Dragonslayer

r and mostly forgettable. As are the rest of the cast in truth, I can't say their performances will stick in my mind either unfortunately. I can see how some people would enjoy this. I did, just not majorly.

fully showing the beast until well into the second hour of the film. Prior to that moment the film expertly builds up a heap of horrific anticipation concerning the creature. The first virgin sacrifice scene is particularly terrifying. When we finally DO see the monster it's not a let down. Despite the film's age, this has to be one of better dragons to appear in cinema. I've heard some complain that MacNicol was wrong for the role of the protagonist. I disagree. He's easy to relate to because he's a flawed human being with naive, boyish qualities, not a larger-than-life superhero, like Conan or Beastmaster. I've also heard some complain that the heroine, Caitlin Clarke, is too "man-ish" looking. Well, duh, that fits into the whole sacrificial lottery plot. When Caitlin ultimately (and uncertainly) dons a dress & make-up she's woman enough. The Dark Age sets/costumes/locations really impressed me. If you're in the mood for a top-of-the-line medieval flick with castles, dungeons, forests, villages, fair maidens, kings, sorcerers and caves, this one fills the bill. "Dragonslayer" was an inexplicable flop at the box office when it was released, perhaps due to the glut of sword & sorcery pictures in the early 80s. But that doesn't mean you can't discover it (or rediscover it) and savor it now. The film runs 1 hour, 48 minutes and was shot in Scotland (Skye) and Wales (Snowdonia & North Wales) with studio stuff done at Pinewood Studios, near London. GRADE: B+