Imagine this....

It is the year 2020. Mankind is on the Run, Hiding and Surviving like Nomads from the fire-breathing nemesis that brought us back to the dark ages: Dragons, the scourge of mankind that brings death from the skies...

In the midst of this is Quinn (Christian Bale), leading a small refuge of survivors in Northumbria, trying to eek out an existence any way they can. Now enter the enigmatic and charismatic Van Zan (Matthew McConaughey ), the leader of a military troupe with some nifty hardware, novel ideas and a thirst for Dragon blood.

Sounds silly? Well, yes. Then again, in previous films, we've only seen people battle Dragons with swords - we've never seen a film where it's dragons vs. tanks and the US military, and any film where men try to capture fire-breathing dragons with helicopters and skydivers has got to be a bit silly. But this is a cross between ’Mad Max’ and ’DragonSlayer’ with a post-apocalyptic twist, pumped full of machismo and convincing CGI effects. * ‘Reign Of Fire ‘* is one of the most surprisingly entertaining films of the summer. Directed with flair by Rob Bowman (the ‘X-Files’ movie and ‘Star Trek’), its an action packed dark, nihilistic view of a future; a sci-fi fantasy where mankind is on the edge of extinction, fighting for survival.

And these aren’t the nice dragons the like of Disney movies or Dragonheart. Oh no, these are right little fire-breathing bastards, who exist only to kill and burn and look like some of the most effective CGI ever seen. Christian Bale and Matthew McConaughey as the male leads play against type as surprisingly successful, hard-as-bastard-nails anti-heroes who you root for. Combine that with rarely-seen and desolate locations and vivid photography (Dragon-Cam anyone?), and you’ve got a film that’ll get a cult following and mainstream appeal.

More post-apocalyptic than post-modern, ‘Reign Of Fire’ is one of the best sci-fi / fantasy movies in a long, long time. The ending seems a little rushed and unfulfilling, but overall, what do you want? Action? Adventure? Explosions? Sky diving? Guns? Fire-breathing Dragons? Its got all of the above and more. Dammit, it’s Exhilarating, inventive, its a fanboy dream come true. That’s why its so much fun...