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DRAGONHEART: A NEW BEGINNING – Mark McKenzie
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
I’m going to start my review of Dragonheart II with the old chestnut “why doesn’t this composer get more work?” But you have to understand that, when I say that, I really do mean it. It pains me to see talentless hacks rise to the top of the scoring ladder writing bland action music for bland action movies, while imaginative, artistic composers like Mark McKenzie are stuck doing orchestrations for other people and scoring straight-to-video sequels like this movie. Other than the score and the special effects, there was very little going for the original Dragonheart – and certainly not enough to warrant a sequel. The screenplay was poor, the execution left a lot to be desired, and as a result it didn’t do particularly well at the box office. But despite all that, here it is – director Doug Lefler’s sword and sorcery follow-up that sees the original dragon’s son, Drake, teaming up with a young vagabond to do battle against evil knights and mysterious Chinese monks in an ancient kingdom. It’s got a great cast – anyone ever heard of Chris Masterson, Henry Van Gorkum or Matt Hickey? – and features Robby Benson (who regularly contributes to Disney animated features) as the voice of the fire-breathing lizard himself. Read more…
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