and terrifying with his booming, chilling voice, thanks to Cumberbatch, which makes the hairs on the back of your neck stick up, and his voice bellows and echoes throughout the walls of the Lonely Mountain. Those are some of my favorite scenes because of how tense they are; you don’t know what to expect next. I don’t know how Freeman was able to be petrified when all he had were tennis balls to stare at, but I guess that’s what you call acting. Sadly, Smaug meets his end at the beginning of The Battle of Five Armies. Watching him shine in the DoS, only to watch him fall in BotFA felt anti-climatic — his reign of terror was short-lived, but it was worth the ride. (Chantal Ashford)
Although we had seen Amy Adams before as a guest star on major shows like Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Charmed and in movies like Catch Me If You Can, this was the film that threw her directly into the spotlight — and aren’t we all the better for it. Following Giselle as she’s propelled from a perfect animated Disney world into the stark reality of actual New York, we are brought on her journey of self discovery and fulfillment as the question is asked: what about after Happily Ever After? It’s a movie that is oh so very wholesome and brings warmth to your heart while also being an interesting exploration into the fairytale tropes that we had seldom questioned before. Full of fun music, magnetic characters and dazzling set pieces, Enchanted is truly a Disney classic. Not to mention that seeing what is essentially Maleficent’s dragon form realized in reality for the first time gave us an inkling of what amazing effects Disney had in store for us in the future, almost 14 years before. (Alice Micheli)
I think we all love it when a movie sequel is better than the original, and Shrek 2 is very much one of the films that I think is better than its predecessor. After returning from their honeymoon, Shrek and Fiona have received an invitation to come to Far Far Away, where Fiona’s parents are the king and queen and want to congratulate them on their marriage. The first thing I want to say is that I’ve always loved how the universe in Shrek takes the classic fairytale stories we’ve always known and brings its own spin to it. For example, there’s a pub that all the villains hang out in called The Poison Apple — in this scene you can spot multiple villains from classic fairytales, it’s a fun little detail that fans of classic fairytales will appreciate. I should also mention how much better the chemistry mixes in here between the main cast. The sequel also features more talented actors like Antonio Banderas as the iconic Puss in Boots with Julie Andrews and John Cleese playing the queen and king. I keep trying to think what I don’t like about this movie and I honestly can’t think of a single thing. I think Shrek 2 is very much worth your time. (Alex Henderson)
Pixar has always kept us enchanted with their heartwarming journeys through various walks of life. Onward kicks up the enchantment factor and raises you some ethereal urban fantasy for good measure. The tale of two Elven brothers who simply want to bring their late dad back, to spend one day with him. Ian (Tom Holland) has never had the pleasure of meeting his father and has always had to rely on hearsay in order to get information about the man his father was. So when granted the opportunity to bring him back for a single day, this is monumental for him. His brother Barley (Chris Pratt) wants Ian to have that experience, but also would relish the opportunity to see his father one last time. Both brothers come to realize that they have formed a close bond of their own and they have been taking care of one another, filling that void that they thought was completely empty. The urban fantasy backdrop is beautifully realized and full of fantasy tropes that are a lot of fun to point out. Onward is a funny, warm, and overall touching tale of two brothers going on the trip of a lifetime. (Joe Vargas)
Were you part of the Harry Potter mania throughout the 2000s? I remember running out to Walmart on release day, picking up my copy of the last book, and going home to polish it off in two to three days. The connection to our generation sparked more magic than any army of wizards could muster. But the phenomenon had to end… and boy did it end with a bang. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 was the eighth and final entry in this mega-successful franchise. From the opening sequence where our heroes escape the most magical bank in cinema on the back of a giant dragon, we knew we were in for one final and majestic ride. We cheered, we cried, we smiled from ear to ear, but we loved every moment. Is this one of the greatest finales in the history of film? Without a doubt and we will love it… always. (Shane Conto)
DreamWorks’ fantasy trilogy is one of the best of recent vintage, with a charming first entry and satisfying conclusion — and even some entertaining TV entries — but the sequel soars above them all. It does everything you want from a sequel. The animation, which was great in the original, looks breathtaking. Both the characters and the society of Berk that were introduced in the first film developed in the intervening time in ways that made sense. And you want dragons? Have all of the dragons. The sequel takes the handful of dragon types introduced in the first film and expands that exponentially, each more breathtaking than the last. Even as things expand, though, the relationship between Hiccup and Toothless at the heart of the franchise never loses its power. No film has portrayed the fantasy of riding a dragon with quite the same sense of majesty and wonder. (Jake Bourgeois)
When one thinks of all the films to host a creature as magnificent as a dragon, one may forget to think of 1998’s Mulan, and that may be for good reason. Mushu is by no means the most dragon-like of all the dragons featured on this list and you may argue against his inclusion at all as he is basically a glorified lizard, but what is a dragon if not just a glorified lizard? Mushu is perhaps one of the dragons that ends up having the most personality of all dragons put to film, and we of course owe all of that to the magic of Eddie Murphy. Mushu is Murphy in an animated dragon form — fast-talking, quick witted, and all around hilarious, he carved out a legacy acting as one of cinema’s smallest dragons. So much so that when Mushu was not a part of the live action 2020 film, his absence truly was missed. Overall, Mulan is an incredible Disney film that broke down a lot of barriers surrounding the idea of the “Disney Princess Movie.” Mulan as a character was a hero to young girls everywhere and the movie served as a fantastic opportunity for Disney to begin expanding their representation in their blockbuster animated films. This movie is packed with some incredible voice talents, some fun and earwormy songs, and it also tackles some extremely tough subject matter in a meaningful way. Mulan is a fun and well-rounded Disney flick and Mushu definitely deserves to be remembered as one of the premier dragons ever put to screen. (Nashua Doll)
What is there to say about Hayao Miyazaki that has not been said many times before? Especially when talking about Spirited Away, a film that is so good the Academy Awards gave it Best Animated Feature over Lilo & Stitch, Ice Age, and many more. Spirited Away is Miyazaki’s best film, without a doubt. Is it my favorite? No, but it is one of my favorites from him. The film only gets weirder and wilder from its start, combining both humor and drama to a fine degree. It is a marvel of a film and every time I rewatch it, I become more in awe of its sheer beauty and risk-taking ideas, and you will only find that through Miyazaki’s impeccable direction. It is about finding your purpose in life and becoming lost in your imagination. Even 20 years later, the animation holds up wonderfully, at times out-ranking some of the recent flicks in the genre. Miyazaki has created a bold and unique artistic vision with this film — one that has so many imaginary ideas being thrown at the wall and they all stick. If there is one movie I would consider perfect, it would be Hayao Miyazaki’s masterpiece, Spirited Away! (John Bizub)
DragonHeart
Believe it or not, DragonHeart actually isn’t on my list of shame (all those that were on this list got claimed), but seeing how I have not seen it before, I decided to roll initiative and check out this film starring Dennis Quaid and Sean Connery that spawned four straight to video films in the series. While the animation of Draco (Connery) and some of the other special effects feel very much outdated, this movie did well enough on its charisma check because it is honestly a fun movie to watch. Much like the bard, it has a compelling story, with Draco losing faith in himself, his place in the afterlife, and in humanity after giving a portion of his heart to a prince who becomes as tyrannical as his predecessor, only to fight to defeat him alongside a man who has sworn to destroy dragons, thinking they corrupted the prince. This movie also brings together the pairing of David Thewlis and Jason Isaacs, both of whom would later appear in the Harry Potter series and who form quite the chaotic evil duo here, along with the great acting prowess of Pete Postlethwaite, OBE, playing a monk who travels alongside Bowen (Quaid) as the latter displays his proficiencies in athletics, acrobatics and deception. While it admittedly does have its drawbacks, the concept and the mysticism of dragons and King Arthur in this film is enough to make me say it deserves its place as a cult classic. (Joseph Davis)
Transformers: The Last Knight
Second Chance Frank here. Here at SiftPop, we like to put a positive spin on all movies. ALL MOVIES. So here I am for the best movies with a dragon. Transformers: The Last Knight has a dragon. If you really love dragons and long movies with lots of explosions and visual effects made by a director who will literally put his cast and crew’s life on the line, then boy do I have the movie for you. Transformers: The Last Knight is 149 Minutes long and is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for violence and intense sequences of sci-fi action, language, and some innuendo. (Frank Kemp)
Also See: Pete’s Dragon, Maleficent, Beowulf, The Neverending Story, Willow, Sleeping Beauty, Eragon