Nearly House of the Dragon Review on Netflix

all fairy tale

If it wasn’t clear from the trailer, pitch or poster (“this is not a fairy tale, woman and dragon Millie Bobby Brown’s voiceover begins: ,There are many stories of bravery where a brave knight saves a damsel in distress. This is not one of them,,

For those who haven’t seen it, this is a very original idea cave of golden roses, Rebel, shrek, xena, warrior or recent princess with Joey King (releasing on Disney+ in 2022), all of which rewrites the clichéd princess story. No big deal, it’s basically just an excuse for an action adventure movie. Ultra-calibrated for and by Millie Bobby BrownCreator on Netflix again after two enola holmes,

At this point, it’s almost a Demo Tape as Millie Bobby Brown Goes through every possible and imaginable situation – princess then warrior, romantic then angry, innocent then tyrant, victim then heroine, long hair then short hair. Again, nothing to be ashamed of, this is a logical step for an actress who is building her career.

Especially since the actual argument woman and dragon is somewhere else: it is survive in the dragon’s cave, With such promise, an estimated budget of $60–70 million, a luxury supporting cast (Robin Wright, Ray Winstone, Angela Bassett) and director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (Intacto, after 28 weeks), this promise was certainly attractive to anyone who knew even a little secret of fire, dragon of the lake of fire And other dragoneries. And the result is this Quite satisfying…when it delivers on the initial promise.

We want a combination of horror’s maid/lady and dragon

the girl with the dragon on her heels

When the film fully assumes very stupid title promise (At least in the French version), it carries out the mission well. And after a brutal Hunger Games-like debut, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo recounts his little knowledge some fun visual ideas, A swarm of burning creatures here, a source of blue light there, a crystal waterfall in a corner, and the film finds unexpected colors in the depths of this labyrinthine cave.

However, the director is very solid after 28 weeks Don’t reinvent the wheel. He just gives a little glimpse of this style playing with horror movie codes, It’s dark, you have to hide, you have to run, you have to make no noise and you have to go through tight spaces, while a creature of titanic dimensions mingles with the decor and its voice echoes like smog in the best scenes of Hobbit,

towards the light

Aware of the limitations of this little ghost train exercise, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo Then everything focuses on a few important moments : A spectacular scene where the protective blue liquefies beneath the flames of hell, a vast burning sky that announces the apocalypse, and some clearly felt hints of cruelty at the excess.

If there are serious visual effects problems in wide shots, the director can rely on the technical success of the dragon and its design in the closest moments. There Voice of the excellent Shohreh Aghdashloo It’s even more fascinating, and thanks to Larry Fong’s photo (watchman, 300, super 8) and David Fleming’s impressive music, The Dragon remains the star of the film.

milly bobby down

The story is neither fairy nor to

The problem is with everything before and after. The first thirty minutes are still breezy, with a magical castle, a watchful mother-in-law, and a horse ride with the prince. For a movie that’s not a fairy tale, woman and dragon tests the nerves severely, and it installation on automatic pilot Bearable only because of the promise of the nightmare that follows.

except that The said nightmare ultimately lasts for half an hour, After that, it branches once, then again in the last half hour. Meanwhile, the stakes have become so high by adding cardboard drama that the film has lost all its beautiful simplicity and effectiveness. Surviving behind closed doors was unfortunately only a step on the heroic path. This original character as much as possibleWritten by Dan Mezzo from Trowel (fast x, wrath of the Titans, Special mention to the heavy sound flashbacks and other magical scenes (“That’s a lie !“), which once again gives the impression that a Netflix film assumes its audience is essentially half-asleep.

excalibof

By standing still in one of the film’s least interesting settings, and willing to give A pseudo-dramatic dimension of supporting roles (including dragons), woman and dragon Slows its course significantly. Notably, moreover, the film ignores some essential stages for such a heroine very early on, such as her return-transformation into a warrior who looks like Gizmo. Yesrimlins 2 than ellen ripley aliens,

Ultimately, woman and dragon Truly a fairy tale. Rearranged from right to left, sure, but as rebellious as Millie Bobby Brown who raises eyebrows to scare. And instead of being stuck with a handsome prince, the princess ends up on the doorstep of a spin-off/remake game of Thrones And dragon house, Another sign of the times and About the insane originality of this harmless little film.

The Lady and the Dragon is available on Netflix in France from March 8, 2024