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Parents' Guide to

Dragonheart: A New Beginning

By Brian Costello, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 12+

Trite characters, cheesy CGI in violent stand-alone sequel.

Movie PG 2000 85 minutes
Dragonheart: A New Beginning Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 18+

Based on 1 parent review

Taryn@email.com
[email protected] Adult
March 27, 2019
age 18+

DRAGONHEART A NEW BEGINNING

I THINK THAT DUKE WAS THE YOUNG FLYING DRAGON.
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

Geoff (Chris Masterson) is an orphaned stable boy. He wants to be a knight but is constrained by his role as a "lowly peasant," despite his talents as a sword fighter. But when he meets a dragon named Drake (Robby Benson), he begins to believe his dream can come true. But before that has any chance of happening, Geoff must stand up to the betrayal of Lord Osric, who is keeping the king drugged to take over the kingdom and also is pretending to be Geoff's ally in the interest of destroying Drake, the last of the dragons who was prophesied by the appearance of a two-tailed comet. It's up to Geoff to stop Lord Osric's evil machinations, help Drake so dragons can continue to live on the planet, and help restore order and prove himself worthy to be the proverbial knight in shining armor.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (1 ):

Even if this had been the most original medieval fantasy movie ever made, it's marred by unintentionally hilarious CGI effects that shatter any attempts at suspension of disbelief. Although even the way some characters speak like California surfers and others like Shakespearean British actors could conceivably be overlooked, the lead dragon appears so ludicrous in every scene that it's impossible to take the story seriously.

And the characters are as trite as they come in medieval fantasy: the stable boy who wants to be a knight, the entitled snob teen knights, the wicked advisor, the decadent king, the mysterious Asian visitors. The only exciting moments are the fight scenes, with swords and martial arts aplenty. Still, it's not enough to recommend this movie.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about sequels. Why are sequels made? Are they usually better or worse than the original movie? Why?

  • How is this movie similar to and different from other medieval-style fantasy movies?

  • How were CGI special effects used in this movie? Did they make the movie better or worse? Why?

Movie Details

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