Okay, so I decided to ignore the early reviews and just go see this movie for its own sake. After all we've been spoiling for an apology for Reign of Fire, which for a movie about dragons had suprisingly little footage of dragons in it.
I can say with some certainty that everything I heard about this movie was absolutely true. The acting was sub-par, the story line simplistics, and the plot full of holes you could drive an aircraft carrier through. For story, I'd say it was around the level of He Man and the Masters of the Universe. Your kids won't mind.
IMHO, the best acting was done by the gentleman who played the zookeeper who saw a dragon eat a half dozen elephants. Hopefully, he'll find other work after this. Many of the extras were also very much in character. I can't really blame anyone else for a mediocre performance because I think it really starts with the script. Perhaps Mr. Shim may do better and accomplish some more sophisticated stories in the future?
But, I admit I didn't go for the story. I went to see dragons fight tanks and helicopters. I was not dissappointed. Though everything else about this movie made it difficult to watch, the CG was simply nothing less than spectacular. The fight scenes were full of action and lots of eye candy, and occassionally there were even a few well choriographed moments. The dragons and other accompanying hordes were very believable and watchable, often more so than their human counterparts.
Still, I'm sorry to say I couldn't resist adding my own soundtrack to the movie, a la MST3K, as it lent itself very well to wise cracks. "I wish... I iwsh... I wish to bring Goku back to life!" comes to mind. If you don't want to spend the entire movie annoying the people behind you, I recommend that you bring your iPod so you don't have to hear any of the corny dialog - it will make it a more enjoyable experience.
My son's biggest complaint - no western style dragons. Ya crybaby! lol