Blu-ray Review - Dragonheart: Vengeance

Available on Blu-ray & DVD!

Dragonheart: Vengeance Blu-ray has been sitting on my desk collecting dust for several weeks. It was released on Feb. 20th from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. It's the fifth installment of the film franchise that started with 1996's Dragonheart. Each new prequel/sequel have been released direct-to-video.

Directed by Ivan Silvestrini, the majority of Dragonheart: Vengeance (PG-13; 97 minutes) takes place after the previous film, Dragonheart: Battle for the Heartfire. The plot centers around Lukas (played by Jack Kane), a young man who witnessed the death of his entire family by the hands of the Scorpion, the Snake, the Wolf, and the Bear. Seeking vengeance, Lukas travels to King Razvan's kingdom to plead for his help, but he's rejected by the king. With no other choice, he uses all of his money to hire a swordsman, Darius (played by Joseph Millson), to help him track down the murderers.

On his quest for revenge, Lukus stumbles upon Siveth (voiced by Helen Bonham Carter), an ice breathing dragon who was banished by the kingdom many years for rejecting to share her heart with the king. Having a soft spot for kids, Siveth emerges from her hiding and joins Lukus on his quest.

Bonus Features include:

• A New Legend
• Creating Siveth

Final Thoughts

For a low-budget, direct-to-video fantasy, Dragonheart: Vengeance isn't quite as bad as I was expecting it to be. Don't be get wrong, I did enjoy the two previous prequels, but there's only so much you can do with the franchise before it becomes repetitive. Instead of rehashing the previous films, the fifth entry in the series focuses on a new plot, characters, and a female dragon, which is the first for the franchise.

The picture and sound qualities on the Blu-ray are excellent. There are only two featurettes. It would have been nice if there was a commentary from the writer, director, or even the cast.

Overall, Dragonheart: Vengeance is a fun fantasy adventure that'll appeal to both kids and adults. I read somewhere that there's already a sixth film in the works. If that's true, I hope the filmmakers can bring back Helena Bonham Carter to voice Siveth, as the dragon is the best part of the movie.