DragonHeart | Honor, Nostalgia, One Grumpy Dragon

Forgotten Cinema is saddling up our horses, grabbing our medieval grifting kit, and taking flight back to the mid-90s with DragonHeart (1996) — the fantasy adventure starring Dennis Quaid, David Thewlis, and Sean Connery’s unmistakable Scottish growl as Draco the dragon. Directed by Rob Cohen.

If you were a kid in the ‘90s, there’s a good chance you caught this one on VHS or cable, and for Butler, DragonHeart is wrapped in a warm blanket of nostalgia. He still finds a lot to enjoy here: the themes of honor and redemption, the big-hearted humor, and that rare vibe of a family-friendly fantasy film that feels almost extinct today.

Field? He was less enchanted. While they both agree the movie has some undeniable charms, it also has plenty of issues. The tone bounces between swashbuckling adventure, tongue-in-cheek comedy, and sincere fairy tale, sometimes in the same scene. David Thewlis’ villain is so cartoonishly evil he feels like he wandered in from a different movie altogether. And the plot is not exactly forged in the fires of narrative consistency.

But here’s where they see eye to eye: the score by Randy Edelman is iconic. It’s the kind of soaring, emotional music that’s been recycled in trailers and highlight reels for decades, and honestly? It still gives Butler chills.

In this episode, we dig into:

• Whether DragonHeart holds up as a piece of family entertainment or feels too uneven for modern audiences.

• How Sean Connery’s performance somehow manages to give the CGI dragon more personality than half the human characters.

• The weird tonal blend of buddy comedy, medieval epic, and morality play.

• And why, despite all the flaws, there’s something undeniably endearing about this oddball relic of ‘90s fantasy filmmaking.

So is DragonHeart a charming adventure or a clunky misfire with a killer soundtrack? Grab your sword, cue up that epic main theme, and join us as we try to find out.

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