Join Firedrake, a young silver dragon, on his magical journey, where he will find courage, self-confidence, and an unlikely friendship with a dragon rider. The original SKY movie will soon fly to screens around the world in Sky Cinema and will likely be purchased for distribution in other content channels.
Dragon Rider is based on the best-selling children’s book by Cornelia Funke, by the same name. The movie comes from the team of creators who stood behind “The Neverending Story” (cool) and “The Fantastic Four” movie franchise (booo). Helming the movie from the director’s chair for the first time is Tomer Eshed. Eshed will bring to life the script written by Johnny Smith (“Sherlock Gnomes,” “Gnomeo and Juliet”).
The movie also prides itself with a star-studded voice cast, including Felicity Jones (“Rogue 1,” “The Theory of Everything”), Thomas Brodie-Sangster (“Maze Runner,” “The Queen’s Gambit”), Patrick Stewart (“X-Men,” “Star Trek: The Next Generation”) and Freddie Highmore (“Finding Neverland,” “The Good Doctor”).
Synopsis
Firedrake is a young silver dragon, who has had enough of constantly having to hide in a wooded valley. He wants to show the older generations of dragons that he is a real dragon. When humans are about to destroy his family’s very last refuge, Firedrake secretly sets off on an adventurous journey with forest brownie, Sorrel. He wants to find the “Rim of Heaven”, the dragons’ mysterious haven. On their quest Firedrake and Sorrel encounter Ben, an orphan and stray, who claims to be a dragon rider. While Ben and Firedrake make friends quickly, Sorrel becomes increasingly distrustful and tries to get rid of the orphan at every opportunity. But the unlikely trio have to learn to pull together, because they are being hunted by Nettlebrand, an evil, dragon-eating monster was created by an alchemist with the aim of tracking down and destroying every dragon on Earth.
Something that Bothers Me
It’s easy to see from the trailer that “Dragon Rider” tries with all its might to invoke the “How to Train Your Dragon” movie franchise in viewers memories. That franchise is also based on a series of books, by cressida cowell. But there is no connection between the two franchises and their respective book series. They are not even meant for the same age. Yes, both series feature young boys who find themselves riding dragons, but that is where the similarity begins and ends.
In other words, I don’t want another “How to Train Your Dragon.” I like that franchise’s movie as they are, thank you very much. On the other hand, I do love Cornelia Funke’s books, and I do very much want to see what they did with them on the screen. But I want to see what they did with them, not with a formula that worked for another book series. Funke and the viewers deserve something new.
Something Nice
If you like the movie, first of all, you have a wonderful book to go read, compare and appreciate (or not) what the movie did with the original material.
Also, Dragon Rider, the book, already has a sequel, called The Griffin’s Feather. If the first movie succeeds, there is a chance we will have a sequel for it, as well. It’s not the first time one of Funke’s books is adapted to the screen. The first book in her Inkheart trilogy was also made into a movie (2008). Sadly, that franchise was abandoned after the first movie. If that’s not enough, if a second Dragon Rider movie succeeds, there is a bigger chance that we will see a third book in the series.
Visit Cornelia Funke’s Website
