There Be Dragons

Written and Directed by Roland Joffe
Cast: Charlie Cox, Wes Bentley, Dougray Scott 


There Be Dragons follows the story of two childhood friends who choose radically different paths in life. Josémaria (Charlie Cox) is a priest who is content and happy in his role. Manolo (Wes Bentley) defies his friend’s religion and joins the Spanish civil war as a fascist spy. Josémaria continues his priestly duty amid all kinds of persecution, even when it means praying for enemies or hearing confessions in a zoo. The film gets to the heart of the Christian’s calling, which is unfortunate considering how poorly it is done. 

At least four people left mid-movie in my East Village theatre. When I wasn’t counting the bored dissenters, I was cringing at the number of times Josémaria’s internal revelations corresponded with the streams of digital sunlight dramatically augmenting against the stirring soundtrack. The acting felt painfully scripted. At times the characters’ conversations resembled something between a high school play and an old Disney film. As stylistic clichés continued to rear their ugly heads, I found myself fiddling with my iPhone and wondering if there was going to be wine with that cheese.

Its intriguing historical setting, pleasant cinematography, and exaltation of a life spent for God make Dragons a movie you hate to dislike, but let’s not beat around the bush–it’s nothing new, nothing innovative. My friend (the one who didn’t walk out early) and I agreed afterward that “it was just kinda blah.” 

It’s nice to see a film with such an authentic view of Christianity, but if you’re looking for a good movie, beware: there be dragons.