Dragonslayer (4k UHD) (Steelbook) Review

Chances are if Dragon is in the title, I probably enjoy the movie. Dragonheart, Enter the Dragon, Flight of the Dragons, even Pete’s Dragon are all very enjoyable. I even kinda liked Double Dragon but I don’t speak about that in mixed company. But today, I’m very excited to share with you perhaps my favorite Dragon-titled movie of them all, Dragonslayer. Back in 1981, it was considered a flop by many standards and up until this year, there was only a DVD release from 2003. Now, not only do we have a blu-ray release, we also have an absolutely gorgeous 4k disc. More inside, let’s check it out.

Let’s cue that amazing score by Alex North. We see a trail of bright torches as citizens from Urland that have traveled to Cragganmore in search of the great wizard known as Ulrich (played by Ralph Richardson). Meanwhile we see Ulrich in his castle tending to a squawking bird. He chants a spell in Latin as he looks on into a cauldron to see people shrieking and screaming.

There is a knock on the door of the castle. Hodge (played by Sydney Bromley) answers the door to see the travelers from Urland. Valerian (played by Caitlin Clarke) speaks for the group and asks to see the wizard. They are denied by Hodge but decide not to leave until they are heard. The apprentice Galen Bradwarden (played by Peter MacNicol) goes down to see Ulrich to tell him of the visitors that have arrived.

The wizard decides to see the travelers and with a little pomp and circumstance appears before them. Valerian tells him how they have led a delegation from Urland and have artifacts to show of an ancient dragon known as Vermithrax Pejorative. Scales from the mouth of the lair, a claw, no a tooth as Ulrich studies the items. Valerian goes on to tell how there is a virgin lottery where a young woman is chosen in order to appease the dragon master. They ask for the wizard’s aide on their quest to slay the dragon.

Ulrich accepts and decides to take his apprentice with him. On the following morning before they can start on the journey, the group of adventurers are stopped by Tyrian (played by John Hallam), Captain of the Royal Guard. He questions if Ulrich is the right person for the job, if even he is a real wizard. Ulrich studies Tyrian and tells Galen that he forgot something in the castle. The apprentice runs to fetch the item. Meanwhile, the wizard says an enchantment and tells Tyrian to stab him in the chest claiming that he won’t be hurt.

Once Galen is inside, he realizes something is very wrong and starts to scream out to the wizard from the tower. But the wizard shuts all of the doors and shutters as he winks at Tyrian. Tyrian stabs Ulrich and the wizard slumps to the floor, dead much to the shock of everyone around them. After the body is cremated, the ashes are put into a leather pouch to be sprinkled over a lake of burning water as the wizard wished. The amulet that the wizard wore decides to chose Galen as the next wearer. With that, Galen and Hodge join the adventuring party and set off to find a dragon. They must bring it down once and for all.

This is a wonderful tale that is well acted by everyone in the production. Peter MacNicol and Caitlin Clarke do most of the heavy lifting but there are so many fantastic supporting roles right down to Peter Eyre who plays the absolutely dreadful King Casiodorus Ulfilas. It’s clever as well and helps to put many sword and sorcery clichés to rest such as an all powerful wizard, the princess always lives (sorry if I’m spoiling a 40 year old movie) and the conquering hero is acknowledged for years to come (it’s very funny what actually happens) among others.

It should also be said that the design of Vermithrax Perjorative is probably the best representation of a dragon in both look and character in a film of all time. And by character, a dragon at least according to classic literature is a foul, conniving, aggressive monster that has no contempt for anyone except for its own young perhaps. Sorry, How to Train Your Dragon is an insult at best. Dragonslayer is perhaps the only movie that quickly comes to mind as how to make an effective and dark dragon-centric movie (I would be willing to argue that LOTR: Two Towers or the Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug fits as well assuming one truly portrays those movies as dark).

Video

The video is in 2.35:1 widescreen in HEVC / H.265 with a native 4K presentation. The disc runs about 50 mpbs on average(BD-66 disc). I know many of us were holding onto our DVDs, in fact this is probably one of the last couple dozen or so films I still had on DVD, that’s how long its been. Thankfully, this wonderful presentation is one of Paramount’s best far beating out some other disappointing transfers.

Color is rich, clarity is great with a surprising amount of depth. There is a healthy amount of organic grain and it’s not been DNR’ed to death as the case with a lot of films from this era making the jump to 4k. The cinematography is wonderful and we get to see a lot of great shots from North Wales and Scotland where they decided to film this. I will say that some of the final battle scenes had some issues, but I’m willing to guess that’s more of a master issue than a true problem with this presentation. Excellent all around.

Audio

The audio for this one is Dolby Atmos (English) and also a French Mono track. Subtitles are provided in English, English SDH and French. Wait, we got an Atmos track for Dragonslayer? Modern day action movies don’t even get Atmos tracks in 4k sometimes. However, this is one of the most fun tracks in recent memory with great immersion and sound quality.

In addition to a expansive use of surrounds without feeling inauthentic, the dialog is clear and primarily in the center speaker but does not feel hollow. It’s a very full track and while we could sit here and be disappointed about no original audio option, it does the job and then some. Nothing but love for this audio and one that will give your speakers and sub the workout it needs. That wonderful Alex North score, I’m telling ya, it feels so good here.

Note: For those interested in the Soundtrack, there are 40th anniversary editions out by La-La-Land that you can still find on eBay and other related places. I was able to score a cd copy for under $20.

Special Features

PLACEHOLDER: I will add some pictures of the steelbook when I get a minute(which has been hard lately).

Commentary by Director Matthew Robbins and Guillermo Del Toro: This was a pleasant surprise as this was one of the best commentaries I’ve listened to in the last few years. It feels like a conversation between two friends with Guillermo who has really done his homework for a movie that he very evidently really loves. At times, he comes across as very excited but it adds to the commentary and we learn a lot along the way including details about themes, cast, score and more.
The Slayer of All Dragons 1:03:24: There are several sections including Welcome to Cragganmore, A Long Way to Urland, Vermithrax Pejorative, Into the Lake of Fire and the Final Battle. This goes into everything and anything about Dragonslayer and is an extremely entertaining documentary. Matthew Robbins, Phil Tippett, and Dennis Muren among other members of the crew talk to us about all of the interesting details. It’s a shame it took this long to do a proper documentary as so many of the production are no longer with us.
Original Theatrical Trailer 1:58: The original trailer. Something about these older trailers, they always seemed to try just a little harder to market the film.
Screen Tests 15:42: There are several of these. The most important ones are the ones that contrast and compare the character of Valerian acted by Maureen Teefy and Caitlin Clarke who were apparently both up for the role. Of course, we know that Caitlin was awarded the role, my guess is that it was easier to mask her as a teenage boy which was central to the plot.

Final Thoughts

This production was originally a partnership between Paramount and Disney of all companies. The film was very misunderstood as many audiences were expecting something akin to Sword in the Stone or Robin Hood and certainly got neither of those. It had a budget of 18 million and made just 14 million unfortunately. Paramount held the rights here in the US and really didn’t do much with the film at all. However, as time went on, the popularity of this film grew in spades and fits in the realm of a true cult classic. It’s a grand achievement, I wish there had been more films like it. It’s a shame that it took nearly forty years to realize it though.

This 4k package is already a front runner for disc of the year in my eyes. It has great video, amazing audio and a bevy of new extras that should delight any Dragonslayer or Fantasy fan in your house. I learned so many things with the new material and made me truly appreciate what the creators of this film went through so many years ago. Heavily recommended, it’s an awesome package and one that I hope brings new fans into the mix for years to come. Enjoy.