Two words: Dragon fighting

People often question me when I say I really like "Reign of Fire." I mean, true, it's not exactly what I'd call a "good film," but when I want a movie to entertain me, it doesn't get much better than 102 minutes of humans and dragons doing everything they can to kill one another.\nDragons awake and occupy themselves by killing off all things living. Enter Quinn (Bale), fire chief and protecting leader of a small community of struggling survivors. Then enter Van Zan (McConaughey), hardcore freelance dragon slayer who hunts down the beasts via a modern arsenal. Together, the two men set out to reclaim mankind's place atop the food chain. It's one hell of a show.\nDirector Rob Bowman's ("X-Files: The Movie") entire film looks bleak, gray and smokey, a somewhat clichéd post-apocalyptic vision of the future, but an effective one nonetheless, given the story. This movie is fun: the action is intense, the characters are cool (and surprisingly, they're developed, so the dragons aren't the only ones stealing the show), the camerawork is as effective and violent as the dragons' attacks, and it all transfers in pristine condition to DVD. The blacks are rich, and the images are crisp. The digital surround sound is very clear; it sounds as if dragons are flying around your room. In short, turn the lights off and the sound up -- this DVD delivers. \nWe get two featurettes on DVD. One has cast and crew talking about the look of the film and the inspiration for the dragons (snakes, leopards, bats and hornets). It's interesting, albeit short. The other delves into the pyrotechnics used in the film and is littered with neat factoids. There is also a conversation with Bowman on his influences and how tough it was to direct actors fighting something that wasn't on set, etc. The features are nice and all, but the movie itself is what makes this DVD worthwhile.\nAll this being said, "Reign of Fire" is not the greatest movie ever made. The DVD needs more extras. This is not revolutionary and is by no means the pinnacle of filmmaking. It is, though, a damn good romp where you get to see people fighting dragons with something other than a sword and shield. Go out and buy this one. Summer blockbusters make nice Christmas gifts. Plus you get to see an axe-wielding McConaughey scream "Come on big boy!" while diving off a tower to face a dragon midair -- fun times for the holiday season.