There Be Dragons Directed by:Roland Jaffe Starring: Charlie Cox, Wes Bentley, Olga Kurylenko Rating: NR Release Date: May 6, 2011
TRAILER SCORE: 8/10
MY THOUGHTS: There Be Dragons suffers through a few insufferable spots in its beginning. For starters, I'm sure that the title has an explicit person, but I can't shake the feeling that "there be dragons" sounds kind of like a pirate. I mean, it's not a huge deal, but can't you just picture an old sea salt saying "aargh, there be dragons ahead"? But then again, that may be my bag of crazy. The other thing that I can't help but get annoyed by is the lack of any real Spanish presence when it's a movie about events in Spanish history. There's something about watching a movie that takes place in Spain but is spoken almost entirely in English that rings false to me.
Still, in terms of the trailer itself, I've definitely seen worse. It's a compelling story and the trailer sells it almost immediately. The rhythm of the editing conveys a sense of urgency that defies words. Plus, one thing that Jaffe sells better than anyone is historical drama. The Killing Fields alone almost makes me forget he did the Demi Moore version of The Scarlet Letter. It looks like it's got a great mixture of drama while satisfying the bloodlust of action fans, while not avoiding sentimentality or compassion. All in all, it looks like an impressive effort again from Mr. Jaffe and his cast, even if there are a few problems here and there.