Product: Dragonheart: A New Beginning (2000)
Rating: 3.0
Dragonheart Returns... After a Fashion
This straight-to-video sequel to the 1996 fantasy flick, Dragonheart, centers around a young stableboy named Geoff who has aspirations to become a knight, and Drake, the young dragon that he finds hidden in the basement of a local monestary. How could there be another dragon, one might wonder, since Draco from the original was supposed to be the last? Well, the opening tries to explain this by dismissing it as a miracle - which is probably one of the laziest possible explanations you might ever hear. As the audience, you're supposed to take it for granted.Speaking of the audience, A New Beginning is decidedly targeted more closely on children than adults - though there are sufficient swordfights, battle situations, and special effects to appeal to many fans of the original as well. Granted, children are going to get more from it than most adults, it's safe to assume, but there are some interesting plot twists (quite amazingly) that make it worthwhile to fantasy fans in general (those who aren't all that picky, I mean). The plot is not the most original or compelling, I hasten to add - it basically consists of a bad guy who wants Drake's heart - but the fact that anything unexpected takes place at all is a virtue here. And the climax is more fulfilling than it has a right to be.Don't expect the production values from the original, however. The CGI dragon from the original recalled the dinosaurs from Jurrassic Park with its nearly flawless animation and sense of being-there, but that was Draco, and this is Drake... Drake's animation and texturing is quite good, but hard to compare to the work done in the original Dragonheart. Drake is also considerably smaller than Draco, even though it certainly seems as if he's full grown. In design, though, he is Draco's identical twin.But it's not just the CGI that suffers from lower production costs. The sets and costumes and pretty much everything else has a decidedly more low-budget flavor. However, for a straight-to-video release, it's not all that unimpressive. It's just that being a sequel to Dragonheart openly invites comparions to the original, and the original was given the full Hollywood treatment with very few expenses spared. Yet, all in all, Dragonheart: A New Beginning is a nice little fantasy production (especially if you're a child) that might deserve a look.