# What are Your Favorite Dragons in Movies, Television,Games  and Literature ?



## BAYLOR (Jan 20, 2017)

Why are they your favorites?  And Why do you suppose that Dragons are so popular in all these formats ? What are your thought on the subject of dragons?


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## Cathbad (Jan 20, 2017)

The dragon in *Dragonslayer* was, in my opinion, the most logical depiction of an old-world dragon.  Did the sacrifices really work?  Heck yeah!  The creature didn't _have_ to go hunting!  

It was also, at the time, the greatest visual of a dragon in any movie.

I loathed the dragon in *Dragonheart*.  It looked like a rubber suit!  Oh, Connery was the best personality a speaking dragon has ever had!  But the damn thing just looked so incredibly fake, in a time I felt like they could have done so much better.


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## BAYLOR (Jan 20, 2017)

Cathbad said:


> The dragon in *Dragonslayer* was, in my opinion, the most logical depiction of an old-world dragon.  Did the sacrifices really work?  Heck yeah!  The creature didn't _have_ to go hunting!
> 
> It was also, at the time, the greatest visual of a dragon in any movie.
> 
> I loathed the dragon in *Dragonheart*.  It looked like a rubber suit!  Oh, Connery was the best personality a speaking dragon has ever had!  But the damn thing just looked so incredibly fake, in a time I felt like they could have done so much better.



I  The Dragon in *Dragon Slayer l*ooked absolutely amazing  and  stone cold malevolent and beyond scary. Even by todays special effects standards  that Dragon stills  looks pretty good. As to the sacrifice, there two images of that that film I've never been able to get out my head in the beginning of the film, the young woman manages to get lose from here bonds and the dragon toys with here and then   immolates her.  And later on in the film when the hero finds the kings daughter dead and being gnawed by the baby dragons. It was an excellent  but  very dark and nasty film.

*Dragonheart *was saved from mediocrity by Sean Connery proving the voice. I did like the comic standoff scene in which Dennis quad was standing in the dragons mouth with sword preventing the dragon from swallowing him.  T he Dragon did look a bit cartoonish . They did do a sequel to this one.


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## Cathbad (Jan 20, 2017)

Of course, my favorite dragon of all time is my own!    No false modesty here.

In January of 1980, I started running Dungeon and Dragons games, after our DM went back to the states (I was in the Army, in Germany).  I enjoyed it immensely.  Like most beginners, I mostly used pre-written scenarios, until I became dissatisfied and started writing my own.  My biggest beef was the way dragons were treated.  They were always presented in little tiny cubbyholes, unable to easily turn around, let alone use their full abilities!

Then came a convention in Orlando, Florida.  My first experience in _Judge's Guild_'s *Liche Lords* scenario!  We were actually attacked out in the open by a powerful dragon!  I loved it!  We successfully drove him off, and continued on.  Just before the final  encounter, we happened on the caves we figured the dragon resided in.  Much smarter for us to take on the behemoth there, rather than in the open again!  Sure enough, there he was - in a tiny cubbyhole he could barely turn around in.

I fumed.

And I went home and created Darganau.  A "by-the-book" red dragon, who took full advantage of his intelligence, and the availability of those things that would help him.

And his cave is no cubbyhole!

I've ran him - in one way or another - with every group I've had.  Most have been smart enough not to take him on - though some were not convinced until entering the final lair in his mountain home!  He _has_ been defeated once, by a group at _*GEN CON *_no less, due to a failed take-off!  (he _is_ a huge creature!)


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## Cathbad (Jan 20, 2017)

BAYLOR said:


> *Dragonheart *was saved from mediocrity by Sean Connery proving the voice. I did like the comic standoff scene in which Dennis quad was standing in the dragons mouth with sword preventing the dragon from swallowing him. T he Dragon did look a bit cartoonish . They did do a sequel to this one.



The storyline of the first was also excellent.  I think they decided to go without a storyline in the second.


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## BAYLOR (Jan 20, 2017)

Cathbad said:


> The storyline of the first was also excellent.  I think they decided to go without a storyline in the second.




I did enjoy the first film. The sequel was pretty forgettable .


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## BAYLOR (Jan 20, 2017)

Smaug  from J R Tolkien's  novel The Hobbit.   Took  Erebor and its gold  from the  Dwarf king as his subjects and in the process burned down an city whose  survivors founded a place called Lake Town . Intelligent, cunning, murderous , greedy for gold and cruel  and very articulate .Smaug  is the personification of evil.    He impressed  both 1977 animated film and the live action trilogy by Peter Jackson.


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## Cathbad (Jan 20, 2017)

Unfortunately, Smaug was about the only good thing in the '77 film.  

Smaug was a great character.  Mean as hell, with intelligence behind those smoldering charcoal eyes.  Would love to hear other stories about him.


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## BAYLOR (Jan 20, 2017)

Cathbad said:


> Unfortunately, Smaug was about the only good thing in the '77 film.
> 
> Smaug was a great character.  Mean as hell, with intelligence behind those smoldering charcoal eyes.  Would love to hear other stories about him.



The 77 film was the first token related thing I ever saw.  By todays standards it pretty bland  stuff. I think there was singing in it I'm not sure. *South Park* spoofed that film.   I  agree that Smaug did stand out here.

The live action films took Smaug to a whole new level of nastiness.


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## TheDustyZebra (Jan 20, 2017)

Ha, I was going to say the Sean Connery one, but that's just because of Sean Connery.


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## Cathbad (Jan 20, 2017)

Sean makes any movie better!


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## Cathbad (Jan 20, 2017)

BAYLOR said:


> I think there was singing in it



There was a catchy song about toil and work... used to sing it a lot, lol.  Can't seem to remember it now...


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## BAYLOR (Jan 20, 2017)

Cathbad said:


> Sean makes any movie better!



Indeed he did. 

At the time the animation sequence for the Dragon actually was cutting edge at one point.


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## BAYLOR (Jan 20, 2017)

Cathbad said:


> There was a catchy song about toil and work... used to sing it a lot, lol.  Can't seem to remember it now...



I think I remember being irritated by it. As you  say ,  Smaug was the one saving grace of that film.


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## BAYLOR (Jan 20, 2017)

TheDustyZebra said:


> Ha, I was going to say the Sean Connery one, but that's just because of Sean Connery.



No argument on that one.


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## RX-79G (Jan 21, 2017)

I think _Dragonslayer_ is about the single nicest fantasy film I've ever seen. I really like the new LOTR films, but the jeopardy and horror in Dragonslayer are so good. I love the wizard being used as a bomb and sharpening the spear with magic fire, as well as the wizard's second coming in the lake and using the scale shield. And the dragon looked great in a way that shames CGI.


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## Cathbad (Jan 21, 2017)

A free story from the lair of that most-infamous of Dragon's, Darganau.

Cathbad's F&SF Short Story Blog​


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## HareBrain (Jan 21, 2017)

RX-79G said:


> I think _Dragonslayer_ is about the single nicest fantasy film I've ever seen. I really like the new LOTR films, but the jeopardy and horror in Dragonslayer are so good. I love the wizard being used as a bomb and sharpening the spear with magic fire, as well as the wizard's second coming in the lake and using the scale shield. And the dragon looked great in a way that shames CGI.



For some reason, I've never watched this one -- but after that (and looking up glowing reviews on IMDB), I will next time it's on.


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## Cathbad (Jan 21, 2017)

Cathbad said:


> There was a catchy song about toil and work... used to sing it a lot, lol. Can't seem to remember it now...



*"Where there's a whip... ~snap~ ...there's a way!"
*
Knew I'd eventually remember!


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## BAYLOR (Jan 22, 2017)

Cathbad said:


> *"Where there's a whip... ~snap~ ...there's a way!"
> *
> Knew I'd eventually remember!



It's on Youtube  if you want to see it again.


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## K. Riehl (Jan 29, 2017)

I enjoyed the Dragons of Earthsea, _Tea with the Black Dragon_ By MacAvoy, _A Book Dragon_ by Kushner and the Dragon from Naamah's Kiss by Jacqueline Carey .


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## BAYLOR (Mar 8, 2017)

K. Riehl said:


> I enjoyed the Dragons of Earthsea, _Tea with the Black Dragon_ By MacAvoy, _A Book Dragon_ by Kushner and the Dragon from Naamah's Kiss by Jacqueline Carey .



Excellent list.


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## EJ Heijnis (Mar 18, 2017)

I'd mention the various dragons from the Malazan series, but I always go there, so I won't. Visually, I actually liked the dragons from the Reign of Fire movie, even if they were unintelligent. And I always loved the dragons in old Might & Magic VI... because I could fight them in turn-based mode, they'd never close the range, and I could dodge their breath by flying up and down. The loot was truly epic.  I'll also mention Deathwing, from World of Warcraft, and credit him with getting my wife sufficiently interested in the game to try it out. Those TV trailers for the Cataclysm expansion were pretty cool.


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## Lafayette (Mar 20, 2017)

I haven't seen a lot of movies with dragons in them, but the one that still captures my attention and imagination is the one in Disney's Sleeping Beauty. 

That dragon fills the screen with its aura of power and evil. It really is remarkable in that the drawing of it is simple without a lot of detail but enough to let you know it's a dragon. Not any any old dragon, but a big, big nasty dragon that you don't mess with. This is not a worm you have a friendly chat with or play riddles and forget about stealing any of its goodies. 

This dragon will do a number of things to you: it will make you run faster than you think you can or make you immobile with fear or make pee in your pants.

My favorite dragon's voice is Richard Boone's Smaug. I believe Mr. Boone enjoyed doing the voice. Not thinking back on it I think it was the best part of the film.


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## Nick B (Mar 20, 2017)

I will probably be in a minority here, but I love the dragons of Dragonlance. The original trilogy have a special place in my heart, faults and all, and will never be dislodged.


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## Cathbad (Mar 20, 2017)

Nick B said:


> I will probably be in a minority here, but I love the dragons of Dragonlance. The original trilogy have a special place in my heart, faults and all, and will never be dislodged.



Yeah, the DH dragons were good; but I've always felt that the DragonLance books belittled dragons by 1) having far too many, and 2) they were killed far too easily.


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## BAYLOR (May 31, 2021)

I thought the Game Of Thrones Dragons. were cool


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## Guttersnipe (Jun 6, 2021)

Smaug from The Hobbit
Falkor from The Neverending Story
The dragon in Grendel by John Gardner
Gleep from the Myth Adventures series
Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon


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