''Dragonslayer'' is a 1981 American

dark Darkness is the condition resulting from a lack of illumination, or an absence of visible light. Human vision is unable to distinguish colors in conditions of very low luminance because the hue-sensitive photoreceptor cells on the retina are ...

fantasy film Fantasy films are films that belong to the fantasy genre with fantastic themes, usually Magic (paranormal), magic, supernatural events, mythology, folklore, or exotic fantasy worlds. The Film genre, genre is considered a form of speculative fic ...

directed by Matthew Robbins from a screenplay he co-wrote with Hal Barwood. It stars

Peter MacNicol Peter MacNicol (born April 10, 1954) is an American actor. He received a Theatre World Award for his 1981 Broadway debut in the play '' Crimes of the Heart''. His film roles include Galen in '' Dragonslayer'' (1981), Stingo in '' Sophie's Choic ...

Ralph Richardson Sir Ralph David Richardson (19 December 1902 – 10 October 1983) was an English actor who, with John Gielgud and Laurence Olivier, was one of the trinity of male actors who dominated the British stage for much of the 20th century. He wo ...

John Hallam John William Francis Hallam (28 October 1941 – 14 November 2006) was a character actor from Northern Ireland, who frequently played hard men or military types. Early life John Hallam was born, the son of a superintendent at the Port o ...

, and Caitlin Clarke. It was a co-production between

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

and

Walt Disney Productions The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...

, where Paramount handled North American distribution and Disney handled international distribution through

Buena Vista International Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures is an American film distributor within the Disney Entertainment division of the Walt Disney Company. It handles theatrical and occasional digital distribution, marketing, and promotion for films produced and ...

. The story is set in a fictional

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

kingdom where a young wizard encounters challenges as he hunts a

dragon A dragon is a Magic (supernatural), magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but European dragon, dragons in Western cultures since the Hi ...

, Vermithrax Pejorative. It is the second joint production between Paramount and Disney, after ''

Popeye Popeye the Sailor Man is a fictional cartoon character created by E. C. Segar, Elzie Crisler Segar.PG in the U.S. Like '' The Black Hole'' (1979), the version of the film broadcast on the

Disney Channel Disney Channel is an American pay television television channel, channel that serves as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Company ...

was edited to remove two scenes. The

special effect Special effects (often abbreviated as F/X or simply FX) are illusions or visual tricks used in the theatre, film, television, video game, amusement park and simulator industries to simulate the fictional events in a story or virtual world. ...

s were created at

Industrial Light and Magic Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) is an American Film, motion picture visual effects, computer animation and stereo conversion digital studio founded by George Lucas on May 26, 1975. It is a division of the film production company Lucasfilm, which Lu ...

, the first use of ILM outside of a

Lucasfilm Lucasfilm Ltd. LLC is an American film and television production company founded by filmmaker George Lucas in December 10, 1971 in San Rafael, California, and later moved to San Francisco in 2005. It is best known for creating and producing th ...

production.

Phil Tippett Phil Tippett (born September 27, 1951) is an American film director and visual effects supervisor and producer, who specializes in creature design, stop-motion and computerized character animation. Over his career, he has assisted ILM and Drea ...

had co-developed an animation technique there for ''

The Empire Strikes Back ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back'') is a 1980 American epic film, epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner from a screenplay by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, based o ...

'' (1980) called

go motion Go motion is a variation of stop motion animation which incorporates motion blur into each frame involving motion. It was co-developed by Industrial Light & Magic and Phil Tippett. Stop motion animation can create a distinctive and disorienting sta ...

, a variation on

stop motion Stop-motion (also known as stop frame animation) is an animated filmmaking and special effects technique in which objects are physically manipulated in small increments between individually photographed frames so that they will appear to exh ...

. This led to the film's nomination for the

Academy Award for Best Visual Effects The Academy Award for Best Visual Effects is presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) for the best achievement in visual effects. It has been handed to four members of the team directly responsible for creatin ...

, but it lost to ''

Raiders of the Lost Ark ''Raiders of the Lost Ark'' is a 1981 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Lawrence Kasdan, based on a story by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman. Set in 1936, the film stars Harrison Ford as Indiana ...

'', the only other visual effects nominee that year, whose special effects were also provided by ILM. Including the hydraulic model, the dragon consists of 16 puppets dedicated to flying, crawling, or breathing fire. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, but it performed poorly at the box office, grossing $14.1 million worldwide against a production budget of $18 million. It was nominated for the

Academy Award for Best Original Score The Academy Award for Best Original Score is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by ...

, which went to ''

Chariots of Fire ''Chariots of Fire'' is a 1981 historical drama, historical Sports film, sports drama film directed by Hugh Hudson, written by Colin Welland and produced by David Puttnam. It is based on the true story of two British athletes in the 1924 Summer ...

''. It was nominated for a

Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation The Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation is given each year for theatrical films, television episodes, or other dramatized works related to science fiction or fantasy released in the previous calendar year. Originally the award covered both ...

, again given to ''Raiders of the Lost Ark''. On October 21, 2003, ''Dragonslayer'' was released on DVD in the U.S. by

Paramount Home Entertainment Paramount Home Entertainment (formerly Paramount Home Media Distribution, originally Paramount Home Video, and operating as the namesake film studio since 2022) is the home video distribution arm of Paramount Pictures. The division oversees Para ...

. The film was re-released in remastered format on Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD on March 21, 2023, in the U.S. by Paramount Home Entertainment.

Plot

Urland, a sixth-century kingdom near the River Ur, is being terrorized by Vermithrax Pejorative, a 400-year-old

.Fingeroth, Danny, 1981, The Making of Dragonslayer in Dragonslayer - The Official Marvel Comics Adaptation of the Spectacular Paramount/Disney Motion Picture, Marvel Super Special, 1, 20, Marvel Comics Group, 1981 To appease Vermithrax, King Casiodorus offers it

virgin Virginity is a social construct that denotes the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. As it is not an objective term with an operational definition, social definitions of what constitutes virginity, or the lack thereof ...

girls selected by lottery twice a year. An expedition led by Valerian, a young man, seeks help from the last

sorcerer Sorcerer may refer to: Magic * Sorcerer (supernatural), a practitioner of magic that derives from supernatural or occult sources * Sorcerer (fantasy), a fictional character who uses or practices magic that derives from supernatural or occult sou ...

, Ulrich of Cragganmore. Tyrian, the captain of Casiodorus's Royal Guard, and his lieutenant Jerbul intimidate Ulrich, doubtful of his abilities. Ulrich invites Tyrian to stab him to prove his magical powers. Tyrian complies and Ulrich dies. Ulrich's elderly servant Hodge cremates the wizard's body and places the ashes in a leather pouch. Ulrich's young

apprentice Apprenticeship is a system for training a potential new practitioners of a Tradesman, trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study. Apprenticeships may also enable practitioners to gain a license to practice in ...

Galen Bradwarden is selected by the wizard's magical amulet as its next owner; encouraged, he journeys to Urland. En route, he discovers that Valerian is a young woman disguised to avoid being selected in the lottery. To discourage the expedition, Tyrian kills Hodge. Before dying, Hodge hands Galen Ulrich's ashes and reveals that the wizard wanted them spread over a lake of burning water. In Urland, Galen inspects Vermithrax's lair and magically seals its entrance with a rockslide. Tyrian apprehends Galen and takes him to Casiodorus. Casiodorus disputes that Galen is a real wizard and complains that his attack may have angered Vermithrax instead of killing it, as his brother and predecessor once did. Casiodorus confiscates the amulet and imprisons Galen. His daughter, Princess Elspeth, visits Galen, who mentions rumors that the lottery is rigged; it excludes her name and those others whose families are rich enough to bribe Casiodorus into disqualifying their children. Casiodorus cannot lie convincingly when she confronts him over this. Meanwhile, Vermithrax escapes its prison, causing an earthquake. Galen escapes from his prison, but without the amulet. The village priest, Brother Jacopus, leads his congregation to confront Vermithrax, denouncing it as the

Devil A devil is the mythical personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conce ...

. Vermithrax incinerates him and then heads for the village of Swanscombe, burning all in its path. When the lottery begins anew to placate it, Elspeth rigs the draw so that only her name can be chosen. Desperate, Casiodorus returns the amulet to Galen so that he might save Elspeth. Galen uses the amulet to enchant a spear (forged by Valerian's father and dubbed ''Sicarius Dracorum'', or "Dragonslayer") with the ability to pierce Vermithrax's armored hide. Valerian gathers molted dragon scales to create a shield for Galen. Valerian laments that, her disguise now blown, she will be eligible for the lottery since she is still a virgin. Galen admits that he has fallen in love with her, and the two kiss. To rescue Elspeth, Galen fights and kills Tyrian. Elspeth, however, wants to make amends for all the girls whose names have been chosen in the past; she descends into Vermithrax's cave and dies. Galen follows her and finds young dragons feasting on her corpse. He slays them and goes on to find Vermithrax resting within an underground lake of fire. He wounds Vermithrax, but the spear's shaft is broken in the battle. Only Valerian's shield saves him from incineration. After his failure to kill Vermithrax, Valerian convinces Galen to leave Swanscombe with her. As both prepare to depart, the amulet gives Galen a vision of the "burning water" within Vermithrax's cave. Galen realizes that Ulrich planned his own death and cremation, being too old and frail to make the journey himself. Galen returns to the cave and spreads the ashes over the fiery lake. Ulrich is resurrected. He reveals that his time is short, and that Galen must destroy the amulet "when the time is right". Ulrich then transports himself to a mountaintop, summons a storm and confronts Vermithrax. After a battle, Vermithrax snatches Ulrich and flies away with him. Cued by Ulrich, Galen crushes the amulet with a rock. Ulrich's body explodes and kills Vermithrax, which falls from the sky. Casiodorus arrives and drives a sword into Vermithrax's carcass to claim the glory for himself. While leaving Urland with Valerian, Galen confesses that he misses both Ulrich and the amulet. He says, "I just wish we had a horse." A white horse then appears, insinuating that the amulet's power is now within Galen. The couple mount the horse and ride away.

Cast

as Galen Brandwardyn * Caitlin Clarke as Valerian *

as Ulrich of Cragganmore *

as Tyrian * Peter Eyre as King Casiodorus Ulfilas * Albert Salmi as Greil (dubbed by Norman Rodway) *

Sydney Bromley Sidney Charles Bromley (24 July 1909 – 14 August 1987GRO Register of Deaths: AUG 1987 18 2293 WORTHING - Sydney Charles Bromley DoB = 24 Jul 1909 aged 78), credited as Sydney Bromley, was an English character actor. He appeared in more than s ...

as Hodge * Chloe Salaman as Princess Elspeth Ulfilas * Emrys James as Simon (Valerian's Father) * Roger Kemp as Horsrick, Casiodorus's Chamberlain * Ian McDiarmid as Brother Jacopus * Ken Shorter as Henchman

Production

Conception

According to Hal Barwood, Matthew Robbins and he got the inspiration for ''Dragonslayer'' from ''

The Sorcerer's Apprentice "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" () is a poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe written in 1797. The poem is a ballad in 14 stanzas. Story The poem begins as an old sorcerer departs his workshop, leaving his apprentice with chores to perform. Tired of ...

'' sequence in '' Fantasia''. They later came up with a story after researching St. George and the Dragon. Barwood and Robbins rejected the traditional conceptions of the medieval world to give the film more realism: "Our film has no knights in shining armor, no pennants streaming in the breeze, no delicate ladies with diaphanous veils waving from turreted castles, no courtly love, no holy grail. Instead, they set out to create a very strange world with a lot of weird values and customs, steeped in superstition, where the clothes and manners of the people were rough, their homes and villages primitive, and their countryside almost primeval, so that the idea of magic would be a natural part of their existence." For this reason, they chose to set the film after the

end of Roman rule in Britain The end of Roman rule in Britain occurred as the military forces of Roman Britain withdrew to defend or seize the Western Roman Empire's continental core, leaving behind an autonomous post-Roman Britain. In 383, the usurper Magnus Maximus wit ...

, prior to the arrival of Christianity. Barwood and Robins began to hastily work on the story outline on June 25, 1979, and completed it in early August. They received numerous refusals from various film studios, due to their inexperience in budget negotiations. The screenplay was eventually accepted by Paramount Pictures and

Walt Disney Pictures Walt Disney Pictures is an American film Film production company, production company and subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios (division), the Walt Disney Studios, a division of Disney Entertainment, which is owned by the Walt Disney Company. The st ...

, becoming the two studios' second joint effort after ''Popeye'' (1980).

Dragon

About 25% of the film's budget went into the dragon's special effects. Graphic artist David Bunnett was assigned to design the look, and was fed ideas on the movement mechanics, and then rendered the concepts on paper. They decided early to emphasize flying, because the most important sequence is the final battle. Bunnett gave it a degree of personality, deliberately trying to avoid the creature from '' Alien'', which he believed was "too hideous to look at". After Bunnett handed his storyboard panels to the film crew, the dragon design used a wide variety of techniques. The final creature is a composite of several different models.

of ILM finalized the design, and sculpted a reference model, which Danny Lee of Disney Studios closely followed in constructing the larger dragon props for close-up shots. Two months later, Lee's team finished a 16-foot head and neck assembly, a 30-foot tail, thighs, legs, claws capable of grabbing a man, and a wing section. The parts were flown to

Pinewood Studios Pinewood Studios is a British film and television studio located in the village of Iver Heath, England. It is approximately west of central London. The studio has been the base for many productions over the years from large-scale films to t ...

outside London in the cargo hold of a

Boeing 747 The Boeing 747 is a long-range wide-body aircraft, wide-body airliner designed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the United States between 1968 and 2023. After the introduction of the Boeing 707, 707 in October 1958, Pan Am ...

Brian Johnson Brian Johnson (born 5 October 1947) is an English singer and songwriter. In 1980 at the age of 32, after the death of Bon Scott, he became the third lead singer of the Australian rock band AC/DC. Johnson was one of the founding members of th ...

was hired to supervise the special effects, and began planning on- and off-set effects with various specialists.

Dennis Muren Dennis Muren, A.S.C (born November 1, 1946) is an American film visual effects artist and supervisor. He has worked on the films of George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and James Cameron, among others, and has won nine Oscars in total: eight for Bes ...

, the effects cameraman, stated, "We knew the dragon had a lot more importance to this film than some of the incidental things that appeared in only a few shots in ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...

'' or ''

''. The dragon had to be presented in a way that the audience would be absolutely stunned." After the completion of principal shooting, a special-effects team of 80 people at ILM studios in northern California worked eight months in producing 160 composite shots of the dragon. Chris Walas sculpted and operated the dragon head used for close-up shots. The head measured 8 ft in length. The model was animated by a combination of radio controls, cable controls, air bladders, levers, and by handthus giving the illusion of a fully coordinated face with a wide range of expressions. Real World War II-era flamethrowers were used for the dragon's fire-breathing effects. The animals used for the dragon's vocalizations included lions, tigers, leopards, jaguars, alligators, pigs, camels, and elephants. Phil Tippett built a model for the dragon's walking scenes. He did not want to use standard

stop motion animation Stop-motion (also known as stop frame animation) is an animation, animated filmmaking and special effects technique in which objects are physically manipulated in small increments between individually photographed frames so that they will appe ...

techniques, and had his team build a dragon model that would move during each exposure, rather than in between, as was once the standard. This process, named

by Tippett, was tested with

motion control Motion control is a sub-field of automation, encompassing the systems or sub-systems involved in moving parts of machines in a controlled manner. Motion control systems are extensively used in a variety of fields for automation purposes, includi ...

in ''The Empire Strikes Back''. To make the motion even smoother, they decided to use a motorized rod puppet with a computer program that recorded the creature's movements in motion as a real animal would move, which added motion blur and removed the jerkiness common in prior stop-motion films. Ken Ralston was assigned to the flying scenes. He built a model with an articulated aluminum skeleton for a wide range of motion. Ralston shot films of birds flying to incorporate their movements into the model. As with the walking dragon, the flying model was filmed using go motion techniques. The camera was programmed to tilt and move at various angles to convey the sensation of flight.

Casting

Peter MacNicol first met Robbins in the office of casting director, Debby Brown, who had seen MacNicol's work as Benvolio in Romeo and Juliet at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. She had left a note backstage for him, encouraging him to move to New York, saying, "he would do well there". He took her advice. On his first day in New York City, MacNicol stopped by Brown's office to tell her he was now a Manhattan resident. While there, he heard the loud voices of actors coming from Brown's audition room. He asked Brown if anything right for him was in the project. She responded with a smile, "Well...actually, there is." An hour later, MacNicol was the front runner for the role of Galen. He was flown to England along with Caitlin Clarke for a screen test. Within a day or two, Paramount and Disney had said yes, and he was renting a flat in Chelsea. MacNicol had grown up riding horses—his first paid job was on a ranch near Arlington, Texas—so the young actor knew how to ride, even jump hurdles without a saddle, but during his pre-filming, he needed to learn to ride the type of trooper-style saddle they were using in the movie. Because he would have to ride on camera during action sequences, his riding skills had to be stress-tested. "They took away my stirrups, they took away my reins and whipped the horse, and then they told me to windmill my arms and turn a complete circle in the saddle. Then, they took away the saddle!" The young actor had already worked for two years in classical repertory theater and was highly trained in voice production. Nevertheless, a voice coach was hired to achieve the mid-Atlantic sound the role required. Having studied stage combat at the University of Minnesota (two years of classes in tumbling, foil, saber, rapier, and dagger), he was eager to do as much of the fighting as they would allow. The role also required some juggling and magic tricks. For this, he was mentored by British prestidigitator Harold Taylor, who had previously performed for the

British royal family The British royal family comprises Charles III and other members of his family. There is no strict legal or formal definition of who is or is not a member, although the Royal Household has issued different lists outlining who is considere ...

. Caitlin Clarke was initially hesitant to involve herself in the film, as she was preparing to audition for a play in Chicago. Her agent insisted, though, and after doing an audition tape, was called back for more tests. Clarke failed them but managed to pass after doing another test at Robbins's insistence. She got along well with Ralph Richardson and stated that he taught her more in one rehearsal than she had learned in years of acting classes.

Set design

Elliot Scott Elliot Scott (19 July 1915 – 29 October 1993) was an English art director. He was nominated for three Academy Awards in the category Best Art Direction. Selected filmography Scott was nominated for three Academy Awards for Best Art Dire ...

was hired to design the sets of the film's sixth-century world. He temporarily converted the 13th-century

Dolwyddelan Castle Dolwyddelan Castle ( ; ; ) is a thirteenth-century castle located west of Dolwyddelan in Conwy County Borough, Wales. Tomen Castell, a late twelfth-century tower, is located south-east of the castle. Dolwyddelan Castle was probably begun by L ...

into Ulrich's ramshackle sixth-century fortress, to the surprise of the locals. He built the entire village of

Swanscombe Swanscombe /ˈswɔnzkəm/ is a town in the Borough of Dartford in Kent, England, and the civil parish of Swanscombe and Greenhithe. It is 4.4 miles west of Gravesend and 4.8 miles east of Dartford. History Prehistory Bone fragments and to ...

on a farm outside London. Although Scott extensively researched medieval architecture in the

British Museum The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...

and his own library, he took some artistic liberties in creating the thatched-roof houses, the granary, Simon's house and smithy, and Casiodorus's castle, because he was unable to find enough information on their exact look. He built the interior of the dragon's lair, using of polystyrene and 40 tons of Welsh slate and shale. The shots of the Welsh and Scottish landscapes were extended through the use of over three dozen matte paintings. Nearly all of the outdoor scenes were shot in

North Wales North Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdon ...

. The final scene was shot in

Skye The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye, is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated by the Cuillin, the rocky slopes of which provide some o ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

Costumes

The costumes were designed by Anthony Mendelson, who consulted the British Museum, the London Library, and his own reference files to evoke the designs of the early Middle Ages. They are roughly stitched and use colors that would have been possible with the vegetable dyes of the time. The costumes of Casiodorus and his court were designed of fine silk, as opposed to the coarsely woven clothes of the Urlanders.

Music

The film's Academy Award-nominated score was composed by

Alex North Alex North (born Isadore Soifer; December 4, 1910 – September 8, 1991) was an American composer best known for his many film scores, including ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' (one of the first jazz-based film scores), '' Viva Zapata!'', ''Spartac ...

. The score's linear conception was developed through transparently layered and polyphonic orchestral texture, dominated by a medieval-style modal harmony. It was largely based on five major thematic concepts: # The suffering of the Urlanders # A "magic" motif # The amulet # The sacrificial virgins # The relationship between Galen and Valerian North had six weeks to compose the score, which features music rejected from his score for Stanley Kubrick's ''2001: A Space Odyssey''. The opening sequence of ''Dragonslayer'' features a reworking of his original music for the opening of ''2001''s "Dawn of Man" sequence—which in that final film is played without music—and a waltz representing the dragon in flight that had been a variation of the cue "Space Station Docking", which in the final cut of ''2001'' was replaced by " The Blue Danube". North was disappointed by the resulting dragon scenes, as they do not use the entirety of the pieces he composed for them. He later stated that he had written "a very lovely waltz for when the dragon first appears, with just a slight indication that this may not be a bad dragon". The waltz was replaced by tracks used earlier in the movie. The score was widely praised. Pauline Kael wrote in the ''New Yorker'' that the score was a "beauty", and that "at times, the music and the fiery dragon seem one". Royal S. Brown of ''Fanfare Magazine'' praised the soundtrack as "one of the best scores of 1981". On April 22, 2010, a limited-edition soundtrack CD was released on La-La Land Records.

Reception

Box office

The film grossed just over $14 million in the US with an estimated budget of $18 million. It later became a

cult film A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase, which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage in repeated ...

Critical response

At the

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...

website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, the film has an 84% score based on 37 reviews, with an average rating of 6.8/10. The site's critic consensus reads, "An atypically dark Disney adventure, ''Dragonslayer'' puts a realistic spin — and some impressive special effects — on a familiar tale." At

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, the film has a weighted average score of 68 out of 100 based on 13 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. The book ''Flights of Fancy: The Great Fantasy Film'' says: "''Dragonslayer'' is a compelling and often brilliant fantasy film .. butit seeks, as well, to impose modern sensibilities on its medieval characters and plot—20th-century political, sociological, and religious sensibilities, which only serve to dilute its particular strengths."

Gene Siskel Eugene Kal Siskel (January 26, 1946 – February 20, 1999) was an American film critic and journalist for the ''Chicago Tribune'' who co-hosted a movie review television series alongside colleague Roger Ebert. Siskel started writing for the '' ...

and

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...

both gave the film three stars out of four in their respective print reviews. Siskel, Gene (June 30, 1981). "Dragonslayer". ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

''. Section 2, p. 2. Siskel praised the "dazzling special effects" and the "convincing portrait by Ralph Richardson of the aged magician Ulrich", and Ebert called the scenes involving the dragon "first-rate". Kevin Thomas of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' called Vermithrax "the greatest dragon yet", and praised the film for its effective evocation of the Dark Ages. David Denby of ''

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

'' praised ''Dragonslayer''s special effects and lauded the film as being much better than ''

Excalibur Excalibur is the mythical sword of King Arthur that may possess magical powers or be associated with the rightful sovereignty of Britain. Its first reliably datable appearance is found in Geoffrey of Monmouth's ''Historia Regum Britanniae''. E ...

'' and ''

''. David Sterritt of ''

The Christian Science Monitor ''The Christian Science Monitor'' (''CSM''), commonly known as ''The Monitor'', is a nonprofit news organization that publishes daily articles both in Electronic publishing, electronic format and a weekly print edition. It was founded in 1908 ...

'' praised the sets and pacing of the film, but criticized it for lack of originality, stressing that MacNicol and Richardson's characters bore too many similarities to the heroes of ''Star Wars''. A similar critique was given by John Coleman of the ''

New Statesman ''The New Statesman'' (known from 1931 to 1964 as the ''New Statesman and Nation'') is a British political and cultural news magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first c ...

'', who called the film a "turgid sword-and-sorcery fable, with Ralph Richardson in a backdated kind of ''Star Wars'' of Alec Guinness role". Tim Pulleine of the ''

Monthly Film Bulletin The ''Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 until April 1991, when it merged with '' Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those wi ...

'' criticized the film's lack of narrative drive and clarity to supplement the special effects. Upon the film's first television broadcast,

Gannett News Service Gannett Co., Inc. ( ) is an American mass media holding company headquartered in New York City. It is the largest U.S. newspaper publisher as measured by total daily circulation. It owns the national newspaper ''USA Today'', as well as severa ...

columnist Mike Hughes called the story "slight" and "slow-paced", but admired a "lyrical beauty to the setting and mood". Nonetheless, he warned: "In movie theaters, that came across wonderfully; on a little TV screen, this may be strictly for specialized tastes." Alex Keneas of ''

Newsday ''Newsday'' is a daily newspaper in the United States primarily serving Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI" ...

'' criticized the focus on superstition, and for being "bereft of any sense of medieval time, place and society".

Larry DiTillio Lawrence G. DiTillio (February 15, 1948 – March 16, 2019) was an American film, TV series, and tabletop role-playing game writer. His creations include ''He-Man and She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword'' and the award-winning '' Masks of Nyarlathot ...

reviewed ''Dragonslayer'' for ''

Different Worlds ''Different Worlds'' was an American role-playing games magazine published from 1979 to 1987. Scope ''Different Worlds'' published support articles, scenarios, and variants for various role-playing games including ''Dungeons & Dragons'', ''Rune ...

'' magazine and stated, "Much imagination went into the recreation of this world and fans will revel in it when they see it." Christopher John reviewed ''Dragonslayer'' in ''

Ares Ares (; , ''Árēs'' ) is the List of Greek deities, Greek god of war god, war and courage. He is one of the Twelve Olympians, and the son of Zeus and Hera. The Greeks were ambivalent towards him. He embodies the physical valor necessary for ...

'' magazine and commented, "Though the dialogue is occasionally stiff, there is a believable reality. When the people and setting of a fantasy are as carefully wrought as they are here, it is easy to get an audience to accept as small and wonderful a thing as a dragon." Dirk Libbey of ''

CinemaBlend Future plc is a British publishing company. It was started in 1985 by Chris Anderson. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. History 1985–2012 The company was founded by Chris Anderson as ...

'' describes that ''Dragonslayer'' "tends to get overlooked. Even if you do remember it, there's a decent chance you had no idea it was technically a Disney movie, as it was a far cry from their normal output in the early '80s and thus the Disney name was largely left off the film."

Vermithrax Pejorative

Guillermo del Toro Guillermo del Toro Gómez (; born 9 October 1964) is a Mexican filmmaker, author, and artist. His work has been characterized by a strong connection to fairy tales, Gothic fiction, gothicism and horror fiction, horror often blending the genres ...

has stated that along with

Maleficent Maleficent ( or ) is a fictional character who first appears in Walt Disney Productions' animated film, ''Sleeping Beauty (1959 film), Sleeping Beauty'' (1959). Maleficent is the self-proclaimed "Dark lord, Mistress of All Evil" based on the Wic ...

in ''

Sleeping Beauty "Sleeping Beauty" (, or ''The Beauty Sleeping in the Wood''; , or ''Little Briar Rose''), also titled in English as ''The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods'', is a fairy tale about a princess curse, cursed by an evil fairy to suspended animation in fi ...

'', Vermithrax is his favorite cinematic dragon. He further stated that: "One of the best and one of the strongest landmarks f dragon moviesthat almost nobody can overcome is ''Dragonslayer''. The design of Vermithrax Pejorative is perhaps one of the most perfect creature designs ever made." ''

A Song of Ice and Fire ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' is a series of high fantasy novels by the American author George R. R. Martin. Martin began writing the first volume, ''A Game of Thrones'', in 1991, and published it in 1996. Martin, who originally envisioned the ser ...

'' author

George R. R. Martin George Raymond Richard Martin (born George Raymond Martin; September 20, 1948) also known by the initials G.R.R.M. is an American author, television writer, and television producer. He is best known as the author of the unfinished series of Hi ...

once ranked it the fifth-best fantasy film of all time, and called Vermithrax "the best dragon ever put on film

ith The Ith () is a ridge in Germany's Central Uplands which is up to 439 m high. It lies about 40 km southwest of Hanover and, at 22 kilometers, is the longest line of crags in North Germany. Geography Location The Ith is i ...

the coolest dragon name". Vermithrax is mentioned as an

Easter egg Easter eggs, also called Paschal eggs, are eggs that are decorated for the Christian holiday of Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. As such, Easter eggs are commonly used during the season of Eastertide (Easter season). The ...

in a list of dragons' names in the fourth episode of that book series adaptation, ''

Game of Thrones ''Game of Thrones'' is an American Fantasy television, fantasy Drama (film and television), drama television series created by David Benioff and for HBO. It is an adaptation of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of high fantasy novels by ...

''. Fantasy author Alex Bledsoe stated: "...everyone has a 'first dragon', the one that awoke their sense of wonder about the creatures. For many it's

Anne McCaffrey Anne Inez McCaffrey (1 April 1926 – 21 November 2011) was an American writer known for the ''Dragonriders of Pern'' science fiction series. She was the first woman to win a Hugo Award for fiction (Best Novella, ''Weyr Search'', 1968) an ...

's elaborate world of Pern, where genetically engineered intelligent dragons bond with their riders; for others, it's

Smaug Smaug () is a dragon and the main antagonist in J. R. R. Tolkien's 1937 novel ''The Hobbit'', his treasure and the mountain he lives in being the goal of the quest. Powerful and fearsome, he invaded the Dwarf kingdom of Erebor 171 years prio ...

in ''

The Hobbit ''The Hobbit, or There and Back Again'' is a children's fantasy novel by the English author J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published in 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the ...

'', guarding his hoard deep in a cave. But for me, it was the awesome Vermithrax from the 1981 film, ''Dragonslayer''." During filming of ''

Return of the Jedi ''Return of the Jedi'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi'' is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas. The sequel to '' The Empire ...

'', in which Ian McDiarmid, who portrays minor character Brother Jacopus in ''Dragonslayer'', stars as the film's main antagonist, Emperor

Palpatine Sheev Palpatine ( ) is the main antagonist of the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He first appeared in the 1980 film ''The Empire Strikes Back'' as . He is also known by his Sith name, Darth Sidious, which was first used in the novelization of the 199 ...

, the ILM crew jokingly placed a model of Vermithrax in the arms of the

Rancor The universe of ''Star Wars'', a space opera media franchise, features a broad variety of different alien creatures. These aliens can be sentient or non-sentient, serving as species for characters, setting pieces, plot devices, and backgrou ...

model and took a picture. The picture was included in the book ''Star Wars: Chronicles''. A creature based on the appearance of this dragon appears in one of

Jabba the Hutt Jabba Desilijic Tiure, better known as Jabba the Hutt ( ) is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Initially performed by Declan Mulholland as a human in the original ''Star Wars'' film, Jabba first appeared properly in the 198 ...

's creature pens in ''Inside the Worlds of Star Wars Trilogy''.

Related media

A novelization, ''

Dragonslayer A dragonslayer is a person or being that slays dragons. Dragonslayers and the creatures they hunt have been popular in traditional stories from around the world: they are a type of story classified as type 300 in the Aarne–Thompson classifica ...

'', was written by

Wayland Drew Wayland Drew (1932–1998) was a writer born in Oshawa, Ontario. He earned a BA in English Language and Literature from Victoria College at the University of Toronto in 1957, and began a teaching career in 1961 at the high school in Port Per ...

, that delves deeper into the background of many of the characters.

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

published three formats of ''Dragonslayer'' adaptations in 1981; all were by the same team. These were a magazine-sized issue, a two-issue standard comic-sized adaptation, and a paperback format (''Marvel Illustrated'') of the two comic books in 160 pages, due to the smaller pages. Credits include writer

Dennis O'Neil Dennis "Denny" Joseph O'Neil (May 3, 1939 – June 11, 2020) was an American comic book writer and editor, principally for Marvel Comics and DC Comics from the 1960s through the 1990s, and Group Editor for the Batman family of titles until h ...

, and artists Marie Severin and

John Tartaglione John Tartaglione (January 14, 1921 – November 12, 2003),'' Comics Buyer's Guide'' #1650; February 2009; Page 107 a.k.a. John Tartag and other pseudonyms, was an American comic book artist best known as a 1950s romance-comics artist; a Marvel ...

, in ''

Marvel Super Special ''Marvel Comics Super Special'' was a 41-issue series of one-shot (comics), one-shot comic-magazines published by American company Marvel Comics from 1977 to 1986. They were cover-priced $1.50 to $2.50, while regular color comics were priced 30 cen ...

'' #20.

Simulations Publications, Inc. Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) was an American publisher of board game, board Wargaming, wargames and related magazines, particularly its Flagship (broadcasting), flagship ''Strategy & Tactics'', in the 1970s and early 1980s. It produced an ...

produced the board game ''

'', designed by Brad Hessel and Redmond A. Simonsen. Australian label Southern Cross initially released an unauthorized soundtrack album in 1983 on LP (a boxed audiophile pressing, at 45 rpm), and in 1990 on CD. The first official and improved CD release came in 2010 by U.S. label La-La Land Records. The new album features newly mastered audio from the original LCR (Left-Center-Right) mix, previously unreleased source music, and alternative takes.

References

External links

* {{Portal bar, 1980s 1981 films 1981 children's films American dark fantasy films American fantasy adventure films 1980s English-language films 1980s fantasy adventure films Films about dragons Films about wizards Films adapted into comics Films directed by Matthew Robbins Films scored by Alex North Films set in 6th-century Anglo-Saxon England Films set in castles Films shot at Pinewood Studios Films using stop-motion animation Films with screenplays by Matthew Robbins American sword and sorcery films Walt Disney Pictures films Paramount Pictures films 1980s American films English-language fantasy adventure films