Reviewed by Chris Eberle

Dragonheart 3: The Sorcerer's Curse - Blu-ray Movie Review

Synopsis

Gareth is a young squire in training to be a knight. In his village knighthood seems more about profit and less about valor and honor. When he shows mercy to a poor man, he is cast out and returns to being a commoner. One night he sees a light fall from the sky. Following a quest for riches, he scales the wall around the village believing he can become a knight by finding enough gold. Instead he discovers a dragon with whom he instantly bonds.

Gareth learns of the painted warriors led by evil Druid Brude. He wants to enslave the dragon and use it as a weapon. Gareth protects the dragon’s eggs but is conflicted by matters of honor versus profit. In the end, Brude and his warriors attack the village and Gareth must decide whether to buy his knighthood, or earn it with valor.

Specifications

  • Universal
  • 2015, Color, Rated PG-13, 1 Hr 37 mins
  • 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, 1.78:1 Aspect Ratio
  • Starring: Ben Kingsley, Julian Morris, Tamzin Merchant
  • Directed by Colin Teague

Rating

  • Entertainment:
  • Video:
  • Audio:
  • Extras:
  • Violence: Yes
  • Sex: Brief sensuality
  • Language: No

Commentary

I couldn’t help thinking as I watched this film, how difficult it is to make a truly excellent fantasy movie. Many have tried but it seems only Peter Jackson and a handful of others actually pulled it off. I was reminded of another coming-of-age story – Eragon from 2006. The premise here is the same. A young boy has a chance encounter with destiny, in the form of a dragon, and must decide whether to wield power or valor. The only difference being that Eragon is a far better film.

This direct-to-video release of the third Dragonheart chapter seems a bit dis-jointed and unconvincing. The main character, Gareth, doesn’t really portray his internal struggle very well. He follows the quest; one which we’ve seen many times before. And there is plenty of action. But I was never certain he really believed strongly in anything besides self-preservation. There are a few comedic moments thanks to a young Druid named Lorne, played very well by Jassa Ahluwalia. The dragon effects are also superb. But as a whole, the story never really coalesces or engages. As young-adult entertainment, Dragonheart 3 is certainly worth one evening of your time. But it’s not something I would revisit.

Technical

The image is generally sharp with rich saturated color. My only complaint is a lack of depth in darker scenes. Blacks are never truly black and shadows seem murky most of the time. Close-up shots display excellent detail and the transfer is very clean and free of edge enhancement.

The audio presentation uses a nice wide front sound-stage with clear and well-centered dialog. Sound effects are equally detailed in both loud and soft content with great slam and depth during action scenes. At times the bass seems overbalanced in both the main and subwoofer channels. Those who enjoy extra bass will be happy but if you’ve set up your system for extra volume in the low frequencies, this transfer will seem extra boomy.

Extras

The only bonus feature is a four-minute short about the creation of the dragon character and the accompanying CGI effects.