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Dragonheart: A New Begining
List Price: Unknown [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
I liked the first "Dragonheart" quite a bit. It wasn't anything outstanding, but with director Rob Cohen's work, it was good old-fashioned fun with a couple of good performances. Do we really need a sequel to the original? No, but we get one anyways with this direct-to-video release.
The film stars Christopher Masterson(the smirky older brother always getting into trouble on TV's "Malcolm In The Middle") as a stableboy named Geoff who wants to be a knight, but is stuck in his current position. We learn early on that Bowen(the original's Dennis Quaid) had found a dragon egg after the events that took place in the original film. Hidden for years, Geoff finds the dragon and sets out and the two become good friends.
The film can't help but seem a pale imitation to the original's flashy look and solid special effects. Instead of Sean Connery's Draco dragon character, we get Drake. The effects here aren't nearly as convincing. The story is not up to the original, as well. It's somewhat of a weak takeoff on the original with a corrupt prince making odd new rules about what people can wear and say in the kingdom.
"Malcolm"'s Masterson is funny on that show, but he seems out of place here and doesn't manage to carry the picture. "A New Begining" isn't the worst straight-to-video release I've ever seen, but it's not a necessary sequel, nor does it provide much of an interesting story.
The DVD
VIDEO: Universal presents "Dragonheart: A New Begining" in a full-frame presentation that isn't too terrible, but definitely has its share of problems. The first is certainly the idea of presenting a story like this in full-frame, taking away from the stunning scenery and sets. As for the general quality of this presentation, it does seem soft at times, but not hugely so. Clarity is good, and only some of the darker scenes seem not quite as well-defined. Detail is fair, but not great.
Colors are rather appealing, though. The film's interiors are the usual old-time dark color palette, with browns and other similar colors. The outside shots display a wider range, with the trees displaying lovely fall colors. Colors are nicely saturated and never show any problems.
Shimmering is the biggest problem here, and once or twice it becomes irritating. Slight pixelation is visible once or twice, and some scenes look slightly grainy. There aren't any scratches or marks on the print used. This is a watchable presentation, but it would have made for a better widescreen presentation than a full-frame one.
SOUND: The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is limited in scope and not terribly engaging. The first film had a wealth of great sound sequences and consistently impressive audio. This film stays mainly to the front.
The score, which is pretty much a repeat of the original film's, is the best part of the audio, sounding clear and dynamic. Surround use is pretty minor, and not very effective when used. Some of the action scenes do sound fine, but they aren't thrilling.
Dialogue is clear and easily understood. This is a decent presentation, but it absolutely doesn't compare to the great sound that the first film contained.
MENUS:: Pretty basic menus with film-themed art.
EXTRAS: Universal has included a surprising amount of extra features with this release.
Spotlight On Location:A short, but enjoyable edition of Universal's usual "making-of" documentary series, the making of "A New Begining" takes an nicely intimate look at the making of the movie, and shows the cast and crew at work on the sets and scenes on location in Slovakia. Interviews with the director, producer and cast are included, and the documentary gives the viewer a good look at the production at work. Some of it actually reminded me of the kind of documentary feature that most IMAX films include, where the feature seems less Hollywood, and less formal. It's more enjoyable that way, and makes for a more entertaining and informative presentation. The documentary is somewhat short at 6 minutes.
The Voice Of Drake: A short featurette showing the recording process with actor Robby Benson as he records the voice of this film's dragon. Moderately interesting. A couple of minutes in length.
Animating The Dragon: A short sequence that shows the steps of how the animators added the dragon into a scene. Effects demonstrations like this one are always interesting, and this one is no exception.
Also: Trailer, production notes, cast and crew bios and web-link.
Final Thoughts: The film definitely tried for a younger audience, but still simply doesn't have the magic and fun of the first one. Universal's DVD edition is ok, but nothing special.
Other Reviews: Dragonheart: Collector's Edition; Dragonheart:DTS
I liked the first "Dragonheart" quite a bit. It wasn't anything outstanding, but with director Rob Cohen's work, it was good old-fashioned fun with a couple of good performances. Do we really need a sequel to the original? No, but we get one anyways with this direct-to-video release.
The film stars Christopher Masterson(the smirky older brother always getting into trouble on TV's "Malcolm In The Middle") as a stableboy named Geoff who wants to be a knight, but is stuck in his current position. We learn early on that Bowen(the original's Dennis Quaid) had found a dragon egg after the events that took place in the original film. Hidden for years, Geoff finds the dragon and sets out and the two become good friends.
The film can't help but seem a pale imitation to the original's flashy look and solid special effects. Instead of Sean Connery's Draco dragon character, we get Drake. The effects here aren't nearly as convincing. The story is not up to the original, as well. It's somewhat of a weak takeoff on the original with a corrupt prince making odd new rules about what people can wear and say in the kingdom.
"Malcolm"'s Masterson is funny on that show, but he seems out of place here and doesn't manage to carry the picture. "A New Begining" isn't the worst straight-to-video release I've ever seen, but it's not a necessary sequel, nor does it provide much of an interesting story.
The DVD
VIDEO: Universal presents "Dragonheart: A New Begining" in a full-frame presentation that isn't too terrible, but definitely has its share of problems. The first is certainly the idea of presenting a story like this in full-frame, taking away from the stunning scenery and sets. As for the general quality of this presentation, it does seem soft at times, but not hugely so. Clarity is good, and only some of the darker scenes seem not quite as well-defined. Detail is fair, but not great.
Colors are rather appealing, though. The film's interiors are the usual old-time dark color palette, with browns and other similar colors. The outside shots display a wider range, with the trees displaying lovely fall colors. Colors are nicely saturated and never show any problems.
Shimmering is the biggest problem here, and once or twice it becomes irritating. Slight pixelation is visible once or twice, and some scenes look slightly grainy. There aren't any scratches or marks on the print used. This is a watchable presentation, but it would have made for a better widescreen presentation than a full-frame one.
SOUND: The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is limited in scope and not terribly engaging. The first film had a wealth of great sound sequences and consistently impressive audio. This film stays mainly to the front.
The score, which is pretty much a repeat of the original film's, is the best part of the audio, sounding clear and dynamic. Surround use is pretty minor, and not very effective when used. Some of the action scenes do sound fine, but they aren't thrilling.
Dialogue is clear and easily understood. This is a decent presentation, but it absolutely doesn't compare to the great sound that the first film contained.
MENUS:: Pretty basic menus with film-themed art.
EXTRAS: Universal has included a surprising amount of extra features with this release.
Spotlight On Location:A short, but enjoyable edition of Universal's usual "making-of" documentary series, the making of "A New Begining" takes an nicely intimate look at the making of the movie, and shows the cast and crew at work on the sets and scenes on location in Slovakia. Interviews with the director, producer and cast are included, and the documentary gives the viewer a good look at the production at work. Some of it actually reminded me of the kind of documentary feature that most IMAX films include, where the feature seems less Hollywood, and less formal. It's more enjoyable that way, and makes for a more entertaining and informative presentation. The documentary is somewhat short at 6 minutes.
The Voice Of Drake: A short featurette showing the recording process with actor Robby Benson as he records the voice of this film's dragon. Moderately interesting. A couple of minutes in length.
Animating The Dragon: A short sequence that shows the steps of how the animators added the dragon into a scene. Effects demonstrations like this one are always interesting, and this one is no exception.
Also: Trailer, production notes, cast and crew bios and web-link.
Final Thoughts: The film definitely tried for a younger audience, but still simply doesn't have the magic and fun of the first one. Universal's DVD edition is ok, but nothing special.
Other Reviews: Dragonheart: Collector's Edition; Dragonheart:DTS
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