Dragonheart: Vengeance – Netflix Review (3/5)

DRAGONHEART: VENGEANCE is a new movie on Netflix. Helena Bonham Carter voices the ice-breathing dragon, Siveth. And let’s be honest, that’s definitely more than enough reason to check it out. Read our full Dragonheart: Vengeance review here!

Dragonheart: Vengeance is a new movie on Netflix in the US which is also being released on VOD, DVD, and Blu-ray. The plot features a dragon that breathes ice instead of fire. Yes, it sounds very Game of Thrones and in some ways it is… but only very little.

Also, since this movie is part of the franchise spawned from the 1996 movie Dragonheart, it did the whole “dragon” thing way before the HBO hit series. For the record, this movie is very much an action-adventure fantasy movie for the whole family. It does also have dark moments so it’s not for a younger audience on their own.

We’re covering it here at Heaven of Horror since the Fantasy genre is often a good “gateway”-genre for horror and sci-fi. Continue reading our Dragonheart: Vengeance review below and check it out on Netflix now!

The Dragonheart film franchise

While Dragonheart began its movie franchise back in 1996, Dragonheart: Vengeance is far from the first sequel.

In fact, this new movie on Netflix follows a total of four movies. After Dragonheart came Dragonheart: A New Beginning in 2000 and then Dragonheart 3: The Sorcerer’s Curse in 2015. Then in 2017 there was Dragonheart: Battle for the Heartfire in which Patrick Stewart voiced the dragon.

In the 1996 original, Sean Connery voiced the dragon with voice actor, Robby Benson, taking on the job in the second movie. Ben Kingley took over for the third installment and then the abovementioned Patrick Stewart came onboard for the 2017 movie.

For Dragonheart: Vengeance, it’s finally time for a female dragon which means a woman is voicing it. And for this movie, we get Helena Bonham Carter which is a damn good choice. Just like the men, who voiced the dragons before her, she has a strong and distinct voice.

Watch it for Helena

Helena Bonham Carter is actually the perfect dragon and you should watch it for her performance alone. Her voice exudes both warmth and authority. Something I honestly had not considered before since she tends to portray a lot of quirky characters.

Of course, she has also been nominated for two Academy Awards for more serious roles in The King’s Speech (2010) and The Wings of the Dove (1997). And yes, we are talking about the same Helena Bonham Carter who tends to be in all Tim Burton movies – often alongside Johnny Depp.

Also, she’s been amazing in everything from David Fincher’s Fight Club to Tom Hooper’s Les Misérables. Basically, even if you don’t think you know her, then you most certainly will have watched something with her. Otherwise, you’ve been missing out on some of the greatest movies ever made.

Basically, Helena Bonham-Carter is just brilliant in everything she does and has made some damn fine movie choices during the course of her long career. Is my inner fangirl showing yet?!

The cast of Dragonheart: Vengeance

Alongside the voice of Helena Bonham Carter, we have Jack Kane as the main protagonist. If you’ve watched The A List series (review here) or the amazing and damn scary realistic HBO mini-series Years and Years, then you should recognize his face.

Don’t miss out on this: Read our review of the HBO mini-series Years and Years here >

Also in a key co-starring role, we have Joseph Millson. He’s been in everything from the James Bond movie Casino Royale (2006) to Angel Has Fallen (2019).

When the movie begins, it all seems very Disney, but this changes within minutes. However, be warned that this is very much a movie for the whole family. Something the very light and often somewhat silly score highlights. Finally, it seems to feature non-English speakers in tiny roles since they’re clearly dubbed.

Watch Dragonheart: Vengeance on Netflix now!

Ivan Silvestrini is the director of Dragonheart: Vengeance. While he has quite a few (often foreign) movies and TV series on his resume, I am not familiar with any of them. However, many of them have really good IMDb ratings which is always a good indication.

The screenplay was written by Matthew Feitshans – based on characters created by Patrick Read Johnson and
Charles Edward Pogue who came up with the original 1996 movie. Matthew Feitshans only has two other writing credits on his resume but they’re the two previous Dragonheart movies, so it makes perfect sense in that regard.

If you enjoy the whole Dragonheart franchise adventure, then you really should check out this movie on Netflix. Just remember to watch this for what it is. In other words, don’t expect a movie in the dark and gritty style you know from Game of Thrones. This is an adventure for the whole family!

Dragonheart: Vengeance is out on Netflix in the US from February 4, 2020.

Details

Director: Ivan Silvestrini
Writers: Matthew Feitshans
Stars: Joseph Millson, Jack Kane, Arturo Muselli, Helena Bonham Carter