So… Age Of The Dragons. It’s not just a dragon movie with Danny Glover and Vinnie Jones. It’s a dragon movie based on Moby Dick starring Danny Glover and Vinnie Jones.
Right off the bat, the biggest problem with this film is that it takes itself way too seriously. At best I was kind of hoping for a Hercules/Xena vibe, but the film just tries way too hard to be serious.
On the flip side of that most the acting is actually pretty good. Vinnie Jones lights up the screen every moment he’s on it; regrettably, he’s not in the film all that long. Corey Sevier plays Ishmael, he’s okay but by no means bad. Sofia Pernas, who plays Rachel, Ahab’s adopted daughter, is hands down the best actor in this cheap production. This is only her second role and if what she is able to pull of in this extremely limited role is any indication, then she should have a long great career ahead of her.
The biggest disappointment Dragons, oddly enough, is Danny Glover – Ahab himself. He plays this larger than life character way over the top but not in a fun enjoyable way. I know Glover is a good actor. I’ve seen him time and time again nail solid performances. So to see him so wretchedly awful in this film made me almost want to cry.
Director Ryan Little must be commended a little bit too. For what is obviously a silly high concept with a very low budget, Little directed a pretty good looking film. Aside from all the other problems the Dragons has, it looks way better than it should and that makes dealing with all the problems very easy on the eyes. Even the dragons aren’t horrible. Sure, I’ve seen better, but I’ve seen way worse too.
I had hoped for a fun lighthearted film, but instead got a film that took itself way too seriously. I had hoped for a good performances from Danny Glover, but instead got a great performances from Sofia Pernas. Age of the Dragons may not have been what I expected it to be, but in the end it had just enough good stuff in it to keep me from hating it.
Age of the Dragons is presented in a 2.35:1 widescreen format and 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound. This film looks way better than it should. Ryan Little has shot himself a fine looking film and it sounds pretty good too.
Outtakes: (2 min.) For a film that takes itself so seriously it’s odd that it has an outtakes reel. Behind The Scenes: (9 min.) Everyone talks about how great the idea of Mody Dick with dragons is. None of them realize how bad the idea is really is. At least it seems like everyone had fun making the film. Visual Effects: (3 min.)
When I first read about a film that was Mody Dickbut with dragons I laughed and thought it was worth checking out. The fact that Danny Glover was in it was just icing on the cake, or so I thought. So, Glover ended up turning in a bad performances, but I was pleasantly surprised by Sofia Pernas who I’d never heard of before. If nothing else I was introduces to a great young actress and I’ll be looking to see what she does next.
Arc Entertainment presents Age Of The Dragons. Written by Mickay Daines. Based on Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick”. Directed by: Ryan Little. Starring: Danny Glover, Corey Sevier, Sofia Pernas and Vinnie Jones. Running time: 92 min. Rating: Rated PG-13 for some violence. Released: July, 24 2012.Available at Amazon.com.
