I went into this expecting some dumb movie where people shot at dragons for the duration of the picture. What I got was an incredibly inventive, smart and intriguing post-apocalyptic world that utilised dragons in a very creative and intelligent way.

In “Reign Of Fire”, we discover dragons wiped out the dinosaurs and caused ice ages and now they’ve destroyed nearly the whole of humanity. One of the few remnants of civilisation left is stationed in a castle in Northumberland. The group is led by Quinn (Christian Bale “Batman Begins”, “The Machinist”). When some American soldiers arrive and a dragon is killed, it seems as if the tides may be turning.

Christian Bale is pretty strong actor and he conveys that very successfully here. I have no complaints about his performance or his character whatsoever. Matthew McConaughey (“Interstellar”) plays army man Van Zan and he’s pretty good too. The interactions between the duo are tense and very well done. The supporting cast are alright. The dragons themselves look spectacular as they glide through the air and burn everything in sight. They’re even better looking than the dinosaurs in “Jurassic Park”. There’s a scene in which hundreds of them swarm across London’s skyline and it’s very impressive.

“Reign Of Fire” has a moment in it in which Quinn and a buddy are performing a play for children; they are acting out a scene from “Star Wars” and its moments like that in which the movie creates a culture that the characters occupy. The action sequences are mind-blowing as we see people dive out of a helicopter in an attempt to trap a dragon in a snare net (I’ve never seen anything like it before). This is another film that many have overlooked but I tell you that it’s better than “Mad Max” or “Escape From New York”. It’s a real surprise because it’s surprisingly clever.