Dragonheart: Vengeance
Dragonheart: Vengeance is a 2020 American-British-Romanian fantasy adventure film directed by Ivan Silvestrini. It is the third direct-to-video prequel of the 1996 film, Dragonheart. The film begins before the events of Dragonheart: Battle for the Heartfire, but ends after them.[1] It was released on Netflix, DVD, and Blu-ray on February 4, 2020.[2][3]
| Dragonheart: Vengeance | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Ivan Silvestrini |
| Produced by | Raffaella De Laurentiis Hester Hargett-Aupetit Share Stallings |
| Written by | Matthew Feitshans |
| Based on | characters by Patrick Read Johnson & Charles Edward Pogue |
| Starring | Joseph Millson Jack Kane Helena Bonham Carter |
| Music by | Mark McKenzie |
| Cinematography | Matthew Weston |
| Edited by | Charles Norris |
Production company | Raffaella Productions Universal 1440 Entertainment |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures Home Entertainment |
Release date |
|
Running time | 97 minutes |
| Country | United States Romania |
| Language | English |
Plot
In the years following Drago and Gareth's bonding, the seven dragons they raised left to different lands when they were grown. One of them, a female named Siveth, traveled to Wallachia. The kingdom and its ruler, King Razvan, initially welcomed Siveth; however, after he's wounded in battle, Siveth refused to share her heart with him, and the king exiled her. Thirty years later, Lukas, a young farmer, discovers savage raiders known as the Bear, the Wolf, the Snake, and the Scorpion, killing his family. After losing his parents and house to them, Lukas leaves on a quest for revenge. Lukas goes to the city where King Razvan rules and begs for help, only to be turned down. Later, a swashbuckling, sword-fighting mercenary named Darius approaches Lucas, offering his services to help track down the murderers. A brawl breaks out between Darius and another group of mercenaries, forcing Lukas to flee. He learns from a blacksmith he meets that Siveth might help him.
Lukas travels deep into the countryside to find Siveth, offering her a bag of crop seed as payment. Realizing that Lukas wants vengeance and not justice, Siveth refuses to help, so Lukas leaves. He soon finds a horse with a saddle and supplies to aid him in his journey. Darius, who followed him, decides to teach Lukas how to fight. Going after the Bear first, Darius and Lukas follow his trail and discover that Siveth has traveled with them, disguised as Lukas's horse. Realizing Siveth helps them, Darius leaves after a heated argument with her, causing Siveth and Lukas to face the Bear and his band of raiders. During the fight, the Bear falls to his death while trying to kill Lukas, pleasing Lukas, much to Siveth's dismay.
They later subdue the Wolf through cunning and Siveth's shapeshifting abilities. Though Lukas threatens to kill the marauder, Siveth tells him the Wolf is more valuable alive, so when he agrees to lead them to the Snake and Scorpion, they take him prisoner. The Wolf keeps his word but, as Darius blunders into the ambush, he escapes, losing an arm to Siveth's ice breath. Despite this, they capture the Snake, and Lukas learns Siveth and Darius are bonded. When questioning what to do with their prisoner, Siveth tells Lukas to spare her and take her back to town to face justice, while Darius says to kill the raider. To dissuade Darius, Siveth explains why she shared her heart with him. When Darius was a child, the king started a war to bolster his popularity and distract people from his corrupt dealings; while Siveth tried to prove the king's corruption, he was wounded in battle. During his return home, the king had his cart driver run Darius's parents off the road, killing them. Siveth then shared her heart with Darius to save him, leading to her refusal to share her heart with Razvan and her banishment. She kept the truth from Darius to protect him. Hurt, Darius reluctantly agrees to spare the Snake, having discovered the raiders were receiving messages.
After imprisoning the Snake, Darius discovers King Razvan is behind the raiders' attacks, ordering them to kill off his subjects to prevent starvation due to him not preparing for food shortages. Meanwhile, Lukas, with Siveth's help, flirts with Oana, the town healer, after meeting her earlier. The Scorpion returns for the Snake and frees her, poisoning Oana's father, the town's jailer, and setting his house ablaze to cover their escape. Siveth uses her ice breath to put out the flames and regroups with Darius and Lukas. Darius tells them his discovery, so Siveth tries to retrieve the raiders' orders from the king's guards who took them. As Siveth uses her shapeshifting to try reclaiming the evidence, Lukas and Darius pursue the Snake and Scorpion, leading to the raiders ambushing them. During the fight, the Scorpion poisons Lukas with his venom-laced staff, and the Snake further wounds him in battle. Darius kills the Scorpion, and Siveth abandons her mission to save them after seeing Darius in trouble through their bond. Siveth kills the Snake to save Lukas, who repents and admits he let revenge darken his heart. Darius and Siveth also reconcile, and he begs her to save the boy. Siveth takes Lukas to the monastery that raised Darius, and Oana heals him. Razvan and a crowd of townsfolk confront Lukas and Siveth shortly after; the king orders Lukas to be surrendered for crimes he didn't commit and orders Siveth to resume her exile. However, Siveth refuses and calls Razvan out for his corruption. Then Darius and the recaptured Wolf appear, with the Wolf confessing about Razvan's misdeeds. Siveth offers her protection to anyone else willing to concede against the king. More people come forward from the king's guards and council to confess to Razvan's corruption, leading to his and the Wolf's imprisonment.
In the days and weeks after, Siveth is welcomed back into society and shares the saved crop seed she received as payment to end Razvan's famines. Lukas returns to his farm and rebuilds his home, beginning a relationship with Oana. Now recognized by the kingdom as bonded with Siveth, Darius lives a happy life among the people as their protector. Lukas reflects on everything that Siveth has taught him and gladly acknowledges that she showed him the path to happiness, friendship, and a meaningful life.
Cast
- Joseph Millson as Darius
- Jack Kane as Lukas
- Arturo Muselli as King Razvan
- Carolina Carlsson as The Snake
- Tam Williams as The Scorpion
- Richard Ashton as The Wolf
- Ross O'Hennessy as The Bear
- Cameron Jack as Blacksmith
- Fabienne Piolini-Castle as Oana
- Helena Bonham Carter as Siveth (voice)[4]
Development
Production
Development of the script for the fifth movie began directly after Battle for the Heartfire's completion.
Filming
Filming began in early November 2018 in Romania and ended on December 5th. Locations include Râșnov Fortress, the volcanic crater in Racoș, and Bran Castle also in Mogoșoaia Palace. Post-production ended on September 21, 2019.
Visual effects
The VFX company Cinemotion Ltd. returned to do the CGI effects after working on the previous film.
Music
| Dragonheart: Vengeance (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | |
| Released | February 4, 2020 |
| Genre | Film score |
| Length | 47:00 |
| Label | Back Lot Music |
The score was composed by Mark McKenzie, after previously composing the score for Dragonheart: A New Beginning, The Sorcerer's Curse, and Battle for the Heartfire. Like the previous films, the score includes the original Dragonheart theme by Randy Edelman from the first film.
All tracks are written by Mark McKenzie.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hold On To Hope in the Dark Times" | 3:21 |
| 2. | "Love Changes Everything" (includes Dragonheart theme) | 2:19 |
| 3. | "Never Never Ever Give Up" | 1:45 |
| 4. | "You're Destined for Greatness" (includes Dragonheart theme) | 2:24 |
| 5. | "You Make Me Feel Magical Inside" | 1:42 |
| 6. | "Look At What You Have Left and Not at What You’ve Lost" | 2:45 |
| 7. | "Pledged to Peace" | 1:20 |
| 8. | "Great Love Surrounds What is Surrounding You" (includes Dragonheart theme) | 2:05 |
| 9. | "Snake Battle" | 2:55 |
| 10. | "Self Control Makes You Stronger" | 4:48 |
| 11. | "Trying to Kiss You" | 1:38 |
| 12. | "Look Behind You!" | 1:22 |
| 13. | "Risking Life For Something Bigger Than Yourself" | 2:07 |
| 14. | "Siveth’s Cat Mouse and Dragon Plan" | 4:59 |
| 15. | "Keep Looking Up" (includes Dragonheart theme) | 2:29 |
| 16. | "Hope It All Works for Good" (includes Dragonheart theme) | 9:10 |
| Total length: | 47:00 | |
Sequel
According to an interview with Arturo Muselli, a sixth Dragonheart film has already entered pre-production.[5]
References
- Feitshans, Matthew (2020-01-30). "DH5 transpires over the course of 35 years. It "begins" before the events of DH4 but ends after them. Still many years before DH1". @matthewGF. Retrieved 2020-02-04.
- "The legacy continues. Watch the trailer for Dragonheart: Vengeance starring #HelenaBonhamCarter as Siveth the dragon, #JackKane & @JosephMillson now and own it on Blu-ray, DVD & Digital 2/4". Twitter. 2020-01-09. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
- Keyes, Rob (2020-01-08). "Dragonheart: Vengeance Trailer & Release Date". ScreenRant. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
- "Dragonheart: Vengeance". www.uphe.com. 2019-11-22. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
- "Arturo Muselli video interview on Dragonheart 5 and Gomorrah at the Giffoni Film Festival 2019". MadMass. July 27, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2020.