Dragonslayer (1981)

Two Geeks and a GIT Classic Movie Reviews

For our first full pairing of the new year, we're going to take a turn to the fantastic... literally! Two epic fantasy films from the 1980s are our focus this time around, starting with the debut cinematic performance of Peter MacNicol in director Matthew Robbins' take on a favorite fantasy beast in 1981's "Dragonslayer!" Master sorcerer Ulrich (Ralph Richardson) and his apprentice Galen (MacNicol) receive a group of townspeople from nearby Urland, led by Valerian (Caitlin Clark) who beseech them to rid their kingdom of Vermithrax, a dragon. The King, Casiodrus Rex (Peter Eyre) has made a deal with the beast to sacrifice a virgin maiden twice yearly in exchange for being allowed to live undisturbed. Valerian firmly believes this must stop, and has come in search of another solution. Tyrian (John Hallam), the vile captain of the King's guard, has followed Valerian's group, and challenges Ulrich to prove himself an actual sorcerer. Ulrich invites Tyrian to stab him, claiming it will cause him no harm, but Ulrich is killed, leaving Galen to follow in his Master's footsteps and attempt to save the kingdom from the dragon! The film also stars Albert Salmi, Sydney Bromley, Chloe Salaman, and an early appearance from Ian McDiarmid!