Once upon a time, when we first reported on it, Age of Dragons was called Dragon Fire (see previous Backbrain article). Based on Herman Melville’s novel Moby Dick, it translates the 19th Century setting of the novel into a land-based fantastical world and the Great White Whale becomes a huge white dragon — the key obsession of Captain Ahab, as in the original, though here Ahab (played by Danny Glover) is a dragon hunter rather than a whaler. To read about how it was developing in May last year, check of the update on Undead Brainspasm.

Since then a full official trailer has been released — and it’s looking much better than I’d hoped.

Age of the Dragons (US-2011; dir. Ryan Little)

Final Trailer:

Synopsis:

Imagine an ancient world where the sky can turn into an unpredictable and ruthless enemy. A world lit by a precious liquid [vitriol] only found in the throat of dangerous predators. In this world of snow and fog, a small band of adventurers and hunters embark on a journey led by a tortured Captain consumed by his obsession with revenge. As they struggle to stay alive across the cold forbidden lands, they will build true friendship, lose loved ones, and fight brutal creatures until truth is unraveled and vengeance is served. (Official website)

And here’s the latest poster:

• Danny Glover is Captain Ahab (above) — the Captain of the Pequod, driven by a maniacal desire to kill the great white dragon that maimed and killed his loved ones earlier in his life.
• Vinnie Jones is Stubbs — second mate of the Pequod.
• Corey Sevier is Ishmael — an adventurer and a poet.
• Sofia Pernas is Rachel — adopted as a child by Ahab after her father was killed by the Great White Dragon, now a skilled and fearless hunter.
• Kepa Kruse is Queequeg — a skilled harpoonist from the South Seas and a close friend of Ishmael.
• Larry Bagby is Flask — an extractor, trained in the dangerous art of surgically removing the sacks of vitriol from the dragon’s throat.
• David Morgan is Starbuck — chief-mate of the Pequod.

And this is the Pequod — a “land-ship”.

Concept Art by Kory Lynn Hubbell:

There are many more images in the Gallery below. Check them out.

• Sources:Official website; Kory Hubbell’s blog
• Written by Robert Hood | Research: Avery Guerra

Gallery:

Age of the Dragons [aka Dragon Fire] (US-2010; dir. Ryan Little)

In a medieval realm where Captain Ahab and crew hunt dragons for the vitriol that powers their world, Ishmael, a charismatic harpooner, joins their quest. Ahab’s adopted daughter Rachel, beautiful and tough, runs the hunting vessel. Ahab’s obsession to seek revenge on a great “White Dragon” that slaughtered his family when he was young and left his body scarred and mauled drives the crew deeper into the heart of darkness. In the White Dragon’s lair, Ahab’s secrets are revealed and Rachel must choose between following him on his dark quest or escaping to a new life with Ishmael.

Trailer:

• Source: Avery Guerra |  Written by Robert Hood

Eye-Filling Spectacle! Man Against Monsters!

Ilya Muromets [aka The Sword and the Dragon] (Soviet Union-1956; dir. Aleksandr Ptushko)

Based on an ancient legend, this Russian film includes a wealth of fantasy elements, simply going on the images I’ve been able to track down. Not the least of them — and the one that sparked my interest in the film — is the one below, a classic moment straight out of what is probably the first major dragon-slaying film, Fritz Lang’s Die Nibelungen: Siegfried (1924).

Synopsis:

Ilya Muromets is a heroic warrior who succeeded in protecting the Russian land from evil enemies, defeating their thousands-strong army. He saved Russia from various monsters, such as Nightingale the Robber and Gorynych the Serpent. This was the first Soviet wide-screen motion picture. Participating in the shooting were 106, 000 soldiers-extras and 11, 000 horses – the record numbers in the history of world cinema (as documented in Patrick Robertson’s “The New Guinness Book of Movie Records”, published in 1993). (from Ruscico website)

Ilya Muromets was released in Japan during the Showa Period — on 10 March 1959 (according to the IMDb), about five years after the iconic giant monster film Gojira (aka Godzilla) made its box-office mark — and (apparently) by Toho, the production company that singlehanded invented the daikaiju eiga genre. Notice the logographic lettering in the lower left-hand side of the card (the picture of the dragon) above. We discovered this image on a Japanese blog, and the author of the article clearly considers that the film was released as part of the Showa-period development of the daikaiju eiga genre. It is certainly possible to see a potential influence on Godzilla’s greatest enemy, the three-headed Ghidrah [later King Ghidorah], who first appeared in the 1964 film San daikaijû: Chikyû saidai no kessen [aka Ghidrah, the Three-Headed Monster]. The author refers to the dragon (which is three-headed: see poster below) as the “incarnation of capitalism” — interpreted as such by the Soviet regime –  and points out similarities with the Japanese “legend of the eight dragons”.

In its original undubbed, widescreen aspect (rather than the dubbed, pan-and-scanned and cut US version available online), Ilya Muromets looks as though it is a spectacular and inventive fantasy epic.

Ruscico, the Russian Cinema Council [see review], has released the film in its original aspect ratio and with subtitles.

More images:

And here is the US trailer, though the poor quality of the print does not do justice to the original’s visual beauty:

References:

• Ruscico website
• IMDb entry
• More details and images
• The legend
• View the entire film (US version) online; or watch the Russian version (widescreen but without subtitles) on YouTube.
• Source: Bobcat SwinginBlog. Thanks, Avery.
• Japanese dragon image is part of a ceiling painting at Tenryū-ji Temple 天龍寺, Kyoto, dating from 1899. Ref. Japanese Buddhist Sanctuary website. Other images.

Written by Christoff Rodriguez and Chris Campanozzi, with art by Antonio Rojo, Serpent Wars is set in the 1800s. When a young scientist’s apprentice stows away onto the warship of a British Lord, in order to prove that there are sea creatures downing ships off the shores of South America, his voyage leads to the discovery of a mysterious hidden island “where an ancient race is witness to the epic serpent gods who are now locked in a battle that could decide the fate of mankind”.

Publisher Harry Markos described Serpent Wars as “an absolute must-read”:

The story is based closely around South American myths and legends so you’ll see some fantastic characters. Monsters, magic and mayhem all round! We’re also delighted that industry legend Howard Chaykin will be writing an introduction, which speaks volumes for the project. (Markosia webpage)

Be that as it may, the 128-page graphic novel looks monstrously entertaining.

Trailer:

• Source (and ordering): Markosia webpage; via Avery

Dragonslayer (Germany-2004; animation, short; dir. Robert Kuczera)

Dragonslayer is a 3D animated fantasy short film of 9:30 min. length. The project was completed over a 24-month period: 9 months of preproduction, 12 months of production and 3 months of postproduction.

Synopsis:

In a time when dragons threatened mankind, there was only one man who fought against them all. His name is Tarragon and riding on his brave battle horse Black Bull he is on his way to work. But things don’t always turn out as they should… and one day… hhmm….

Check out the website for a wealth of making-of material. There is also a heap of production and conceptual art here.

The Day the Earth Stopped (US-2008; dir. C. Thomas Howell)

Hundreds of massive intergalactic robots appear in all of the major world capitals with an ultimatum: Prove the value of human civilization or be destroyed.

And I mean these robots are BIG! Check out the legs…

Unlike its tacit “inspiration”, the imminent The Day the Earth Stood Still remake, this one seems to involve not a saviour but a destroyer — a sort of anti-Buffy:

• Website and trailer

Merlin and the War of the Dragons (US-2008; dir. Mark Atkins)

An army of dragons invade the crippled English countryside and the apprentice wizard Merlin must confront the fire-breathing beasts.

So… dragons and Excaliber and dragons and fire and horses and stuff… Did I mention dragons?

• Website and trailer

Thanks as always to Avery for passing on the info.

Peter Jackson was set to direct, but when Nemo (who wrote the script) refused to change the title to The Hobbit, Jackson got narky and went back to New Zealand.

Negotiations are underway with Guillermo del Toro, who said that, when it comes to furry feet, he prefers cats to hobbits anyway.

As comic giant monsters go, Fin Fang Foom is one of the green-blooded aristocrats. Ranging in size somewhere between 32 feet and 100 feet (though he has been known to be reductive enough to sit in a park playing chess with Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four [in Scott Gray and Roger Langridge's "Fin Fang Four", Marvel Monsters 2005]), Foom is an alien being from the planet Kakaranathara in the Maklu system of the Greater Magellanic Cloud, who tries to maintain some semblance of his native grandeur despite the fact that his fellow invaders have long since been “domesticated” — adopting human appearance and integrating into human society. Generally speaking, Foom has preferred to rampage, smash buildings and threaten to destroy all human life on Earth — an occupation he refers to as “keeping the faith”.

Fin Fang Foom (whose real name is unpronounceable but translates as “He Whose Limbs Shatter Mountains and Whose Back Scrapes the Sky”) has the appearance of a Chinese dragon and hence is often referred to as such; though since he and his fellows first arrived on Earth in ancient China perhaps it’s fair to say that the classic Chinese dragon was inspired by his appearance in the first place — though this theory remains somewhat controversial.

Unlike most giant monsters, Fin Fang Foom is highly articulate, usually sprouting the sort of self-aggrandising threats that were popular among Marvel villains during the Age of Monsters (and beyond).

Though he would prefer to go around au natural, he’s generally been forced by the Powers-That-Be to wear less-than-awesome green or purple shorts (size CMLXXX plus-plus). These cause him some embarrassment and having them manufactured means he contributes significantly, against his will, to the wealth of several smaller Asian nations — so it’s best not to mention them at all when talking to him.

Foom was introduced to the world by that doyen of giant monster comicdom, the great Jack Kirby, and first appeared in Marvel’s Strange Tales Vol. 1 #89 (October 1961), where he was unwittingly used to defeat an army of evil, freedom-hating Communist invaders. He has since appeared with many of the Marvel superheroes, including the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk and The Mighty Thor.

Since the Golden Age of Kirby, Foom has been drawn by such luminaries as Mike Mignola:

Jim Cheung :

… and Arthur Adams:

Moreover, his image has been immortalised in sculpture:

The Backbrain recently stumbled upon Fin Fang Foom (who had adopted one of his more diminutive aspects) at a yum cha restaurant in Sydney’s Chinatown and took the opportunity to ask him about his auspicious career.

This exclusive interview will be posted shortly, once the burns have healed.

For more information on Fin Fang Foom, go here.

Note: all images are copyright © Marvel Comics and the respective artists. Where I have not acknowledged the particular artist it is because I did not know who it was and will gladly add an acknowledgment if someone lets me know.

Read Part 2: the Interview here.

Now I haven’t watched a French animated fantasy film since… oh, La Planète Sauvage [aka Fantastic Planet] sometime post-1973… okay, maybe I have — were the Asterix and Tin-Tin animated films made in France? At any rate, French animation probably should be more on my radar, but it hasn’t been. Chasseurs de Dragons, which opens this month in France, looks extremely good. It’s a fantasy about a world that has become infested with a terrible plague: omnipresent, monstrously famished, mutant creatures, which wreak suitable havoc amongst the equally unruly inhabitants. Lord Arnold is worried about the return of World Eater, a particularly nasty dragon that pops by every thirty seasons to spread terror and destruction. The film follows the adventures of two reluctant dragon hunters (and would-be mussel farmers), who are, of course, sucked into the dragon hunt by Zoe, the Lord’s grand-niece.

Clearly Chasseurs de Dragons has got a few giant monsters in it. Here’s one — not your typical dragon.

And wait until you see what steps up to bat at the end of this trailer!

The website (which has a nice hi-res version of the trailer) is here. Incredible!

The dragon isn’t Godzilla-sized but it’s no midget either. Not bad SFX, considering it was done using full-size puppetry.