Galgameth
Some violence in dated '90s medieval adventure.
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Galgameth is a 1996 medieval adventure movie. There is frequent medieval-style violence -- sword fights, jousts, and the like -- but there's nothing gory in these scenes. Besides the violence, the biggest concern for families is in trying not to laugh at the dated special effects and the '90s hairstyles of the characters. These elements make the movie difficult to enjoy, even if the actual story isn't bad. Another concern for some will be that Galgameth is shown drinking a barrel of wine and acting intoxicated.
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What's the Story?
When the virtuous King Henryk (Sean McNamara) is poisoned by the duplicitous knight El El (Stephen Macht), he gives his son, Prince Davin (Devin Oatway), a magical miniature statue that transforms into Galgameth, a cute little dragon who quickly grows into a fearsome and monstrous dragon dedicated to helping Davin. And not a moment too soon, because as Davin is kept in the dark of his kingdom's happenings, El El has passed a series of oppressive laws in Davin's name created to make El El wealthy and powerful. Prince Davin leaves his castle with the ever-growing Galgameth and goes into hiding, where he meets villagers who are engaged in rebelling against El El's evil reign. It's up to Prince Davin to learn how to fight, to become brave, and -- with the help of Galgameth -- reclaim his crown.
Is It Any Good?
The special effects and '90s haircuts definitely date GALGAMETH -- and not in the medieval manner the filmmakers and audience would have preferred. And yet, even with the dated-ness of the movie, as well as the character cliches (for example, the bad guy walks around making evil proclamations to his pet cat), the story itself is interesting enough.
Although it could have been a much better movie at the end of the day, if you can get past the flaws and simply enjoy the story for what it is, families should enjoy Prince Davin's quest to reclaim his kingdom. The problem is in not trying to laugh at the pre-dragon versions of Galgameth, who looks more like one of the creatures playing music in the cantina of Star Wars IV: A New Hope and less like a creature capable of doing battle with anyone or anything.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about adventure movies. What similarities and differences do you see between this and other medieval adventure movies?
What are some aspects of this movie that make it dated to the 1990s? Do these things distract from the story?
If you could remake this movie, how would you do it?
Movie Details
- In theaters: August 5, 1997
- On DVD or streaming: September 1, 1996
- Cast: Devin Oatway, Sean McNamara, Stephen Macht
- Director: Sean McNamara
- Studio: Lionsgate
- Genre: Fantasy
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy
- Run time: 101 minutes
- MPAA rating: PG
- MPAA explanation: Medieval adventure violence, language.
- Last updated: February 26, 2022
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