I saw this 3 times at the theater back in 81, I was 17 years old,and it made a giant impression on me,and here I am,36 years later,still finding myself utterly captivated by this amazing underrated film. Apart from Peter Nichols,who seems a little miscast,everything about this film works,watching it you can see it has aged really well,it's impossible to tell when exactly it was made,everything just feels right. Ralph Richardson is of course fantastic in his role as the sorcerer,the locations are marvelous,dark,misty dank,thick with atmosphere, and the score is Alex North's best work,his Dragon theme and scenes of it flying high in the atmosphere add an epic value to it all,just breathtaking. And of course,as so many have mentioned,Verminthrax Perjoritive,the Dragon,he is a terrifying awe inspiring sight to behold,the scene where you first get a good look at him,rising up from the side in the cave must be one of the best special FX I've ever seen,magnificent,then to see him crawling through the cave has an eerie believable look to it,like some fantastic documentary,it still leaves me slack jawed in awe. Even with all the amazing CGI out there,his design and movements still reign supreme,that's some achievement,worthy of recognition. One of a handful of truly great Fantasy films,Dragonslayer is a must see for any with even a casual interest in the genre.I think it's a wonderful film,that has grown in my eyes over the years.
Review of Dragonslayer
