DRAGONHEART 3: THE SORCERER’S CURSE – The Blu Review

Universal Studio’s original 1996 fantasy DRAGONHEART starred Dennis Quaid as a reformed dragon slayer, and Sean Connery as the voice of the CGI dragon who befriends him. Draco the Dragon was supposedly the last of his kind, and even though he died at the end of the first movie, Universal managed to revive him for a 2000 DTV sequel DRAGONHEART: A NEW BEGINNING replacing Connery’s voice with that of Robby Benson (who had voiced the Beast for Disney). I’m not sure why it took 15 years for a third installment, but Drago (as he’s called this time) is back in the third installment, DRAGONHEART: THE SORCERER’S CURSE, which is actually a prequel to the original. Ben Kingsley is onboard for this one as the voice of Drago.

DRAGONHEART: THE SORCERER’S CURSE tells the story of Gareth (Julian Morris), a young man training to be a knight. He longs to better his circumstances and is clearly one of the best candidates. However, he does not entirely share the ruthless attitude of his garrison commander Sir Horsa or his fellow squires. Despite his participation in the tax collection efforts, a moment of mercy brings him back under the scrutiny of Horsa and puts the young squire’s knighthood in jeopardy. After witnessing the falling of a comet, Gareth determines to go north of the wall to retrieve precious metals and secure his knighthood with wealth. What he finds in the wild lands of the Picts and Druidswill completely astound him and change his life. Through a series of events, he will become bonded to a dragon named Drago, and will find himself pitted against the rogue Druid sorcerer Brude as he gathers minions to attack those south of the wall. In his quest, he finds new friends in the form of a young Druid acolyte and a fierce, but very lovely, Celtic archer Rhonu (Tamzin Merchant) In the end, Gareth will have to prove he is a warrior of The Old Code to break a spell and turn the tide.

DRAGONHEART: THE SORCERER’S CURSE is a solid fantasy with above-average action sequences and just enough story to keep younger viewers entertained. The film is immediately better than its predecessor DRAGONHEART: A NEW BEGINNING especially in the effects department, and is a worthy prequel to the original, incorporating enough of the lore, and some of the score, to please any fan of the original.

Universal’s DRAGONHEART: THE SORCERER’S CURSE Blu-ray breathes fire with a striking 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfer every bit as impressive as much larger-budgeted fare. The colors are teeming with dusky, golden hues, piercing primaries, nicely saturated skintones, and deep blacks. Contrast doesn’t falter either. Detail wows at every turn with crisp edges free of ringing or aliasing, and exceedingly well-resolved textures, especially in the close-ups of Drago.

DRAGONHEART: THE SORCERER’S CURSE action sequences may not test your sound gear’s mettle, but the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track is outstanding, brimming with power and precision.

Universal is lacking in regards to any extras on the DRAGONHEART: THE SORCERER’S CURSE Blu. The only bonus is the 4-minute featurette Bring Drago to Life, which mostly focuses on Ben Kingsley’s role. There is also DVD copy of the film as well as a voucher for an iTunes/UV digital copy.