Age of the Dragons (Blu-ray Review)

8 Aug, 2012 By: John Latchem

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Arc
Fantasy
$14.99 DVD, $20.99 Blu-ray
Rated ‘PG-13’ for some violence.
Stars Danny Glover, Vinnie Jones, Corey Sevier, Larry Bagby, Kepa Kruse, Sofia Pernas, Dave Morgan.

The best thing low-budget fantasy adventure Age of the Dragons has going for it is a clever premise. Director Ryan Little and writers Gil Aglaure, Anne K. Black and McKay Daines have reconfigured Herman Melville’s classic seafaring novel Moby Dick into a medieval quest for a mythical dragon (though perhaps Moby Dragon was too obvious a title).

Danny Glover stars as Capt. Ahab, scarred as a youth by the great white dragon that killed his sister. Ahab and his crew roam the lands hunting dragons for their vitriol, the magical liquid that lets them breathe fire and is a valuable power source for the local villages. The newest recruits are harpooners Ishmael (Corey Sevier) and Queequeg (Kepa Kruse).

Vinnie Jones pops up as the wisecracking Stubb, and the writers have given Ahab a beautiful sidekick (Sofia Pernas) to serve as a love interest for Ishmael and keep the film from overflowing with testosterone. Aside from Glover and Jones, the crew seems plucked from central casting for an MTV reality show.

The premise lends the film a certain goofball charm, as characters occasionally spout dialogue straight from the original novel. With the setting shifting primarily to land, the Pequod has been reimagined as a large tank-like vehicle shaped like a boat, slowly rolling through the landscape in search of dragons (perhaps a mystical dirigible searching the skies would have been more appropriate).

At 92 minutes, Age of the Dragons is mercifully short, and the CGI, while slightly rudimentary, is better than expected. The Blu-ray includes an outtakes reel and featurettes about the visual effects and the making of the film.   
 

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