The film by T. Bekmambetov “He is the Dragon”, based on the book by Dyachenko “Ritual”, I think it is worth visiting the cinema next evening.
He is like a breath of fresh air in modern Russian cinema, so light, romantic and unobtrusive.
From the first minute, the film seems to envelop and carry away to the unusual pagan world of pre-Christian Ancient Russia.
True, the writers left little of the book, perhaps a little changed the concept itself, adapting a meaningful with a greater share of philosophy plot for the TV screen, but it does not become boring and of the same type.
Surprisingly bright, filled with live colors and a detailed picture, no matter how it sounds, catches and remains in memory for a long time afterwards, causing a fleeting smile and a pleasant “aftertaste”.
Many see in “He’s the Dragon” long-overdue and already hated “Twilight” (they say, the storyline of the main characters is identical, and the stamps are repeated). Yes, perhaps the plot is similar, but our film has a completely different semantic component, and I honestly do not understand how people who watched it do not see it.
The highlight of the film is undoubtedly its central character - Dragon, not for nothing special effects were engaged in Sergey Nevshupov, as part of the studio Weta Digital, who worked on Avatar, King Kong and Lord of the Rings. And thanks to him, the legendary Smaug is immediately remembered, who could compete in visualization with Arm-ann.
It is impossible not to mention the uniquely selected musical compositions that added color and charm to the film.
The weather was beautiful, the princess was terrible.
The story of Marina and Sergey Dyachenko “Ritual”, read far eight years ago, but was so sunk in the soul by the unusual interpretation of the banal history of the ancient lizard and the “beautiful” princess that it was impossible to pass by the film adaptation for motives.
According to common thinking, to go to the cinema for Russian fantasy considered below its dignity, but if the soul asks for a mythological fairy tale with home delivery - the most.
People probably don’t believe in dragons any more than they do in the perfect coincidence of a literary work with its adaptation. Moreover, it also happens that the director’s interpretation is sometimes better than the book plot. I dare say that the embodiment of the story “Ritual” Dyachenko in the debut film of Indar Jendubaev “He is a dragon” just from this timid ten. There are, of course, reservations (where without them?), but with the right mood of the viewer they are quite forgivable.
In times of widespread import substitution and joy on the theme “Our Crimea”, a beautiful fairy tale about love needed to be Russified as much as possible. From here take their roots and beautiful folk costumes (bravo Marte Orlova), and birch bark toys, and the miraculous transformation of Princess Utah into Princess Miroslava. It is impossible to keep silent about the fact that the name of the grandson of the dragon-fighter is also not accidental, because it comes from the Russian George (yes, you rightly remembered the Victorious Bearer who kills the Snake with a spear and tramples it with a horse). The name of the dragon, Armand, is deliberately left unchanged as a sign of the foreign character of the hero Matvey Lykov, a distinctive feature that separates the dragon from people.
The maintenance of the Russian spirit is impossible without the revival of the Russian myth. Therefore, how and why the holiday of hats suddenly became a terrible wedding rite will be analyzed separately.
To begin with, those who do not know—I will tell you, those who know—I will refresh my memory that the zoomorphic form of the god of death is most often a serpent. One way or another, all amphibians and amphibians (frogs, lizards, turtles, crocodiles, dragons – it is necessary to emphasize) are related to the Lower world, the otherworldly world of death.
While in Ancient Russia there was a rite of worship of a swamp snake named Koshchny (correctly, we recall Koshcheya - the Russian version of Uncle Hades and the like). Maidens sacrificed to him were drowned in a river or swamp, so the girl was “married to a deity”, which was considered a great honor. With such a background, the meaning of the sad wedding laments of “Dragon Song” becomes clear. What happened during the ceremony seems to tell the viewer that jokes are bad with ancient legends - people did not believe in them for so many centuries. And here the only question is, by what right did the youngest daughter of Prince Miroslav (Maria Pezjaeva) go first under the crown with the unmarried elder sister Yaroslav? It's a mess. But we promised to forgive small things, so we'll blame it on fairy tales.
Since we touched upon the topic of the musical design of the film, I note that the compositions used are very light, airy, there is no hint of dragon brutality. The lack of “steel” could make up for the song written specifically for the film “Rite” of the group “Mill”, but the general producer Timur Bekmambetov did not approve of the song.
Separate words are a beautiful picture of the magical transformation of Armand into a dragon: fire through the veins is strong. Largely due to this, Mira’s persuasion seems so sweet and touching when a girl tries to treat him: “Please, don’t worry, okay?” That's it -- good dragon. You can whenever you want. With special effects on this, perhaps, all, although beautiful pictures in the film abound.
From the differences between the book and the film adaptation, I note that in He is a Dragon one of the fundamental motives of Dyachenko’s work, namely the internal and external transformation of the characters, is weakly manifested. The red thread throughout the story is the mention of the uglyness of the Princess of Utah, only at the end in the eyes of a loving dragon she will become beautiful. The same is true of Armand: for a long time the princess sees him as an evil, old monster (and indeed, the lizard in Dyachenko is not an example older, wiser than Armand performed by Lykov).
Heroes themselves admit that much for them for the first time. Hence the primitiveness of dialogues, and remarks like:
- You're so beautiful, Mira.
- What are you watching? Don't look!
- Why not?
- Don't you understand?
- Nope. I look at the birds, at the fish, why can’t you?
When you don’t know what it means to “live like a human being” before ethics and morality?
And, of course, no sprawling epic fight using all the ways from the folio “How to kill the Dragon”, but more definite than in the story “Ritual” end. Fair enough. The Russian Epic is good.
A stunning film that tells not only about the culture and traditions of the Old Slavic peoples and tribes (even if with fiction), but also shows how the inner resistance of a person goes during love and during love, and also talks about what love really is. Yes, as the slogan of the film says: “To love is scary”, this is the main part of the film, which is shown to the viewer.
The young girl Miroslava, young, beautiful, innocent and pure, wants to surrender to love and believe in her and, according to the instructions of her father, is going to marry Prince Igor, not out of love, but according to the rules, commandments and canons, but the circumstances turn and turn so that the girl is forced to postpone her ritual rite of marriage and be a prisoner on the island that belongs to the dragon. Here begins her true love, a real adventure, the application of which includes difficulties, difficulties, and resentments that lead to forgiveness.
It was surprising to me that it was so clearly and clearly shown, albeit in comparison, how a man feels, how he experiences inner struggles, and especially when it comes to his past, how he copes with and lives with him. Today, there are many stories where the “bad” do not like and reject them, while they themselves are not to blame, that some works have become such, and films where the “bad” hero turns into the “good” through love.
Love is like a whirlpool, and every time it is scary to plunge into it, and since each person has his own reasons for it, you can not be categorical and listen to an outside opinion. You have to listen to your heart.
This phrase mainly describes my first impression. I will admit right away: I did not even look at this film because of its main poster and title.
The opinion is subjective, of course, but I like to sometimes read romantic fantasy, and in search of such books I very often stumble upon ' stamped & #39; female (erotic) novels. In which, in addition, the topic of werewolves is touched upon, purely for the sake of additional piquancy of this genre. These books have similar covers and titles.
And yet, I wanted not only to read, but also to see something romantic-fantasy. After reading the film, I decided to watch it.
It turned out to be a beautiful fairy tale, an atmospheric legend, beautiful & #39; painted & #39; a picture! I think it should be watched by children, more impressionable and pure soul. They may not understand everything, but they will also feel what many adults miss. I don’t know if I should compare it, but I was very reminded of watching the cartoon 'Pocahontas' as a kid, especially the petal scene.
Separately note the music: charming songs that you want to listen and sing along. They really carry a sense of power and antiquity.
The dragon is very beautifully recreated: its features and animation are so real that I am once again convinced in my heart that these creatures lived, or live now somewhere far away. .
But now about the minuses: I did not really like the acting, and did not like the play of the main actress. Well, very artificially ' reads ' she has her own words. in many moments you feel directly with your skin that she is reading the text, and not living the moment with her heroine. The only thing I can say about the main character is that he talks like a person who is not used to talking. But that's how it should be. Unfortunately, in his speeches occasionally slips false, like all other actors. While watching, a strange idea came to mind: to review the film with high-quality foreign dubbing, and with Russian subtitles. . .
Only in the credits I learned that it was based on a well-known book in my circles, which I have not yet reached. I'll definitely read it now. And perhaps it's a good thing that I didn't have to watch ' the film after the book'.
Let me tell you right away that this movie was very ambiguous. But not in the sense of the plot (it is just straight up can not). The ambiguity stems from "filmed based on motives" and the choice of the actor for the main role.
Unfortunately, for me, as a viewer, it turned out to be “superfluous” reading the source. I love the novels of Sergei and Marina Dyachenko, and very clearly remember the story “Ritual”, based on which the picture was shot. The story, I will tell you right away, was almost twisted. However, the transfer of the main character to Slavic soil is not so bad. But only at first, when Miroslava, surrounded by red berries, swims to her boats on the lake to the narrowed one. Then, after that scene, I wanted to "get it all back," which is to send the writers to study the original. But unfortunately, that's impossible. The writers already include the authors themselves - Sergey and Marina Dyachenko. And a pity, the plot of the story itself is not so bad and as chamberly as the further actions of the film “He is the Dragon”.
I repent, the viewing of the picture took place thanks to the work of art photographer Yuldus Bakhtiosina. She was the one who shot the movie posters. Her magic, her photomagic, attracted her. I don't know if it's worth the money and the time, but I don't think it's much. But for one simple reason: I am not the target audience of the film.
CA "He's a Dragon" are teenagers. And in fact, the picture is our Russian or, if you like, Russian response to Twilight. In this regard, it should be noted, it is not so bad. Yes, Matvey Lykov, who played a dragon, is not actually an actor. Behind him are the Faculty of Foreign Languages of the Russian State Pedagogical University named after A. I. Herzen, the Paris International School of Film and Television and the catwalks of various Fashion Weeks around the world. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He's a model. Quite famous and in demand. Therefore, there are claims to the acting data of Matvey Lykov from critics and viewers.
However, it seemed to me that this guy, even a model, in his place. Well, yeah, it's not emotional. Who says dragons have human emotions? Matvey performs the same function as Mr. Pattinson in Twilight. Just a handsome man, just with a charismatic appearance and beautiful cheekbones. He's playing himself, apparently, and -- it comes naturally. The contrast of a cold, Nordic-restrained, reflective dragon and a mobile, emotional princess fills the film with romantic content.
Of the pluses, I note a beautiful picture that in a cold winter Slavic city that is on a warm sea, quite a good musical accompaniment (behind the minus of one shoal - rugged songs a la Brit rock or sunny California punk), a relatively logical scenario. Among the disadvantages is the simplification of the plot and, as a result, a certain pattern and linearity of the characters, the cameramanship of the picture (the film is essentially divided into two or three main characters, the rest are the background to the action). However, the intimacy is not a very significant disadvantage, it stems from the original. The story “Ritual” is also a story about two people.
You can only watch it once if you are not a teenager. This is the best alternative to Twilight, where you can sleep without losing anything. And the film “He is a dragon” is designed specifically for the Russian-speaking audience, its mentality, with a slight addition of Europeanism. In general, not everything is so bad in Mother Russeus with love stories and dragons, although there is still something to strive for.
While watching Russian cinema, and watching the large letters "FC" of the Cinema Fund of Russia, traditionally remembered Fuck. Yeah, that's right. After all, it has long been clear that the algorithm for financing paintings by the Cinema Foundation resembles “logical chains of beautiful girls with blonde hair.” No, this is by no means sexy, this is just an allegory caused by the fact that the financial performance of FC in the financial years has never been characterized by positive trends.
But sometimes there is enlightenment. "He's the Dragon" is a clear proof of that.
The story of the film is drawn from the book by Sergei and Marina Dyachenko “Ritual”. I haven’t read the book myself, so I don’t know how much history has changed from book to film. But the book has been published and re-released ten times since 1996, which means that the background of the film is quite decent. And this decent background in the script carried the authors themselves. Why all this talk? To the fact that the main grain of the story should remain intact.
Just a little bit about the grain. Or the plot. It's love. It's fake. Spontaneous. Bright and obscure. But this is love.
The love between the kidnapped princess Miroslava and the young man Armand. Between the kidnapped bride and Arm-Ann. The story is beautiful. Interesting story. It's an interesting story. See the story for yourself.
I'm not going to pick up the actors. They did their job. No, there's no deep character disclosure in this movie like Sam and Frodo in Jackson's Lord of the Rings. But the story isn't that long either. Therefore, the disclosure is enough, it clearly fits into the overall timing.
This disclosure is accompanied by a remarkable visual series. VFX in the picture at a high level. Both the drawing of dragon textures and landscape expanses do not leave a feeling of plasticity and look very realistic. What was particularly gratifying was that the dragon was not taken from the canon library of dragons called Drago. He looks original and elegant. Like the mythical Slavic settlement.
Particularly noteworthy is the rating of the picture. During the entire film, one hero was killed with a spear in the armpit, two received several deep scratches, one got hit on the head with a paddle and pecked off in the shortest possible time. This abundance of “bloodiness” is enough to see the picture of the whole family.
It turns out that in order for the film to be profitable at the box office, it just needs to be done well. Not necessarily perfect. Just fine enough. It is good to make a script, work well for the actors, create a high-quality graphic picture. And it will work.
It's good. Perhaps fans of the couple's work Dyachenko will be disappointed, but for everyone else familiar with their work through articles from the wiki, he may like.
Drago is a dragon from the 1996 film Dragon Heart.
No way. It's already tame. Soft and fluffy, you could say. Just don’t be angry and you can even stroke the neck.
The movie started beautifully. In the best traditions of ancient Russia with its own customs and legends. From the invocation song and horror in the eyes of the girls sacrificed, the soul is already colder.
This is where we could end up. Because then everything began to irritate: the papier-mâché scenery; and the smoothly shaved dragon in a loincloth; and the handsome groom, moored somewhere between the rocks, it is not known how he did not fly over them in the fog; and the abundance of the same dragon’s women’s clothes (I don’t know, maybe he himself wore); and fireworks, which Peter I could envy; and the main character herself is a dull and cheeky girl, more like a modern teenager than the daughter of the present time. And the footage of falls from the cliff, and in their process: fights, conversations, clarifying relationships, generally laughed and finally turned the film into a fairy tale.
Except that the songs with elements of folklore were worthy.
Conclusion: with such a rich history, with an abundance of legends and epics, with modern possibilities of cinema... How can you screw this up?
A beautiful romantic fairy tale that exactly matches the genre of melodrama without trying to seem like something else. The plot is not very original and quite predictable. But a simple plot is compensated by a gorgeous picture. The film is a real feast for the eyes. What a dragon! What an island! We should be proud that in our country make such cool special effects, not inferior to Hollywood. In addition to computer graphics, there is much to see. The wedding ceremony scene is very beautiful: Miroslava’s chic dress, scarlet berries on white snow – everything is done very effectively. Or the petal scene. Beautiful.
Maria Poezhaeva – her character turned out to be very similar to a modern teenage girl, but on the other hand, how do we know how girls behaved in ancient times? After all, basic human qualities do not change from era to era. The actress was natural, you believe her emotions. It turned out a good character - a brisk, dreamy, kind girl.
Matvey Lykov - it is clear that in the film he was first taken because of his appearance. But in my opinion, he played well. In dramatic scenes, you really empathize with him. And his appearance is very suitable - he feels something alien, inhuman.
I don’t think it’s right to compare this film to Twilight. They have different subgenres: tale and mysticism. And in general, this topic with “our answer to something” personally I do not like. Why should Russian cinema respond to anyone? Why not just make good movies.
I liked the film, it is certainly not a masterpiece, but it was nice to see it.
My assessment:
Unfortunately, I haven’t read the story of “Ritual”. I don’t know how much the film fits the original source. However, as a standalone work, He is a Dragon is very good. It's a good love story. A variation on the theme "Beauty and the Beast."
I would like to note a few main advantages of the picture.
1) "He's a Dragon" is incredibly beautiful. Everything is beautiful here: visual series, actors, costumes.
2) The main characters are also very good. The actors coped with their task with a hurrah: their characters turned out to be very “live”. It is impossible for heroes not to empathize.
(3) Dialogues. Heroes talk to each other, not just communicate information to the viewer.
(4) The plot is a bit banal, but captivating from the first minutes.
(5) Unlike many modern films, there is no vulgarity and stupid jokes.
It is a pity that such films are rarely made. I wish there were more of them.
It is better to see once than to hear a hundred times. "He's a Dragon" definitely deserves to be seen.
10 out of 10
I would love to see how this film was criticized. 1 in 10? Really? Have you seen “Hack Bloggers” or “Famous” Comedies by Enjoy?
I myself did not expect anything from the next Russian film at all, but this film has one advantage that is painfully rare in our cinema. This movie is getting old.
I will judge “He is a dragon” solely as an independent work of art, since I am not familiar with the original source.
The creators turned out to be a good fairy tale, without any claim to historical authenticity, with Slavic motifs that look very organic. This fairy tale without a deep philosophical background, light, bright, predictable, and I find it rather a positive aspect of the picture, genre and target audience commit.
Cons: Oh, yeah, acting. You can see that they are trying, but it does not work. Sometimes it seems that you begin to believe, but hope fades with another clearly unsuccessfully played phrase, as if taken from one take. On the other hand, with a bad director, sometimes even good actors turn into lifeless puppets. This movie is not so bad.
- Scenes to music that is absolutely out of place. Playful “things” under disgusting pop songs spoil the atmosphere and seem to stupefy the viewer.
Pros: + Visual, and again visual!
Costume artists - bravo, production artist - right, camera work - at the top, and of course the visual effects themselves are very good. You can see what is done with love and great aesthetic taste. This movie is worth seeing at least to please the eye.
Strangely enough, but the dragon (Lykov) is very suitable for his image, both visually and audioly. I would like to add games and a lot of girls would fall in love.
Remove stupid scenes from the middle of the film, allow the characters to get to know each other better in different situations, hire a good acting teacher (well, change the blind-deaf director) and a beautiful film would come out.
P.S. I would add a heated scene of animal sex to add motivation to the heroine, and dilute the sluggish narrative, but this is already personal :
6 out of 10
Watching the trailer I expected to see some action, something in the style of “Beauty and the Beast” and a little from “Another World”, where there would inevitably be a battle between the legitimate groom and the monster who stole the girl’s heart, scenes of taking a dragon island, the death of soldiers, the blood of a dragon and the tears of a princess. But in reality, it was different. And that's good.
It is somewhat unusual that in some century everything depends solely on the girl and completely decides she, while she does not have to deal with other “babs”. I cannot say for sure whether such a move in the scenario is its advantage or its disadvantage. But, nevertheless, against the background of all the already boring tragedy, cruelty and various violence in films of the same genre, this film truly gives a moral rest and enjoy, without torturing the nervous system, as it usually happens. We don’t have to worry about the deaths or injuries of the characters; we don’t have to worry about the intense scenes of the battle between the male characters, knowing in advance who will be killed in the end according to the tradition of the genre. There are no too long scenes with experiences and dissolution of the snot of the main character, with typical emotional throwing between who she eventually be with.
Yes, the film may be a little weak in this regard, but it is pleasant to watch. Beautiful scenery, beautiful songs and characters, funny and touching moments, an atmosphere of friendship, love, mutual understanding, sometimes small quarrels that end in reconciliation. This creates a somewhat idealized world. Yes, it is far from the harsh reality and cruel reality. There's practically no evil in him. Throughout history, cruelty is mentioned in the past. And now, the road to a bright future. And that's the beauty of it. After all, this film is primarily a fairy tale. Beautiful, kind and warm, albeit in many ways childish.
I also enjoyed the end, which does not end only at the wedding, as in all the stories about princesses from Disney, but there is no retirement in everyday life, with a delay in family life and a hint of part 2.
After viewing, only a feeling of lightness, warmth and comfort remains.
Do you know how beautiful the novel “Ritual”, based on which this nonsense was filmed? You don't know? Then I'll tell you now.
Once upon a time there were talented writers Sergey and Marina Dyachenko. And they wrote a touching story in the nineties about the ugly, always in the shadow of their sisters, Princess Utah, who was mistakenly kidnapped by the last descendant of the long-time dragon family Arm-Ann. And so two lonely hearts, a princess and a werewolf, met in a terrible ritual hall, and they stayed for a long time in a dark castle, together unraveling the mystery of ancient prophecy, complicating each other’s lives, then saving her. But a troubled time came, and this story fell into the hands of Indar Jendubaev, and Indar made this good story not a very good film. The end.
Approximately in this childish tone is the narrative in the only (at that time) film of the above-mentioned director. Of course, the movie will find its viewer who will admire what he saw. Of course, I understand that it is unprofessional to compare a feature film and a book, but everyone who undertakes to shoot “for motives” should be ready for the fact that his work will be compared. And for me, this novel is too beloved to be judged impartially.
The film is a film adaptation. It seems that all my life I dreamed that one day about the “Ritual” will be recognized overseas and worthy of film. In the main role I represented Adrian Brody, because only he with his delightful sad face is like a tormented, strong and at the same time such a fragile dragon. But for the novel took "Bakmambetov and Co." in Russia. Well, I can't say that my dream has come true. It is hard to understand why the story has changed so much. This is one of the few works that, because of its brightness, conciseness, saturation and originality, must be removed word for word. This is one of the few books that can recreate in your head a picture of everything that happens while reading. This is a story with a great plot that fell into the wrong hands.
The screen version of Ritual is too simplistic and primitive. You can see what was filmed for teenagers, but don’t they know how to feel more insightful? Wise, talented, beautiful in his loneliness, Arm-Ann turned into a whimpering playboy, an ugly Princess of Utah into a beautiful Princess Miroslava, and their deep relationship, balancing on the verge of love and hatred, turned into simple runs on the seaside. The authors were afraid that the viewer would not go to look at the ugly main character and the unattractive dragon, but this is what lost the main thread of the narrative, its morality. As a result, we get pale, uninteresting, poorly written characters and an impossible lazy script. A separate topic is dialogue. I don’t believe they were written by adults. Maybe they were the children instead of the writers.
Film as an independent phenomenon. Not the worst. The creators managed to make a beautiful picture. Moments of cinema really nice to watch thanks to the work of the operator and costumers. I wouldn’t say that the bet on action worked, because all the scenes look pompous and boastful. Yes, Lykov here will turn into a dragon a hundred times, so that everyone will see how cool we can make movies. The actors also did not please, unprofessional, do not know how to play, and I personally cannot escape from the discrepancy to the book heroes. Believe me, it is not the greatest pleasure to see a boy with an eternally naked torso, floating in rose petals, instead of a real male werewolf. Russian Edward didn't work. But the pluses can also include music, it emphasizes some scenes well. In general, “He is a dragon” can be recommended to all girls who have not read the original.
I'm still waiting for a decent film adaptation.
After a hundred nights, I reach for the last morning.
Don't call me. I will be there without a call.
It took a long time to watch the movie... And then I looked and I didn't regret it. Despite all the shortcomings, I think I will watch it again. I read a book after the movie. Believe me, there are two different stories. I advise those who like to read the book. Substantively:
1) Acting: At times, the actors are very overplaying sometimes do not play but in general they are well selected and look very harmonious on 4 out of 10 (I will repeat the book and the film two different fairy tales in the book by the way, the princess was ugly and Arm-Anne loved her not for her beauty but for her stubbornness).
2) Screenplay: It feels like the writers were driven into a time frame and they tried to shove everything into the main plot in a nutshell but did not have time because of this, the impression of the film deteriorated a little but, for people with a certain amount of imagination and analytical thinking, it will not be difficult to figure out what the authors were trying to show. In general, it turned out to be a good children's tale. Bet 5.
(3) Operator work special effects and visual series just O-FI-GE-N-N. It's a very wild delight to bet 10.
(4) The soundtrack is also beyond praise... There was an inappropriate pop song in the middle, but in general just great “Dragon Song” and “Lullaby” for a long time to settle in my track list put 9.
Total 7 points + 1 point for poems in the trailer corresponding to the spirit of the book. Conclusion: Watch at least 1 time. I’m sure I’ll watch this movie again.
Seriously, tell me, if it was fantasy coming from "booger," would it have so many positive reviews and a score of 6.8???? Let me make it easy for you and give you examples: “The Seventh Son” – 5.8; “Eragon” – 6.0; “Witch Hunters” – 6.5; “Pete and his dragon” – 6.6. All these films are much more ambitious and the actors there really play, and do not try to squeeze out emotions, but for some reason they do not reach such a “masterpiece” as “He is a Dragon!” Did our cinema evolve so fast that we didn’t notice? Nope. It is just that patriotism is so strongly developed in us that we are ready to praise everything Russian, even if it does not give much quality.
Regarding the picture itself, to talk about good visualization is to exaggerate. Several scenes are really made quite competently, but most of the timekeeping is occupied by ordinary wanderers on the island and for this special effects are not needed. The lighting is also stupidly built (in the dark, it is difficult to see anything), and I am also confused by the obsession of the creators on Slow-Mo, do not believe it, count how many of them were in the first 12 minutes.
The plot is a teenage soap wrapped in the likeness of a fairy tale. Conceptually, a cross between Beauty and the Beast and King Kong with a bunch of melodramatic cliches and clichés. For the performers generally silent, Stanislavsky would tear his throat from the constant shouting at them.
Bottom line: The movie is weak in all aspects, the story is horribly banal, the characters are cardboard, the actor’s “play” below the plinth, but the lizard flying is fun to draw.
5 out of 10
To begin with, my assessment of this film is quite subjective: 7 out of 10.
And this is due to a purely personal perception of certain things. But if it weren't for what hit me personally, it would be smaller, but not much.
The movie came out, though not strong, but beautiful and not empty. It is like watching, everyone is free to take something of their own if desired and interested.
Don’t expect too much from it, it doesn’t claim the laurels of a masterpiece of all time. Did we, as children, make any demands on fairy tales - we just wanted to read or listen to them? It seems to me that there should be a similar approach, not just a capricious demand for a popcorn spectacle. Perhaps we will be able to plunge into the distant world of childhood at least for a short time.
The scenery and costumes, the music I liked and serve as a worthy frame of history. The picture turned out beautiful, there was a feeling that in front of me, frame by frame, the epic unfolds from the pages of an intricately designed book. And the story, albeit described a little naively, but there is a beauty in this simplicity.
Although this is not the strongest work of Maria Poezhaeva, but for the “Class of correction” I am ready to forgive her everything, and the role of Princess Miroslava does not imply a deep dramatic image.
Matvey Lykov did not make a special impression on me with his game, but did not cause any unpleasant emotions. More charismatic was an unknown animal.
It was the metaphor that struck me alive in this film.
There are those among us who wow, how difficult it is to live in this world with your inner dragon. Those who have suffered are those who dare to love them.
Those who, for various reasons, were not taught to live in a “human way” were not shown or told. "It's hard to be human." And they are doomed to live alone on their dragon island, for their essence is fatal to men. “There is no escape from the dragon.”
The only force stronger than them is the power of love. But not everyone is given to tame the dragon and in life, unlike the movie, the ending is not happy.
This is understandable: few people will choose a dragon of their own free will, life as if on a volcano, it is much easier to choose a “bite in hand” in the form of a comfortable, calm, “stable” life without excesses, without insane passions, ups and downs, without the risk of losing everything and burning to the ground, but at the same time feeling desperately alive.
The review turns into a kind of confession of an impressionable young lady, although it was written by a completely adult and devoid of illusions person. It is unlikely to be published, but fine.
Judging by the trailer, the movie He’s a Dragon doesn’t get much attention. A fairly typical fairy tale about how a girl falls in love with a monster. And in the cinema, the desire to go there was absolutely not. Later I was told that it was in vain, the film is great! Almost a year later, I watched it. Of course, I wasn’t upset about going to the movies, but the film is pretty much nothing, especially if you think it’s Russian-made and not military or historical.
As for the story, everything is quite banal, she falls in love with the “beast” and he falls in love with her, and he does not want to hurt her. There are hundreds of such stories. As for acting, this is from extreme to extreme. Mostly lacking in emotion. Especially in his voice. And I no longer like the main character, all the emotions are somehow strained and monotonous. But Matvey Lykov, despite the fact that he is a model, liked more, and not only the body, but there was something dragonish in him, a look, and I believed him. But in general, I would not call a terrible game. But what the film wins is special effects, scenery and costumes. Everything is very beautiful, well-chosen and bright. Especially like shots with ritual, red cranberries (or whatever berry there was) on white snow, all beautiful in costumes, a very bright and memorable scene. Playing shadows is a very good idea, and brings the film a fairy tale effect. And of course, the plus is that you don’t really feel the timing. There are certainly boring scenes, but mostly the film goes smoothly and does not bother. The soundtracks are beautiful, but with a fairly typical motif for the “Old Russian fairy tale”.
So if you want to have a quiet evening, maybe this movie will suit you. The main thing is not to expect him to bring you emotions. Just a beautiful picture, and a calm and predictable story.
7 out of 10
It took me a long time to watch this movie. First, modern Russian cinema leaves much to be desired, and secondly, repels the name of Bekmambetov in the credits (I am far from a fan of his work).
But on a cold winter day, sometimes you want a fairy tale. I remember that movie again.
The film is completely different from the book of Sergei and Marina Dyachenko, which allows us to consider it as an independent work, and not a film adaptation of the story.
The first minutes were difficult: the actors’ play was strained, sluggish speech, dialogues devoid of emotions. But over time, they get more used to the role.
The plot is simple and at the same time makes you think that each creator of his fate, despite the conditions and conventions, and there is no force greater than love. unconditional love that allows you to accept another person as he is, which gives the strength to become better than you are, for the sake of your loved one.
The film leaves a pleasant aftertaste and a feeling that miracles still happen. You just have to believe!
Actors. The first weakness of this “masterpiece”. One gets the impression that this is some kind of examination work of first-year students of some GITIS. In my opinion, obviously paid roles, because it was simply impossible to play worse. Lykov Jr.’s father, Lykov the eldest, loses much to his son, however, this did not prevent him from playing Casanova in “Streets of Broken Lanterns”, playing so that everyone believed that he was a favorite of women. In the case of the son did not help even model appearance. Nothing good can be said about the actress in the lead role. The only thing that she was more or less successful was the episode where she portrayed a moody younger sister, a 2-minute episode. Everything else is ridiculous. Despite the dull and uninteresting partner, this role could be her good debut, if she played well, and was a failure. At least, if I were a director, I wouldn’t be invited to my film after such a “play.” And as a viewer, I am no longer interested in looking at it absolutely.
Dialogue. It's puzzling. Did this film have any writers or did the actors come up with how and what to say? Why create the entourage of ancient Russia, if the main characters communicate at the level of modern teenagers?
Picture. The only thing that somehow saved the movie. Artist-director 1 point.
I don't recommend it. Bad, empty, uninteresting movie.
I highly recommend watching. Regarding the comments that this is a simple good fairy tale, and if you want, you could make a great movie and put meaning there - an absolutely untenable opinion, just saying that a person is not used to thinking, or used to think superficially and stereotyped.
The film - only at first glance - a good fairy tale, fantasy ... The story of great love is beautiful, but it is also far from the main idea of the film, like other sentimental moments.
Since ancient times, the meaning of fairy tales was to transmit knowledge through generations to teach children, our minds perceive and remember images better than information (which is quickly forgotten). All that is told in fairy tales are metaphorical images that explain certain phenomena, and if correctly interpreted, knowledge was perceived more simply and clearly. The same story is shown in this film.
From beginning to end, the film illustrates typical patterns of behavior of a man and a woman in a relationship: desires; mistakes; selfishness; fears that destroy everything at the root, illusions about themselves partner, ideal relationship, etc.
The film perfectly illustrates the psyche and nature of a man and woman in a relationship. What leads to the suppression of certain aspects of the personality, emotions, etc. The dragon is a metaphor for the shadow side of the personality (anger, rage, it is also strength and much more, hidden talent and uniqueness). The key needs of a man in a relationship with a woman: to be needed, to be free and to be himself!!
“Being yourself” means that a woman does not want to change a man, but accepts him as he is, with all his facets, roles and circumstances of life, advantages and disadvantages. The ending of the film very beautifully illustrates the main idea. The main character, accepts his chosen one as he is, takes the correct - female position in the relationship, thereby helping Armand to accept and transform his shadow side (repressed aggression, strength, etc.). A real man will never fight a woman, but if she behaves as a man - argues, swears, raises the tone, etc. - he sees in her only an opponent with whom to fight. This is if very briefly
I recommend it to all girls who want a happy family relationship.
This film is a parable; the film is a reflection.
I will immediately make a reservation: misogynists and opponents of the feminist movement - the review is not for you - guessing your verdict - "any woman (girl), turns any male into a submissive slave (you want to fly on my hump; if you want, equip at my whim - the interior). I can’t imagine how many stones will fly at me.
Now about the "culprit" of the celebration, about the film.
It seems that the plot is unassuming: Princess Miroslava is abducted by the Dragon from the wedding ceremony, which should marry Igor, but the kidnapped and abducted have deep feelings - Love. But then Bekmambetov jumped over his head and exceeded the set bar, set, in general, all cinema.
Meaningful load, and splashes from the “boiling soup of feelings”. Here are some of them: the mind-blowing desire to become a man; to kill in yourself the desire to be a monster, in spite of the animal instinct, to defeat the “beast” in your soul; to enjoy life and laugh from the whole soul and from the breath of the breeze, and from the waves of the sea; to admire the most beautiful sunrise or sunset.
P.S. Not everyone will understand this movie. But the one who was really in love and ... loves - will not remain indifferent!
Despite minor flaws in the installation, the author conveyed the message and thought. Therefore, a solid
For the first time, I leave a review on the website, since for the first time I am not ashamed of Russian cinema.
Graphics at a good level, as mentioned above, throughout the film. Did the money really go into the movie? Am I sleeping?
Songs are just wonderful, folklore, already running to rock the soundtrack.
The only minus for me: the actors' play is not quite visible due to the overlapping dubbing. It is too noticeable that the voices were recorded separately, and this spoils the impression. The intonations of voices do not correspond to facial expressions, space is also not taken into account, there is no volume of sound, as if all the dialogues are spoken in your ear by characters. This is only permissible for a storyteller.
The protracted scenes and dialogues were not very annoying, but still helped to imbue the atmosphere and confusion of the characters. Moreover, in the life of awkward pauses much more than shown in Hollywood movies.
I haven’t read the book, so I won’t judge it. Books are always better, but it was not stated that this is a direct adaptation. The film hooked the story, yes, simple and uncomplicated, someone can and worn. But girls need such fairy tales that will teach not only to make a choice to their liking, but also to be independent, not to despair, always looking for a way out of an unexpected situation instead of sitting and helplessly waiting for salvation. This is a big plus for writers.
Amazing beauty shots, which is very rare for Russian films. No wonder the general producer is Mr. Bekmambetov.
In this confused and crumpled review will be just a few points:
1.Yes, the performance of the actors was pumped up, but this did not prevent me from enjoying the overall plan.
2 The music is good, but not at the moment when the main characters are on the beach, I’m sorry, but that passage looked just monstrous with that incomprehensible pop.
3) Good views, pretty faces, just wonderful special effects. It was a good movie for romantic girls.
The only thing I really love is the dragon. It was made just amazing, incredibly natural and magical.
In medieval Russia, the young princess Miroslava is to marry soon. But during the wedding ritual, she is kidnapped by a dragon, who have long been considered dead. Miroslava dreams of getting out of prison, but behind the skin of the monster hides a man named Arman, with whom she falls in love.
To begin with, “He is a dragon” is, first of all, our Russian attempt to remove its “twilight”.
The saddest thing about this movie is that it didn’t have enough time for the success of the same vampire saga. "A little bit" turned out to be a fatal definition, and therefore more painful.
A little bit did not finish the script. About an hour of screen time, we see heroes imprisoned on a distant island. The story comes out chambered, closed. Here would save interesting dialogue, dynamic events, the disclosure of filled characters. But in the end: the heroes are dull, inexpressive. That Armand, who does nothing but flex his muscles, that Miroslava, who, in fact, from the very beginning ceases to be afraid, to fear her position.
The slogan of the movie “Love is scary” is not taken seriously by the viewer. Because it's not scary! What to be afraid of a charming guy with a bunch of high-flown phrases, who for a long hermit’s life has become too soft. If we take as the basis of the concept the same “Beauty and the Beast”, we would like to see the canonical walk on the blade of the main character, where the male character is really frightening, really dangerous. And even if it would cause a vague sense of the presence of the Stockholm Syndrome.
A little bit / i> lacked the development of the story in the main part of the film. A little more amplitude wanted in compressed conditions. The development of conflict, heat, passions. Erotic, for that matter. You can’t make a movie for a teenager without kissing. This is for adults, but not for teenagers. That would give the story another layer. But, apparently, I had to avoid for the sake of “12+”.
Dialogues and flashed feelings of the heroes are inconclusive. You just don't believe in them. As the screenwriter Molchanov said, a movie doesn’t have to be true, but it has to be believable. And if in the case of the discrepancy between the atmosphere, time and culture – it worked, then with the feelings of the main characters – not. Forgive even the sensational phrase of Edward Kahlen: “You are my personal kind of heroin” sounds better than Armand’s cardboard voice: “You should be afraid of me!” And by the way, why Armand?!
Immediately comes the claim to a little bit missing acting. If in the case of the dragon everything is clear – he is a model, after all, and is designed to decorate the film. The actress Miroslava is a question. Graduated from MHAT, played in the acclaimed “Motelki”. But here, apparently, did not reach the general level of tandem. They look good, beautiful, just couldn’t play. And it's a shame because, purely outwardly, they got into the images one hundred percent.
That’s what I have no complaints about, is the overall atmosphere. Excellent computer graphics, not inferior to the Western. Same island, dragon, costumes. The images of the wedding ritual are bright colorful. As many viewers have already noticed, if you break the film into fifteen-minute segments, you get a series of clips from Baselevs to advertise some toilet water. And even the music can be left (except for that modern pop song in the scene where they splash in the water). Old Russian motifs, good lyrics, and Sasha Spielberg sang the main soundtrack (surprisingly, not bad).
Did the dragon play the best?
That’s how it turned out the movie, which “A little bit not up to”. I almost did, I almost finished, I almost couldn’t. And it is a shame that with such a budget of twenty million dollars, stumbled on the most basic and fundamental – on the script and the main actors.
Sorry. Remember either the very bad or the very good. And “He is a dragon” will not live to descendants and will soon be erased from memory.
P.S. a separate small plus for a touching happy ending. It is no longer fashionable, it is considered too sentimental. It’s especially nice to see that there are still stories with happy endings.
6 out of 10
Let me start with the fact that this is Russian cinema, and what do we usually expect from Russian cinema? We expect bad graphics, attempts to make action, like Hollywood mastodons, in general - disappointment. What can you expect from Russian fantasy? Before you look, it is better not to expect more, but also not to hang the stigma of “suck” in absentia.
Admittedly, if not for the first minutes of the film, I probably would not have continued to watch it, but the picture was so charming that the viewing continued and in general did not regret, because it is really not a bad film.
After the first ritual of surrendering brides to a dragon, for which you could easily slap 10, the film begins its immediate story about the romantic love story of our young heroes. I can’t say that the acting is amazing, but it’s not bad! You think not? And look at the skill of the actors “amazing” Twilight and shut up. Yes, perhaps, it would be great to work out a scenario in terms of establishing relationships and transferring them to the viewer, but what to do, as you could, could not be bad. Better than expected.
The painting “He is a dragon” has excellent production and graphics. The color is great. The eye enjoys watching. Musical decoration is also worthy. We got together, accomplished, achieved a great result! I was waiting with horror for the moment of the dragon’s appearance on the screen ..., my thoughts were spinning: “Here he will appear now, and I will turn off this Russian good so that my eyes would not see this graphic.” They'll all ruin it!
What a joy that they had enough money for a good graphic!!
I forgive you all the illogical moments of the movie. As the saying goes, “Why look for logic where there is none?” Nice shot. For this, I summarize:
Before there was no time, no earth, no dust, nothing – forgotten all. It was a disaster, but it became a reality, the river cooled and the water froze - nothing.
Time is a fast river, no one will bypass.
The bride of the groom waits like her hour. It is dressed in white, exactly in a shroud. The bell rings, the wedding bell rings.
Take it, take it, come, come. For centuries, the young virgin is given.
To be honest, the film made a mixed impression, I still can not decide whether I liked it or not.
So, in order. Let me start with the fact that fantasy is a special genre that does not tolerate hacks and flaws. Everything here should be perfect, starting with the story itself and ending with video and audio. Only then the viewer will be able to fully immerse himself in the new world invented by the authors.
In this story, we have two main locations where all the action takes place - this is a certain city-fort, in which Princess Miroslav is preparing for the wedding, and about which it is known only that since ancient times dragon raids have been made on it to capture brides and continue the dragon family, and the dragon island itself, on which winged lizards live for centuries, where, in fact, the relations of the two main characters develop.
Alas, and very regrettable that this is not a film adaptation of the novel "Ritual" Marina and Sergey Dyachenko, and perhaps the little that remains of the wonderful book is a dragon and a wedding ritual. Sorry. I don’t know what the creators of the film were guided by and why they changed the main character and her relationship with the dragon, but it turned out to be somewhat bland. The result was something in the spirit of a romcom with elements of fantasy. So, what about the elements? With the dragon...
But the visual effects were on top: a very beautiful picture, amazing graphics.
The soundtrack is good.
Actors are great. Matvey Lykov — in my opinion, a great dragon turned out: unusual, charismatic, a little demonic. Maria Poezhaeva - princess-boy, could easily cope with Princess Utah.
In general, it is great that we have finally started to make beautiful films in our country. But a complete immersion in an incredible world did not happen because of the simplified, and from this seemingly unfinished scenario.
And yet
I watched this movie by accident. Faith in Russian cinema has long been buried somewhere deep in the heart, but still sometimes our brothers give something worthwhile. I can’t say that this film really impressed me, but left a good impression.
First of all, it should be noted that the film is beautiful. Rites, rituals, landscapes, everything is done very well, and this can not but please.
Second, it's an interesting idea. Yes, in the middle of the film it was already possible to understand how the story would end, although there was still intrigue. Yes, there were moments of excessive snot, standard and template relationships between the characters, but still did not pull me to puke from watching, it was interesting to follow the development of the plot. Considering the fact that I started watching the film spontaneously with my friends, and ended up staring at the screen, it only suggests that the film managed to interest me. And I am a fastidious viewer, and it is extremely difficult to please me.
Of course, if you compare this film with foreign films, it is in many ways inferior. But finally, our filmmakers began to think with their heads, to bring their ideas, and not to snatch them from the West. Yes, there are enough jammed moments in the film, but still this is not a hoax, but rather a flaw. In any case, the film has the potential, and this is a huge plus.
If we talk about the disadvantages, then of course, the main disadvantage of the film is the middle. The beginning and ending are gorgeous, but the middle is in the air. Not enough events, what, everything again slid to the template snotty sufferers. If it wasn’t for this, I would have put a ten. Unfortunately, it is only .
7 out of 10
However, given the success of Russian cinema, I think this is a good start.
P.S. Here someone in the reviews compared this film with the “Flower of the devil”. Guys, beware of heavenly punishment, how can you compare an incomprehensible thing with a very good movie? Of course, there are so many people, so many opinions, but IMHO can not put a slightly unfinished film on a par with outright nonsense and obscenity.
At a time when Russian cinema has come into total contempt, especially films of active genres, which it has become fashionable to accuse of the emptiness of the plot with an abundance of special effects, it is quite risky to shoot blockbusters using a large budget - it is likely that, in addition to evil verbal attacks, the film risks cruelly failing at the box office. After the most spectacular Russian film “Stalingrad”, which brought huge profits, but received a huge amount of malicious criticism, the latest films in the genres of historical and fantasy collect on the big screen penny. Unfortunately, the film we are talking about is no exception. Perhaps the authors naively believed that by releasing a colorful trailer, they would attract the public to cinemas, in addition, the film was shot in a fashionable 3D format, for which many are ready to go to the movies, but the miracle did not happen. It is worth noting that the film received quite a lot of positive reviews, despite the fact that it is a direct plagiarism from Hollywood hits, but the people liked it thanks to the Russian sincerity. But it turns out that most of those who praised wrote their reviews after watching the film at home, and in 3D, in which it could only be seen in the theater, it was appreciated by the few that brought the film a ridiculous profit. Unfortunately, I also did not get to see “He is a dragon” on the big screen, but on the monitor it looked quite impressive.
"Oh horror, our decided to shoot Twilight" — this comment someone wrote on YouTube for the trailer of this film. When I started watching, the film reminded me rather of the hit cartoon "Beauty and the Beast", which I love very much, and in the course of the development of the plot began to manifest and actions reminiscent of the vampire saga. Our cinema is condemned by many for such plagiarism: this is the “New Year’s Tariff”, which is a comedy version of “House by the Lake”; and “Ghost”, also making a comedy from the drama “Ghost”. This time we saw another old story in the Russian way (more precisely, they imitate two films at once), the image of the main character resembles both Belle and Bella (just now I noticed that the heroines of the source books have similar names!), and instead of the enchanted monster and vampire, a dragon. The film adopted the light romantic stupidity of "Twilight" and the epicity of "Beauty and the Beast", endowing this story with an ancient Russian setting. As for the technical side of the film, it does not look at its $ 18 million, although computer graphics and expensive beautiful scenery, of course, are used, but not in such large quantities. Perhaps in 3D the film looks more spectacular: there are flights in the film, different extreme scenes - maybe 3D effects were spent especially. In general, the film is quite suitable, an interesting interpretation of classic and modern hits in the Russian way.
8 out of 10
“He is a dragon”, adaptation of the novel by Maria and Sergey Dyachenko “Ritual”. Stop! Did I write "screening"? Yes, even “for reasons” to say the language does not turn. Honestly, I don't understand our filmmakers. Why do they try to buy the rights to the film adaptation of books, if then they still leave nothing from them? Wouldn’t it be easier to write an original script? First there was Volkodav Semenova, now this. Although, it should be noted that “Ritual” got much more in terms of adjusting the plot. “Volkodav” can at least be called a film adaptation (well, or “based on”, which is more appropriate). In place of the “Russian answer “Lord of the Rings” came the “Russian answer to Twilight”.
The filmmakers apparently used to treat the audience as a kind of unreasonable herd, and therefore count on average taste, as well as on the main lovers of romance between an exotic creature and a person, i.e. schoolgirls. What do schoolgirls like most about this genre? That's right, Twilight. It seems that this was the main reason for such radical changes.
For those who are not familiar with the original novel, I think it is worth a little clarification. This is a story about two loneliness: a rogue princess, to put it mildly, not a model appearance and a dragon “in front of the terrible, good inside”, who considers himself a degenerate because of this. To some extent, a philosophical story about accepting yourself and finding your place in life and a little bit of romance. Apparently, the creators of the film decided that all this would be too complicated and uninteresting for an unreasonable herd and, most importantly, not profitable for them (unfortunately, it is a well-known fact that in most cases, cinema for the masses in our country is made solely for money).
From the whole book, only the name of the main character and the main backbone of the plot remained. Okay. There is nothing left. No original names, no history, no period. Although, I give credit, the transfer of the action from the Middle Ages to the alternative Ancient Russia is the best of the changes that the creators made.
Outcome: As a film adaptation, the film is simply terrible because our filmmakers shamelessly abused everything they could. You can paint for a very long time all the horror of what they have done, so that no one bothers to immediately estimate: 1 out of 10.
The film as an independent picture
Is it that bad? Fortunately, no. If you forget that this movie was shot on the book, and perceive it as an ordinary film, however, not without shortcomings.
The creators tried their best in terms of the visual part. Beautiful picture, magnificent views. And the sacrifice scene in the beginning is probably the best in the whole movie. They tried their best on the dragon. It came out no worse than in multimillion-dollar Hollywood blockbusters. The final scene of the flight failed. The computer graphics are too striking, recalling a similar scene in Game of Thrones, where there was the same problem.
In general, I can say that “He is a dragon” has only two main problems.
The first problem is the desire to fake "Twilight". Well, couldn't we have done without that? Producers' wallets yelling at me not to. And so the action is drowned in "pink snot." In this sense, it is worth noting pathetic dialogues, from which the face is simply shaking. It seems that you are watching either the notorious “Twilight”, or the adaptation of some tabloid novel.
The second problem is the main role. Matvey Lykov is a model. He plays like a model, so he doesn’t. He is completely lost against the background of Maria Poezhaeva. It plays very well and convincingly as possible under the circumstances. I really don’t understand the creators of the picture. Do we not have a normal actor in this country who would be suitable for this role? From the attempts of the model to depict at least something more or less convincing “pink snot” become even more pink and snotty.
Outcome: If this movie was made in the West, then only the lazy would walk through it. But it's a domestic product. Therefore, the evaluation criteria are somewhat different. I am very skeptical of contemporary Russian cinema. Especially for the masses. Especially if the movie is fiction/fantasy. Because we can't take them off. But "He's a Dragon" turned out very, very good. If you practice more, you may one day make a really worthwhile film.
7 out of 10
Having learned that a picture is planned based on a fantasy novel 'Ritual' M. and S. Dyachenko, I became interested in the film, although the name Bekmambetov acts on me like garlic on vampires (I will never forgive him for what he turned into ' Watches'), so I did not dare to watch for a long time. But the film surprised me pleasantly - not without flaws, of course, but in general very good. Although this is no longer a film adaptation of 'Ritual', those who have read will understand the wording ' based on ' here will be more correct.
So what I want to say is:
1. Technical part. Everything is excellent, qualitative, on a modern level. Costumes, scenery, views, details were worked out, it was possible to create an atmosphere of legend, fairy tales. The Slavic-Scandinavian motifs and winter in the princely city contrast with the overseas exoticism of the dragon island. Everything is beautiful and spectacular. Separately, I want to praise the graphics - the dragon is 5+, made realistically, it was not greatly complicated by small details, but the movements and facial expressions were qualitatively worked out. I like how Armand turned into a dragon. Well, and unknown breed toothy animal also liked.
2. Actors. It was nice to see the new faces. It is difficult to judge the level of acting by one role, but the guys coped with their roles in this film. Mira sometimes skipped modernity in behavior and speech, but in general she played loosely, lively. And Lykov in the role of Arman looked very good, I would say that it was a good choice.
3. Scenario. It's pretty good. Everything is coherent, without plot breaks, quite a lot of time was spent communicating the main characters. They showed the Princess' conscious choice well, and I liked that moment in the film. As disadvantages - there is some tightness, in some places I would like more action. ' Miracles' are also present - for example, during the fall from a cliff, the hero manages to think for a lifetime, and play on a tune, and explain himself in love. What can I say? )
Result. Nice romantic fantasy, but a little late in time. Not by technique, but by public sentiment. Just now the fashion for fantasy is epic with large-scale battles and a tense plot. I think in the 80s, the film would have been much more successful, the audience was more romantic. But for those who just want a little love story, I advise you to watch.
For a long time, I did not review anything on KinoPoisk and now I finally decided to fix the situation.
Nothing special from this film adaptation, frankly, I did not expect. Already on the trailer, it was clear that from the original source, the book of Maria and Sergey Dyachenko "Ritual" will remain only the idea: dragon and girl. There are no other coincidences here, and it can not be, it is a completely different story and quite another. But if we consider the picture as a separate work, it is quite the place to be.
Pluses:
1. The main advantages of this film are good special effects for Russian cinema. With the help of which the creators tried to convey the atmosphere of the Old Slavonic times, as before in the old Russian fairy tales. It always seemed to me that in old Russian fairy tales there was an elusive part of the Russian soul. Here, from the first shots, the influence of the West is felt, obviously thanks to Timur Bekmambetov. But in principle, this influence does not spoil the impression and from an aesthetic point of view it turned out a very pleasant visual picture, juicy, bright and fascinating, look and frankly enjoy it. Music also fits harmoniously into the video series. In general, very tasty delight for the viewers.
2. The idea of a girl’s love for a dragon, against the background of obsession with all sorts of vampires, werewolves, and other evil spirits looks unbeatable, and fresh, except for the sensational “Game of Thrones” where, the theme of dragons also rises, though in a different vein. Here the theme is only lyrical with its inherent naivety, sometimes playfulness, and annoying pink snot. But here most likely I find fault, because in the genre of fairy tales, otherwise it does not happen, and probably should not be.
Minuses:
1. The first and perhaps the main disadvantage is the acting.
Maria Poezhaeva It seems like a girl with a pretty pretty face, remotely resembling a cross between young Natalia Oreiro and Natalia Vodianova, and visually, at least, should not irritate, but she irritated me the whole film, because for me personally one beautiful face for tenderness is very little to watch and believe what is happening. You do not believe her emotions for a minute: joy, love, fear, pain, disappointment, each of these human feelings, the girl squeezes herself out of herself forcibly, and it looks terribly played out. The notorious Kristen Stewart is just resting. The scene in the cave after a failed wedding with a computer dragon just finished me off. In the eyes of the actress, no love, no joy, not even the torment of the longings of the soul, only a barely restrained laugh. It leaves an extremely perplexing viewer. Computer Dragon and that emotion looked alive and more natural than her.
Matvey Lykov Not far away from his partner in expressing emotions, but he still somehow managed to play a hermit who does not know life outside the island, to convey confusion, naivety, purity of the human soul, if I may say so. And this actor has a very nice voice. And Matvey is very similar to his father Alexander Lykov, as well as to my beloved Yuri Chursin, perhaps for some reason I was more loyal to him and believed him more than Maria.
Other actors and extras too, thank you, they were a great background and fit well into the picture, more about them to say.
Lies.
Fireworks in ancient Russia? Really? How? How? I understand that it is beautiful, but our time is not shown, and we should observe at least some reliability. You could limit yourself to candles, or something like Chinese lanterns, if you really wanted to show something beautiful and bright. They would not cut their eyes as hard as a firework.
And yet, I have a few questions to the scenario, which in the analysis of flights, came out some raw, and unfinished.
Why did the people of the city give the dragon girls? Why did you come up with a “ritual” song? If you wanted to appease the beast, so that he did not attack the villages. Okay, that's understandable. But why repeat the rite from year to year, from century to century, when the dragon, as they thought, no longer exists? As far as I know, people were very superstitious then, and they were afraid of everything, and here they tried to bring harm to themselves using a ritual, and not just a ritual, but a ritual of sacrifice, like a wedding. It's a twist. Not to mention the song that was sung at the wedding of the main character.
I do not understand why he wanted this “folklore” to sound at the wedding, if he himself has nothing to do with the victory of his grandfather over the dragon. Like trying to show that he's the same? Stupid stupidity.
It's also unclear where Armand's desire to not be a dragon came from, why did he change his mind? I think there are too few metal dolls to justify “being a man, not a dragon,” a weak one came out, an argument.
And even more stupid, was when the hero of Matthew, says: "I learned about what people wrote in their human books."
Where did these books come from first? If from the chests that brought the sea. Why didn’t you see any of them throughout the movie?
Second, who could teach him to read? Father? It's kind of human-like. Why would a dragon read on a desert island? And even if we assume that dragons, before their “puberty – transformation into a dragon”, led a human way of life and raised their dragons. Why kill the unfortunate girls in order to produce offspring, when Armand himself was able to produce his own, quite naturally human way? Funny, honestly. . . .
So throughout the film, I've had an endless, touching romantic and a terrible, sarcastic, snorting cynic. So the impression is pretty mixed. But if you do not expect anything super-duper original and very interesting from this film and do not find fault with the details, then you can quite enjoy visual viewing. After all, one way or another, somewhere in there, we all remain a little children who believe in miracles, fairy tales, and real all-conquering love.
"He's a dragon", just may like girls who love the stories of ala "Beauty and the Beast", but the boys are likely to spit... Although everything is relative, it is up to you to watch or not to watch. I will give the film a solid 5 for the above pluses.