Dragonslayer

1981
PG
1h 49m

IMDb RATING

6.6/10

21K

YOUR RATING

Peter MacNicol and Caitlin Clarke in Dragonslayer (1981)

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Dark Fantasy Sword & Sorcery Action Adventure Fantasy

A young wizarding apprentice is sent to kill a dragon which has been devouring girls from a nearby kingdom.A young wizarding apprentice is sent to kill a dragon which has been devouring girls from a nearby kingdom.A young wizarding apprentice is sent to kill a dragon which has been devouring girls from a nearby kingdom.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.6/10

21K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Nominated for 2 Oscars
- 7 nominations total

Trivia
"Vermithrax Pejorative" roughly translates as "The Worm of Thrace Which Makes Things Worse".

Goofs
In the Paramount Widescreen Collection edition, during the lottery scene the man drawing the tiles reads the name "Princess Elspeth Ophelus; Filia Regis," Latin for "Daughter of the King". The subtitles say "Clearly outrageous".

Quotes
Valerian: Are you afraid of dragons?
Ulrich: [confidently and calmly] No. In fact, if it weren't for sorcerers, there wouldn't be any dragons. Once, the skies were dotted with them. Magnificent horned backs, leathern wings... soaring... and their hot-breathed wind. Oh, I know this creature of yours... Vermithrax Pejorative. Look at these scales, these ridges. When a dragon gets this old, it knows nothing but pain, constant pain. It grows decrepit... crippled... pitiful. Spiteful!

Alternate versions
In the edited-for-television version, two scenes are completely removed - The scene where Galen discovers Valerian to be female (by swimming with her) and the scene where Galen causes an avalanche over the entrance to the dragon's cave.

Connections
Featured in Sneak Previews: For Your Eyes Only/S.O.B./The Great Muppet Caper/Dragonslayer (1981)

User reviews143

Review

Featured review

one of the best

Dragonslayer came out when "Dungeons & Dragons" was getting to be a big thing where I live, so there was a lot of interest. It was even adapted into a book by Wayland Drew (in a rare instance when a movie preceded a book).

Two things I like mainly. First, of course: Vermithrax. I rather hope that Dragonslayer is never remade, for there's no way the digital animation done these days could do this magnificent creature justice. New isn't always better.

It's also nice to see a film which doesn't stereotype Pagans and magicians as evil. In fact, the film treads the whole good-evil line rather lightly; Ulrich displays a certain respect for Vermithrax, even while planning the dragon's demise.

I find it easy to be swept up in the lovely mystery of Dragonslayer: a mystical film from 1981 (a more mystical age).