The post-apocalyptic movie is a thriving genre because filmmakers can easily imagine all the different ways the world will end. Will it be a cataclysmic weather event that wipes humanity off the map? A virus that turns humanity into flesh-eating monsters? A Biblical flood of plagues and horsemen trumpeting the apocalypse? The possibilities are endless, but where Reign of Fire is concerned, the end of the world begins when you wake up a dragon. Construction on the London Underground leads to a horde of dragons awakening, and efforts to use nuclear weapons to stop them only leads to dwindling numbers for the human race. Years later, Quinn Abercromby (Christian Bale) is the head of a group of survivors who are hoping to wait out the dragons’ hibernation cycle. American Denton Van Zan (Matthew McConaughey) comes to London with an armored convoy to stop the dragons once and for all, joining forces with Quinn and his best friend Creedy (Gerard Butler).

Reign of Fire was critically panned upon its release. Roger Ebert dismissed it as “a vast enterprise marshaled in the service of such a minute idea.” Another review unfavorably compared it to the 2000-era Dungeons & Dragons movie. But the real kicker was the box office, as Reign of Fire would wind up placing third during its opening weekend — eventually falling far short of its budget. Still, it’s a compelling mix of fantasy and post-apocalyptic genres that’s bolstered by an amazing cast.

‘Reign of Fire’ Takes a Realistic Approach to Its Dragons & How They Changed The World

Critics might have felt that Reign of Fire was too dour during its theatrical run, but watching the movie, it’s pretty clear that director Rob Bowman intended to make the end of the world hit home. Nowhere is that more clear than with Quinn; he was one of the first people to witness the dragons’ rise, and it cost him his mother. On top of that, there’s a whole generation of children who’ve grown up fearing the dragons. Their prayers before bedtime are less an ode to God and more a checklist of what to do if the fire-breathing beasts attack: “Dig hard, dig deep, run for shelter, never look back.” Unlike most fantasy films, where there’s a magic sword or potion that could tip the heroes’ chances, all Quinn and his fellow dragon slayers have to rely on is manmade weaponry and their wits. To Reign of Fire‘s credit, this does lead to some amazing fight sequences.

Reign of Fire even takes a semi-scientific approach to its dragons, coming up with some unique lore to explain certain elements. How does a dragon breathe fire? They have two glands in their neck that when combined, result in a literally explosive chemical reaction. The reason they’ve also spread rapidly is due to a single male fertilizing the multiple eggs laid by the females, meaning that the dragons outnumber humanity in more ways than one. Rob Bowman also said that he wanted to make the dragons feel as realistic as possible, so that audiences would buy into the danger at the core of Reign of Fire‘s story. “I felt that if I could get the audience to just accept one thing, which is the dragons, then I would provide an ultra-realism around it,” he told Vice in a retrospective celebrating the film’s 15th anniversary. The gambit worked as Reign of Fire‘s dragons have gone on to influence a number of other dragons in pop culture. If you love Game of Thrones or the Hungarian Horntail from the Harry Potter films, you have Reign of Fire to thank. Related

The biggest draw of Reign of Fire (other than the dragons) is its cast, particularly Bale and McCounaghey. Both stars play characters who’ve been shaped in different ways by the dragon-infested world: though he’s carrying immense survivor’s guilt, Quinn soldiers on to keep his son and the rest of his community safe. Van Zant, on the other hand, throws himself into battle with abandon…which gains a truly tragic edge when his men are decimated by the dragons. Bale and McCounaghey threw themselves into these roles to the point where McCounaghey insisted that everyone refer to him by his character’s name during filming. Even if Reign of Fire wasn’t a hit, their careers took off. Bale would go on to star in Christopher Nolan‘s Dark Knight trilogy, McCounaghey would further diversify his roles with dramatic fare including The Lincoln Lawyer, and Gerard Butler had a star-making turn of his own with 300. Bowman knew he lucked out: “How many years ago could you say you can afford to put Christian, Gerry, and Matthew in the same movie?”

Reign of Fire remains a unique entry in both the post-apocalyptic genre and the fantasy genre, and it is worth a watch for its epic action sequences, along with its compelling lead performances. Despite Bale being more than willing, it may be too niche to get a sequel — but it deserved far better than to go up in smoke.