They do not make movies like this anymore. Too bad this is the case. The Hobbit/Lord of the rings is the only other film that I think gave fantasy films a good name. There are a few others that I enjoyed but many are garbage with stupid crappy humor and B rated filming. I wish they would make more movies like this.

In the kingdom of Urland, King Casiodorus selects a virgin maiden twice a year in a lottery to be sacrificed to an ancient dragon. Valerian (Caitlin Clarke) leads a group to find Ulrich (Ralph Richardson), the only one alive rumored to have killed a dragon. Soldier Tyrian challenges Ulrich to prove himself but the test kills him. His apprentice Galen Bradwarden (Peter MacNicol) with the special amulet intends to complete the quest himself. He discovers that Valerian is actually a girl pretending to be a boy. Tyrian intends to stop anything that could disrupt the way of life and kills Ulrich's elderly servant Hodge. Hodge tells Galen to spread Ulrich's ashes over a lake of "burning water". Galen seals the dragon cave entrance. Thinking it safe, Valerian reveals herself as a girl to the village. Tyrian arrests Galen. In the dungeon, princess Elspeth comes to see Galen and he reveals the popular rumor of the rigged lottery. She rigs the lottery against herself and is sent to be sacrificed.This is simple high adventure. Peter MacNicol may not be the pretty young face that the hero is suppose to be. He does have a good nature about it. Caitlin Clarke is a great heroine. Her story is compelling. The princess is great and so is Tyrian. On top of that, Vermithrax is a great scary dragon. He doesn't show his face until the last act like Jaws. This is one of the great dragon movie.

Paramount co-produced this fantasy adventure with Walt Disney at a time when the latter studio was taking more chances and venturing into more PG rated genre efforts. While indeed it might be too intense and graphic for the youngest of viewers, it's good, straightforward entertainment, directed with style by Matthew Robbins. He wrote the picture with his partner / producer Hal Barwood, and gets fine performances out of a mostly British cast. The music by Alex North is enjoyable, the production design and cinematography are most atmospheric, and the special effects are, for the most part, pretty damn good, having been done in old school, practical fashion.Peter MacNicol, in his feature debut / first starring role, plays Galen, the apprentice to a sorcerer named Ulrich (the great Ralph Richardson). Ulrich is approached by the people of Urland to slay the aged but still potent dragon named Vermithrax Pejorative, who has been terrorizing them for years. They've gone so far as to regularly sacrifice young female virgins to Vermithrax. When Ulrich seems to fail a "test", Galen takes it upon himself to accept the challenge of slaying the beast. While hubris does get the better of him at first, his resolve is still impressive.This is quite good fun for any fan of the genre. It benefits from a delightful performance by Richardson, as well as equally engaging work by Sydney Bromley and young MacNicol. (Some people might feel that American actor MacNicol sticks out like a sore thumb, but this viewer doesn't feel that way.) Caitlin Clarke is appealing as Valerian, our brave female lead. John Hallam is a terrific antagonist as Tyrian; Peter Eyre, Albert Salmi, Chloe Salaman, Emrys James, and Roger Kemp all fare well. It's nice to see Ian McDiarmid in the small role of Brother Jacopus, who doesn't last long against the monster.Vermithrax itself is sufficiently scary and majestic, and not entirely unsympathetic, as we can see in one very brief but effective moment.Eight out of 10.

This is one of the best sword and sorcery films out there. It is very good - especially the visual effects (amazing for the time era).The story is sorta reminiscent of "King Kong" or "Clash of the Titans" (among other films) in the way there is a beast of sorts after a helpless woman and a young dashing hero out to rescue her. Dragonslayer has a stereo-typical scenario but so wonderfully done.Dragonslayer is not a movie of epic portions but is a good movie to watch on a day when you have time to spare. If you are into movies about dragons, wizards and heroes then give Dragonslayer a try. It's one of the better quality movies of this type.9/10