Editorials
‘Reign of Fire’ – Underrated Monster Movie Pit McConaughey and Bale Up Against Dragons
From fire-breathing beasts to benevolent nature spirits, dragons are present in the myths of nearly every single culture. And while popular media has mostly defaulted to traditional western fantasy drakes instead of exploring the extensive mythology behind East Asian and even Central American dragons, it makes sense that there’s an overabundance of stories featuring these legendary reptiles.
Fortunately, there are still some innovative storytellers willing to come up with fresh takes on familiar monsters, and one of my favorite draconic reinventions happens to be Rob Bowman’s post-apocalyptic creature feature Reign of Fire, an underrated early 2000s gem that was only a couple of drafts away from greatness.
While the end result was undoubtedly a product of its time, the story behind Reign of Fire begins in the mid 90s with an unrecognizable spec script written by Kevin Peterka and Gregg Chabot. This early version of the story followed monster-slaying firefighters in a world where dragons occasionally popped up like natural disasters. However, Spyglass Media would later recruit Matt Greenberg to revise the screenplay into something bigger and more action-packed, with the initial premise slowly morphing into a post-apocalyptic epic set in a world of ash as Bowman stepped in to direct.
In the finished film, a pre-Batman Christian Bale plays Quinn, the leader of a group of survivors in a dragon-infested wasteland who take refuge in the ruins of a British castle. While Quinn believes that the dragons will eventually die out on their own after having destroyed nearly every source of food, his community is soon visited by a group of American dragon-slayers (led by a lovably hammy Matthew McConaughey) who are convinced that eliminating the only male dragon is the only way to guarantee a future for mankind.
Unfortunately, it seems that Spyglass’ retooling of the script wasn’t enough to guarantee a hit, with the film underperforming at the box office while also failing to impress critics. Reign of Fire would eventually earn itself a cult following as its stars found success in other projects, but it never became the multi-media franchise that its creators had originally intended.
SO WHY IS IT WORTH WATCHING?
I’m not going to sit here and pretend that Reign of Fire is a misunderstood masterpiece, as the story isn’t very original and the muddied visuals can’t quite convey the film’s big ideas, but there’s no denying the B-movie glee that permeates the entire project. Sure, the studio-mandated rewrites may have neutered what was once a novel premise, but there are still enough flashes of brilliance here to make the experience worthwhile.
From subtle character moments like when our protagonist teams up with Gerard Butler to retell a simplified version of the end of The Empire Strikes Back to the subversion of familiar fantasy tropes, there’s plenty to love here if you can stomach some clichéd dialogue and predictable action.
The charismatic cast also does a miraculous job of elevating the material here. Christian Bale makes for a perfect no-nonsense lead, with his cautious persona really selling the idea that this man has spent his entire life knowing that humanity is no longer at the top of the food chain. In fact, he even intended to play Quinn as a realistically emaciated husk of a man until he was reminded that he would have to survive a plethora of action scenes.
That being said, Matthew McConaughey stands out as the most interesting character of the bunch, with his exaggerated gruff exterior making him a joy to watch even if his backstory and dragon-killing hijinks suggest a much more entertaining movie than the one we ultimately got.
Of course, what really makes this movie special is how it was produced during a brief period when blockbuster filmmaking still allowed for the construction of stylized sets and costumes while only relying on CGI for what was truly impossible. This means that, while the story was still disappointingly by-the-numbers, the film still benefited from a somber personality that simply couldn’t be replicated by green screens.
WHAT MAKES IT HORROR ADJACENT?
Did I mention that this film is about dragons?
Reign of Fire expertly depicts its antagonists as horrific forces of nature, with the film’s characters fearing the silhouette of their wings much like a Kansas native might fear the initial gusts of a tornado. Sure, there’s no real gore when the beasts attack (mostly due to the fact that these dragons tend to burn their victims to a crisp before ingesting them), but the predatory mannerisms of these giant man-eaters more than makes up for that.
And while I would have preferred it if the filmmakers had used more practical effects during the dragon attacks, it’s worth noting that the biological design of these monsters was so effective that it’s still being reused today in modern media, with everything from Harry Potter to Game of Thrones taking inspiration from this twenty-year-old monster movie when it comes to making dragons seem believable.
The post-apocalyptic setting itself is also horrific enough on its own, with this ashen hellscape making it clear that life is only barely worth living at this point. The film may focus on its proposed mash-up of fantasy storytelling and modern cinematic action, but it’s the impeccable set design and ashen visuals that make this experience memorable.
Again, Reign of Fire isn’t trying to reinvent the monster movie wheel, relying on (literally) age-old tropes to tell its familiar story, but this post-apocalyptic epic is still far more entertaining than it has any right to be. While I would still like to see another film tackle the original version of this screenplay, I still appreciate the draconic action that we got – which is why I think the gray world of Reign of Fire is still worth revisiting over two decades later.
There’s no understating the importance of a balanced media diet, and since bloody and disgusting entertainment isn’t exclusive to the horror genre, we’ve come up with Horror Adjacent – a recurring column where we recommend non-horror movies that horror fans might enjoy.
No conversation about cartoons based on live-action movies is ever complete without mentioning The Real Ghostbusters.
This animated continuation is, warts and all, a notable example of turning a hit movie into a hit series. And although the new target demographic skewed a little younger, even kids-at-heart could partake in the further adventures of Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, Winston Zeddemore and Egon Spengler.
For a good part of its run, the show required fans to wait at least a week for more Ghostbustin’. That’s torture for a kiddo. Luckily, though, the entire series, or at least most of it, is now available for streaming.
So, as you revisit The Real Ghostbusters on Tubi—for now it’s just the first five seasons there—use this guide to help prioritize some must-see episodes.
The Boogieman Cometh
“The Boogieman Cometh” (Season 1)
Season One’s “The Boogieman Cometh” is a classic episode featuring one of the show’s more iconic villains. It’s hard to forget the unique character design used for the Boogieman (whose creepy voice was provided by Ray and Slimer’s actor, Frank Welker). In this story, Egon is reunited with that bump-in-the-night entity who haunted his own childhood, all while trying to keep him away from his latest targets: the brother and sister claiming to have the Boogieman in their closet. Although the Ghostbusters do save the day here, the Boogieman eventually returns (“The Bogeyman Is Back“). That same episode also features the love-’em-or-hate-’em Junior Ghostbusters.
Mr. Sandman, Dream Me a Dream
“Mr. Sandman, Dream Me a Dream” (Season 1)
You could say the namesake of “Mr. Sandman, Dream Me a Dream” had good intentions for putting mankind to sleep for the next few centuries—he wanted to end war and keep everyone dreaming. Sounds nice until you remember that whole free will business. But when it seems like the Ghostbusters have lost to their latest foe, the last one standing, Winston, gains a sudden ally. Janine’s dream of becoming a Ghostbuster is manifested, and she helps put this rogue spirit to bed.
When Halloween Was Forever
“When Halloween Was Forever” (Season 1)
Before the show’s execs capitalized on Slimer’s popularity by making him the focus of later episodes, early stories like “When Halloween Was Forever” better utilized that gooey ghost. Here, the spirit of Halloween itself, Samhain, hopes to make the holiday a permanent thing by stopping time. And who does the embodiment of All Hallows’ Eve use in his nefarious plot? Slimer, of course. Thankfully, the lil’ green bud knows where he really belongs, and Samhain is banished (at least until Season 3’s “Halloween II 1/2“).
Night Game
“Night Game” (Season 2)
Because Season Two was rather long, in comparison to other seasons, it accumulated quite a few solid episodes. One of the most beloved, though, is that ultimate good-versus-evil story, “Night Game“. Winston gets to shine here as he participates in a battle that was 500 years in the making. Except this time, the fighting is done on the baseball field. The other-dimensional settings in The Real Ghostbusters are always great, but the one here is particularly memorable.
Drool, the Dog-Faced Goblin
“Drool, the Dog-Faced Goblin” (Season 2)
Not all ghosts and whatnot were bad in The Real Ghostbusters. As “Drool, the Dog-Faced Goblin” showed, some were actually benevolent. Sadly, it took a lot of convincing, and one very heroic act, for Peter and the others to see past this goblin’s grotesque appearance. The heroes find more than one shapeshifter at a sideshow carnival in the Poconos; a sinister Class-4er called the Metamorph does a swell job of menacing the Ghostbusters before they finally realize Drool’s not their culprit. The good guys indeed win here, but that victory is a bittersweet one.
The Collect Call of Cathulhu
“The Collect Call of Cathulhu” (Season 2)
While “The Collect Call of Cathulhu” does misspell “Cthulhu” in the title (probably to avoid legal issues), it is clearly the Old One in this Lovecraft-inspired episode. The story kicks off with the Necronomicon being stolen by the deity’s modern-day cult, who then raise their ancient god at Coney Island. From there, the Ghostbusters’ typical methods don’t work on the big guy, so they seek advice from an old issue of Weird Tales (or “Wierd Tales”, as it’s spelled on screen). That build-up to the finale comes with a decent amount of dread before the Ghostbusters, as well as a scholar named Alice, face off with one of the show’s most powerful entities.
Knock, Knock
“Knock, Knock” (Season 2)
A number of Real Ghostbusters episodes could be reworked into big-screen features, but perhaps “Knock, Knock” is the most hopeful. It helps that this story feels in step with the first two movies. Here, some ignorant construction workers accidentally uncover and open an ancient door in the subway. What’s behind said door is none other than those unspeakable evils that only the Ghostbusters can quell. A good deal of the imagery here is prime for adaptation.
The Grundel
“The Grundel” (Season 3)
One of the darker episodes, which was written by the prominent J. Michael Straczynski, is “The Grundel“. Here, a boy is being influenced by the titular entity, a type of ghost who ultimately turns his targets into new Grundels. The episode does have something of an after-school special quality to it, but that doesn’t take away from the eerier moments. For more Grundel lore, be sure to check out the episode “Grundelesque” from the sequel series, Extreme Ghostbusters.
Standing Room Only
“Standing Room Only” (Season 4)
It’s no secret that The Real Ghostbusters experienced multiple changes after the second season. Out of all of them, though, retooling the show so that Slimer would get more of the spotlight is maybe the most egregious. Thankfully, Season Four (the first to be called Slimer! and the Real Ghostbusters) didn’t completely obey that new directive; episodes like “Standing Room Only” felt more like the old days. The focus here was on the well-being of the city and its people, rather than on the series’ green mascot (or the Junior Ghostbusters). In the episode, Peter’s new ghost attractor isn’t to blame for the ensuing chaos; the ghost-eating Mee-Krah is what’s really imperiling everyone. And the Ghostbusters must dish out everything they have to avoid a doomsday situation.
The Halloween Door
“The Halloween Door” (Season 5)
While many fans will skip the later seasons in their rewatches, episodes like “The Halloween Door” are still worth checking out. This colorful helping of Halloween pandemonium premiered on primetime, so the animation is better than usual. And save for a random musical moment, it’s an enjoyable event. Here, a group of anti-Halloweeners tries to cancel the holiday, but they only end up making things worse by unleashing a baddie named Boogaloo.
The first five seasons of The Real Ghostbusters are available on Tubi, starting on July 15.
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