“Dragons” in films are vogue once again, so, I thought I’d whip up a Top 5 post about my favorite “Dragon” movies. I hope you all see one or two you love as well. Enjoy!
Korean Myths, legends, heroes, villains, destruction and a TON of very awesome CG Dragons makes this Kaiju film very worthy (if not goofy and eyebrow raising) of inclusion in the Top 5.
Brilliantly directed by Rob Cohen, “Dragonheart” remains a favorite of many “Dragon” movie fans. It has a great message, humanizes the Dragon (thanks to a stirring VO by actor Sean Connery), has many great performances, especially by Dennis Quaid, Dina Meyer and David Thewlis. The Dragon himself is not only a creature that is hunted but also forms a bond with the one who is sent out to destroy him. Unlike many Dragon films, this movie has a moral story at it’s center and Cohen’s CG dragon, named “Draco” looks incredible for a film from the late 90’s. Highly Recommended.
Rob Bowman (The X Files) serves up this incredible fantasy film with true grit, depth and realism by approaching the material with respect and complexity. Bale and McConaughey as the film’s leads add a fantastic dynamic to this bleak but very entertaining movie. The FX are top notch as is the suspense and drama. It unfolds nicely as a survivalist film about the eradication of mankind by some fierce and aggressive Dragons which look amazing here. The film is strong on many levels. Music, production values and performances are all top notch. This film is a no brainer, imo, for the top spot. Highly Recommended!
Honorable Mention goes to –
“Smaug” performed by the late Richard Boone
The Hobbit (Rankin Jr, Bass Film) 1977 / Thanks to Bubbawheat for the addition!
Q – The Winged Serpent
Eragon
Godzilla vs King Ghidorah
Dungeons and Dragons
Pete’s Dragon
Flight of the Dragons / Thanks to Misty Lane for the addition!
Spirited Away
The Neverending Story
Dragon Storm
Thanks everyone for stopping by. I hope you all enjoyed the Top 5. If there is a “Dragon” movie that I may have left out or you would like to share your own Top 5 then sound off below!
I was obsessed with dragons in the 70s as a very small child and even had an imaginary friend who was one. I’m pretty sure I was on the side of Smaug when I watched the Rankin Bass Hobbit cartoon. Pete’s Dragon is a favorite too.
Only one I’ve seen was Dragon Wars and it was actually too silly for me (which is surprising, right??). Did you ever see Flight of the Dragons? I have the vaguest of memories from childhood of watching that one and loving it.
Yes! That is another cool Rankin Bass animated movie. I haven’t seen that in a very long time. Good family film.
DW has many people split down the middle. It is goofy and hokey through out but I felt that was part of it’s charm. I hope you get to watch the rest at some point. They are all cool flicks.
Thanks for swinging by, Misty. Always appreciated! 🙂
You summed up RoF perfectly, Maurice: “Revisionist.” It is indeed that and more. Also, I hope to see some more Dragon films in the near future, also, as long as they don’t inundate us with them.
Yeah, the FX are why I dug it enough to include. I had fun reveling in it’s hokey-ness. Kinda reminded me of fun Toho pictures of days past but hopped up on CGI 🙂
Your list does not disappoint, no surprises at all here. I’ve yet to watch D-Wars or Reign of Fire myself yet but those are two that I really wanted to catch back when they came out and I’ve still just never gotten around to them (sounds like something I tend to say on my podcast). Dragonheart is such a great movie and one I’d love to revisit again sometime soon. I am a bit surprised that Eragon and Dungeons & Dragons both got mentions but the animated Hobbit got left out in the cold. The voice of Smaug in that movie was definitely one of the high points when I was a kid.
As for the animated film I will certainly add it to the honorable mention list but initially I wanted to go with live action movies (Pete’s Dragon being an amalgam of both animation and live action) but I failed to observe the great Rankin Bass picture. I will add it for sure and it does indeed deserve the recognition! By the way, Richard Boone as Smaug was amazing!
Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting. It is always appreciated!
I think it’s kind of funny that you make the distinction that way considering most of the dragons are animated.
Ha! True, that is quite funny…One of those funky ironies of the arts, I suppose. Then again, I’m always making stupid distinctions.
Love Reign of Fire for your top choice. Didn’t like Dragon Wars all that much, there was just something missing from the story that made it shallow for me. Although they are not movies about Dragons exclusively, I would have added Harryhausen’s 7th Voyage of Sinbad for the tradditional dragon at the end and Jason and The Argonauts for the 7 headed Hydra animation.
Holy crap! I totally should have added at least ONE of those! I love those movies.
It appears that Dragon Wars is the least favorite pick of mine among my readers, lol. I thought it was goofy but fun and the Dragon action satisfied my fix. I thought that at least one off the wall Dragon movie should be up there.
Thanks for stopping by, Mike. Glad you enjoyed the list!
I am very glad you enjoyed the list, Ruth. HTTYD was an amazing surprise. I think I enjoyed it more than my kids did! I am looking forward to the next film.
RoF is quite an achievement for a bleak film about Dragons but the cast elevated it to a different level giving us characters we care about. Nice story and great art direction, too.
Thanks for stopping by, Ruth! It is always appreciated. 🙂
VIC'S MOVIE DEN 
I was obsessed with dragons in the 70s as a very small child and even had an imaginary friend who was one. I’m pretty sure I was on the side of Smaug when I watched the Rankin Bass Hobbit cartoon. Pete’s Dragon is a favorite too.
I love the Rankin Bass animated Tolkien films! I saw Pete’s Dragon as a kid and it may have been there when my fascination began.
Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting. I appreciate it!
Only one I’ve seen was Dragon Wars and it was actually too silly for me (which is surprising, right??). Did you ever see Flight of the Dragons? I have the vaguest of memories from childhood of watching that one and loving it.
Yes! That is another cool Rankin Bass animated movie. I haven’t seen that in a very long time. Good family film.
DW has many people split down the middle. It is goofy and hokey through out but I felt that was part of it’s charm. I hope you get to watch the rest at some point. They are all cool flicks.
Thanks for swinging by, Misty. Always appreciated! 🙂
There should be more dragon movies so hopefully the Hobbit starts a trend. Reign of Fire is a great revisionist tale of dragons. Great list Vic.
You summed up RoF perfectly, Maurice: “Revisionist.” It is indeed that and more. Also, I hope to see some more Dragon films in the near future, also, as long as they don’t inundate us with them.
Thanks for stopping by!
Dragon Wars is one of the worst films I have ever seen. Good visuals though 😀
Yeah, the FX are why I dug it enough to include. I had fun reveling in it’s hokey-ness. Kinda reminded me of fun Toho pictures of days past but hopped up on CGI 🙂
Thanks for stopping in, Tim!
Dragon heart is always a favourite dragon film 😀
Agreed! Much to like in that movie.
Its Lethal weapon with a dragon 😀
Great list of Dragon films, really like some of those, especially Dragon Heart, and Dragon Slayer is really good as well!
Glad you liked the list, Paul! Those 2 films you named are very good examples. I appreciate you stopping by! 🙂
Your list does not disappoint, no surprises at all here. I’ve yet to watch D-Wars or Reign of Fire myself yet but those are two that I really wanted to catch back when they came out and I’ve still just never gotten around to them (sounds like something I tend to say on my podcast). Dragonheart is such a great movie and one I’d love to revisit again sometime soon. I am a bit surprised that Eragon and Dungeons & Dragons both got mentions but the animated Hobbit got left out in the cold. The voice of Smaug in that movie was definitely one of the high points when I was a kid.
Glad you enjoyed the list, Bubbawheat!
As for the animated film I will certainly add it to the honorable mention list but initially I wanted to go with live action movies (Pete’s Dragon being an amalgam of both animation and live action) but I failed to observe the great Rankin Bass picture. I will add it for sure and it does indeed deserve the recognition! By the way, Richard Boone as Smaug was amazing!
Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting. It is always appreciated!
I think it’s kind of funny that you make the distinction that way considering most of the dragons are animated.
Ha! True, that is quite funny…One of those funky ironies of the arts, I suppose. Then again, I’m always making stupid distinctions.
Love Reign of Fire for your top choice. Didn’t like Dragon Wars all that much, there was just something missing from the story that made it shallow for me. Although they are not movies about Dragons exclusively, I would have added Harryhausen’s 7th Voyage of Sinbad for the tradditional dragon at the end and Jason and The Argonauts for the 7 headed Hydra animation.
Holy crap! I totally should have added at least ONE of those! I love those movies.
It appears that Dragon Wars is the least favorite pick of mine among my readers, lol. I thought it was goofy but fun and the Dragon action satisfied my fix. I thought that at least one off the wall Dragon movie should be up there.
Thanks for stopping by, Mike. Glad you enjoyed the list!
Nice list! I LOVE How to Train Your Dragon, and Reign of Fire is rather underrated, I think it’s a decent action flick w/ a great cast!
I am very glad you enjoyed the list, Ruth. HTTYD was an amazing surprise. I think I enjoyed it more than my kids did! I am looking forward to the next film.
RoF is quite an achievement for a bleak film about Dragons but the cast elevated it to a different level giving us characters we care about. Nice story and great art direction, too.
Thanks for stopping by, Ruth! It is always appreciated. 🙂