Movie Review: Age of the Dragons

Age of the Dragons a.k.a The White Dragons a.k.a Curse of the Dragon a.k.a Dragon Fire

Koan, Metrodome Cosmic Pictures, Incentive Films, Cinedome, Dragon Quest Productions, Outpost Studios, USA, 2011.

DVD cover says that the movie is adaptation of Herman Melville's "Moby-Dick" with dragons! Let's see how this fares.

Young Ahab (Raphael Cruz) was a hunter who met his match one day when White Dragon killed his sister (Yanique Bland). Ahab gets burned badly and swears revenge.

White Dragon

Ishmael (Corey Sevier) and Queequeg (Kepa Kruse) want to hunt dragons with Ahab. Dragon vitriol is a valuable as lamp oil. Starbuck (David Morgan) and Stubb (Vinnie Jones) challenge Ishmael for harpooning contest. Stubb is the most experienced hunter of the Ahab's crew and Starbuck is devoutly religious. Ahab's adopted daughter Rachel (Sofia Pernas) manages the business side of the vitriol hunting but she can also fight. Old geezer (Wayne Brennan) predicts that they will die.

Ishmael and Queequeg

Starbuck and Stubb

Rachel

The ship Pequod is in this version steampunk-style armoured personnel carrier. Ahab (Danny Glover) is also follower of the slit goggle (or Inuit snow goggle) fashion trend likewise Rammstein, Lee Marvin in "Death Hunt" and Lords of Death- gang in "Big Trouble in Little China." As Danny Glover had only little time available for this movie, a stunt double was used for the scenes where Ahab appears masked. Also Vinnie Jones has very limited screen time.

Pequod

Some examples of slit goggles in popular culture

Ahab promises a triple reward for the man who first spots the White Dragon. The men have to swear to hunt the White Dragon until death. Raw dragon vitriol is dangerous substance and explodes with contact of air and it also glows in the dark (the stuff almost certainly contains white phosphorus). Wretched cook Flask (Larry Bagby) is responsible for the vitriol extraction. The purpose of the hunting trip is not to earn money, but to satisfy Ahab's revenge. Then follow mutiny, betrayals and dark revelations.

Ahab

A good Moby-Dick adaption has always to be successful in building the impending sense of doom. No wonder many metal bands have found inspiration by it (Mastodon, Ahab, even Led Zeppelin and also numerous bands named Moby Dick). "Age of the Dragons" manages to maintain the dark atmosphere throughout the film. However it does not achieve the furiousity of the finale of "Moby Dick" with Gregory Peck (1956).

Ryan Little directed good WWII movie "Saints and Soldiers" and its sequels. J Bateman's music is good and the cinematography looks nice. Let's say that the first half of the film looks decent. Much of the dialogue is taken from Melville's book, just substituting whale for dragon. Danny Glover's Ahab is suitably obsessed and crazy character. The story's fantasy setting is not unacceptable. Why not, there is also an anime adaptation "Hakugei Densetsu" where the whales are whale-shaped spaceships. Not to mention the Asylym version 2010: Moby Dick. For a Syfy movie this looks seriously made without any satirical humour. However the second half takes a wrong direction with standard adventure cliches, forced love story and disappointing finale. Also Queequeg is made a bit boring character instead of mysterious aboriginal.Thus it fails to be fully satisfactory adaptation of the classic story.

Rating: Average

Starring: Danny Glover, Vinnie Jones, Corey Sevier, Sofia Pernas, Larry Bagby, Kepa Kruse, David Morgan, Raphael Cruz, Yanique Bland, Wayne Brennan, McKay Daines, John Lyde, Scott Chun, Amy Micalizio, Brianne Aglaure, Brandon Anderson, Christian Purser, Ryan Don Devey, Valeria Madsen, Preston Gibbs, Mark Oliphant, Gloria Hansen, Ross Howard, David Turley, Chris Larsen, Nathan Harward, Erik Madsen, Erich Cannon, Savannah Ostler

Director: Ryan Little