RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Found a Bug? Squash It! Report Bugs Here
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | In Theaters
  • | Opening
  • | Upcoming
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / Upcoming / Reign of Fire
Reign of Fire

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Visit Official Site External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Reign of Fire (2002)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
41 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:29

Fresh:12

Rotten:17

Average Rating:4.6/10

Consensus: An enjoyable B-movie if you don't use your brain.

Runtime: 1 hr 42 mins

Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy

US Box Office: $42,929,971

Synopsis: In present-day London, 10-year-old Quinn visits his construction engineer mother at her work. When he crawls into a cavern the workers have uncovered, he finds a large, fire-breathing dragon--which... In present-day London, 10-year-old Quinn visits his construction engineer mother at her work. When he crawls into a cavern the workers have uncovered, he finds a large, fire-breathing dragon--which destroys the site and kills his mother. Fast-forward to 2020. Quinn (Christian Bale, AMERICAN PSYCHO) is living in a castle in Northumberton, the leader of survivors of the dragon plague which has wiped out a large portion of the human population. He and his colony, including dozens of orphans, eke out an existence in hopes that the human race will someday take back the planet from the gigantic, winged monsters. Enter Van Zan (Matthew McConaughey), a war-mad American and his team of military trained fighters. They offer to team up with Quinn and his people, but only if they consent to the American's extreme tactics to destroy the fire-breathing beasts. Directed by Rob Bowman (X FILES), REIGN OF FIRE combines elements of ALIENS, THE ROAD WARRIOR, and 1981's DRAGONSLAYER for a potent genre cocktail that takes a traditionally medieval monster into the future and injects it into state-of-the-art action sequences. The film plays as post-apocalyptic sci-fi, but the stunningly executed dragon sequences are pure horror, especially as the menacing creatures slaughter prominent characters with extreme speed and ruthlessness. [More]

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Christian Bale, Izabella Scorupco, Gerard Butler

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Christian Bale, Izabella Scorupco, Gerard Butler, Alice Krige, Alexander Siddig

Director: Rob Bowman

Director: Rob Bowman
Screenwriter: Matt Greenberg, Terry Hayes
Story: Gregg Chabot, Kevin Peterka
Producer: Richard D. Zanuck, Jonathan Glickman, Lili Fini Zanuck, Gary Barber, Roger Birnbaum
Composer: Edward Shearmur
Studio: Touchstone Pictures

[See More Credits]

  • Trailers
  • Pictures
1 - 5 of 33

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Reviews for Reign of Fire

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
 
 
1 - 10 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Far too dark and menacing for kids, this fire-dragons story is far too silly for adults. With its M rating, maybe it’s intended audience is exactly 15 year old boys.

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
09/26/02
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Dark Horizons | comment Comment
07/23/02
Garth Franklin
Garth Franklin
Dark Horizons
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
06/01/03
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
08/26/02
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

I'm not going to argue that Reign of Fire is a good movie, but it's terribly entertaining it's kind of a classic camp film, so I'm giving it thumbs up.

Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment Comment
07/15/02
Richard Roeper
Richard Roeper
Ebert & Roeper
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A disaster of a drama, saved only by its winged assailants.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
07/12/02
Desson Thomson
Desson Thomson
Washington Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Silly, loud and goofy.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
07/12/02
Stephen Hunter
Stephen Hunter
Washington Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The filmmakers might have benefited from more sleep before penning the script.

Full Review Source: USA Today | comment Comment
07/12/02
Claudia Puig
Claudia Puig
USA Today
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

One regards Reign of Fire with awe. What a vast enterprise has been marshaled in the service of such a minute idea.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment 2 Comments
07/12/02
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It has a jamming B-picture buzz -- the kind of swift filmmaking and high spirits that have been missing from movies for a while.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
07/11/02
Elvis Mitchell
Elvis Mitchell
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No one but the performers' family and friends will be coming to Reign of Fire for the acting. It's the dragons ... that carry the picture.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
07/11/02
Kenneth Turan
Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
1 - 10 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View
See All

More Movies

Coming Soon in Australia
Tomatometer Percentage Movie Date

70% 70% Where the Wild Things Are 03/12
84% 84% Paranormal Activity 03/12
89% 89% Zombieland 03/12
76% 76% The Informant! 03/12
— The Strength of Water 03/12

What’s Hot On RT

Ban Them All!

Ban Them All!

10 Most Controversial Movies

Zombieland

Zombieland

Director Ruben Fleischer's favourites

New Avatar action

New Avatar action

Watch an exclusive chase clip from the film

Kids' Book Films

Kids' Book Films

We fly through 10 of the best

Other News

  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • First Look (Sort Of) at New Nightmare's Freddy Source: ShockTillYouDrop.com
24
  • First Look at Shrek Forever After Source: USA Today
48
  • Woody Harrelson Will Battle Zombies in 3-D Source: Moviehole
26
  • Natalie Portman Says Kat Denning Is in Thor Source: MTV
34
  • Disney Restructuring Has Broad Implications Source: Los Angeles Times
10
  • Joel Silver Talks Ninja Assassin, Sgt. Rock, Lobo, and More Source: Collider.com
1
  • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
122
  • Idris Elba Joins Thor Source: Hollywood Reporter
112
  • Jackass 3D Coming in 2010? Source: Collider.com
32
  • 6 Reasons 'Twilight' Is Doomed Source: The Wrap
64
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: New Moon Shatters Records
179
  • Total Recall: John Travolta's Best Movies
86
  • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
61
  • 5 Facts About The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
57
  • Ban Them All! 10 Infamously Controversial Movies
51
  • Critics Consensus: Flee From Ninja Assassin
43
  • Friday Harvest: New Moon, Avatar, and more!
32
  • Five Favorite Films With Zombieland Director Ruben Fleischer
21
  • Friday Harvest: The Road, Avatar, and more!
19
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
14
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
14
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
10
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
20
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
7
  • RT on DVD: Wassup, Bruno
3
  • Scott Hicks Talks The Boys Are Back
0
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Richard Kelly chats about The Box
2
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
20
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
8
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Reign of Fire at Rotten Tomatoes
  • Reign of Fire at IGN
  • Reign of Fire at AskMen

Fresh Links

Featured
Dressing Wonderland
Dressing Wonderland External Link

Tim Burton's costume designer talks to Movieline about her long collaboration with the filmmaker and Johnny Depp.

Wes Anderson on Fox
Wes Anderson on Fox External Link

The director talks about puppetry perfection and his film, Fantastic Mr. Fox

Win Glee DVDs
Win Glee DVDs External Link

We've got 20 copies of the hit TV series' Pilot Episode to giveaway.

Win tickets to Cold Souls
Win tickets to Cold Souls External Link

Double passes up for grabs to the new comedy starring Paul Giamatti.

Follow Rotten Tomatoes on Twitter
Follow Rotten Tomatoes on Twitter External Link

Get all the latest movie updates, reviews, interviews and features here.

Competitions
Win Star Wars prizes
Win Star Wars prizes External Link

Enough Prequel, Original Trilogy and Family Guy DVDs to fill a space cruiser

Win the entire 007 collection
Win the entire 007 collection External Link

Everything from Dr. No to Quantum of Solace could be yours.

Win Fight Club Special Editions and more
Win Fight Club Special Editions and more External Link

We're giving away the 10th Anniversary Blu-ray, plus Braveheart and the Rocky collection

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.