This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

Firstly, the synopsis: partial immortality??? What the heck is partial immortality? You are either immortal or you are not. More often than not it felt like I was watching a stage play instead of a movie. The film was also much too lighthearted to be taken seriously. If intended as a comedy, it wasn't funny, though, it was silly. I found it cartoonish at times. The film is laden with flaws, conveniences and assumptions that render the film more suited for a young demographic, as it might not appeal to a mature audience, who will not find it very believable or convincing. The character's actions leave very little to be desired. There are so many instances where characters hears conversations from meters away, and arrive just in time to continue a conversation. Uhm, really...! This is so Hollywood!David Thewlis was not very convincing as the antagonist. Dennis Quaid was kind of likable as the hero, but then again, he generally is. I did enjoy Sean Connery's voice. Oh, that voice!Ok, so the film had a cool ending. It still did not compensate for all the silliness. The visual effects were great.

Rob Cohen's Dragonheart is old school adventure done right, a rollicking medieval tale in the tradition of other classics such as Willow and Legend. There's a ton of medieval movies in Hollywood, the two prototypes being the grim, grainy, serious stuff and the lighthearted, whimsical entries. This falls splendidly in the second category, a rousing bit of sword and sorcery fun from beginning to end. Also, how can you say no to a movie with a dragon voiced by Sean Connery? You can't, that's how. You dig up an old VHS and wade knee deep into nostalgia for a couple hours, revisiting this treasure of olden times (by olden times I mean the 90's. Damn.. that was already over a decade ago). Dennis Quaid, sporting hairdo that would make Dog the Bounty hunter drop to his knees, plays Bowen, a knight sworn to King Einon, (a super young and decidedly nasty David Thewlis) who turns out to be a rotten bastard that wishes to attain immortality using the fabled heart of a dragon, which possesses mysterious powers. Bowen rebels and takes up with the last known dragon of its species, a magnificent creature named Draco (given the magnifishent voishe of Sean Connery), who happens to be the beast that gave half his heart to save the King years earlier. Einon now pursues them, sparking a battle that erupts into the third act with impressive spectacle. Julie Christie, Jason Isaacs and an invisible John Gieldud provide nice supporting turns. The late and very great Pete Postlethwaite seriously steals the show as Gilburt of Glockenspur, a spirited travelling monk who assists Bowen and Draco in their quest. The banter between Quaid and Connery spices things up so that we are just as entranced by their verbal collaboration as we are seeing them in action. Do yourself a favour and avoid the garbage sequel. Rewatch this instead! It's a gem.

I've finally reached my fifties, but I still love this film as much as the first day I saw it in the cinema. It's a relevant thought, you see, because as I browsed the reviews I came face to face with an old acquaintance -- the realisation that childlike wonder and imagination are actually rare enough to be in short supply, enough to justifiably call those resources scarce.I raised an eyebrow, vexed, as people complained about realism; I've heard complaints of the improbability of a dragon's ambulatory system without ever the self awareness to realise that with a few tweaks to physics to account for a different world -- one where magic exists as an institution and resource, no less -- along with some fixes to common misconceptions of dragons and animal biology that one could make anything probable. Clever people call this 'escapism,' a retreat into a fantasy, fictitious world unlike our own. Escapism goes so much further than daydreams of attractive sexual partners and fast cars.Here I see in the 'goofs' section that the dragon's wings don't generate downdraft. Who says they need to? A man in Britain created a box that could generate quantum thrust by manipulating lasers. Who's to say that a dragon's lift doesn't work the same way? Cries off realism come only from dull, mundane, typical minds. Not anyone who's especially brilliant would even mistake fantasy for reality in the first place. Truly, if one is unable to discern that dragon's exist in the realm of the improbable, so far separated from our own, then they've bigger problems than 'unrealistic' dragons.The pseudo-intellectual of below average intelligence complains of unrealism, thinking himself clever. The truly clever person possessed of a sharp mind and considerable wit finds the challenge of explaining other realities with their own physical laws fun!So, to wit, this is a lovely film, heartwarming, ingenious, and with a fantabulous showing from Mr. Connery. You may like it, but you should probably only watch it if you're clever enough to understand the distinctions and boundaries between reality and fantasy. Though individuals quite clever enough for that are evidently few and far between.Don't apply if you subscribe oxymoronically to 'I don't want fantasy in my fantasy, only reality with the rules of that even normalised and simplified into mundanity enough that I'm able to actually understand it;' Or if you're inclined to prefer bat-like dragon's over their six- limbed cousins because they're more realistic (without being erudite enough to realise why that statement makes no sense, because playing by those rules the ambulatory pressure problems created by such a large, flying creature would make bat-like dragons every bit as unrealistic). If either of the prior is true, you're not good enough for this film. It deserves a better audience.If, however, that gave you a chuckle rather than fired your ire, you may just be good enough for it. In which case you really should watch it!

Dragonheart (1996): Dir: Rob Cohen / Cast: Dennis Quaid, David Thewlis, Dina Meyers, Pete Postlethwaite / Voices: Sean Connery: Energetic fantasy about importance of sacrifice, friendship and love. Dennis Quaid plays a knight who is assigned to protect the young King but when injured in battle the King is taken to a wise dragon who donates a heart in return that the King rule wisely. The King becomes greedy and Quaid blames the heart and vows to slay every dragon he can, with the obvious one remaining. What are the odds of that? Eventually they form a plan where Quaid hunts Draco repeatedly for money before they attempt to dethrone the King. Story is repetitious with a ridiculous climax but the visual effects bring out that young at heart feeling. The dragon is a triumphant visual wonder voiced by Sean Connery who brings personality and purpose to the dragon's sense of worth. Director Rob Cohen has fun with the fantasy elements. Quaid survives as a knight who wishes to repair a wrong, but much of the acting is bad. David Thewlis as the tyrant King is straight forward and too juvenile. Dina Meyers is the obvious potential love interest and otherwise useless. The visual effects are the payoff and unfortunately it isn't enough. An attempt to recapture fantasy will appeal to that audience while others will find that it breathes more fumes than fire. Score: 4 ½ / 10