History YMMV / Dragonheart

* FaceOfTheBand: Marco Caporasso is probably the most recognizable of the group.

* CompleteMonster: At the film's start, Einon seems like a youth needing guidance from his wise mentor, but it gets revealed that any honor Einon has is just a front to learn swordsmanship from Sir Bowen. After Einon finds his dying father, he only tries to wrench the crown out of the man's hands, showing what he will become. Einon gets saved only when a dragon shares his heart with him when mortally wounded, linking their lives. As [[EvilOverlord King]], Einon taxes and works the people without mercy and orders a man's [[EyeScream eyes put out]] with a hot poker before casually killing him years afterward. Einon later tries to rape that man's daughter, and when his mother tries to kill the dragon to stop Einon, Einon [[{{Matricide}} kills her with no remorse]]. While Bowen initially blames the dragon for Einon's change, it turns out [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters Einon was always a monster]] and the dragon shared his heart to try to change Einon's nature.

* MagnificentBastard: Lynkhor on "Vengeance in Black." He wants to plunge the world into a darkness that will be inhabited by himself and whatever [[EldritchAbomination eldritch abominations]] he frees.

* CompleteMonster: [[spoiler:At the film's start, Einon seems like a youth needing guidance from his wise mentor, but it gets revealed that any honor Einon has is just a front to learn swordsmanship from Sir Bowen. After Einon finds his dying father, he only tries to wrench the crown out of the man's hands, showing what he will become. Einon gets saved only when a dragon shares his heart with him when mortally wounded, linking their lives. As [[EvilOverlord King]], Einon taxes and works the people without mercy and orders a man's [[EyeScream eyes put out]] with a hot poker before casually killing him years afterward. Einon later tries to rape that man's daughter, and when his mother tries to kill the dragon to stop Einon, Einon [[{{Matricide}} kills her with no remorse]]. While Bowen initially blames the dragon for Einon's change, it turns out [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters Einon was always a monster]] and the dragon shared his heart to try to change Einon's nature.]]

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: '''Einon.''' The movie makes it quite clear that he was EvilAllAlong and never believed in Bowen's Old Code in the first place. But how did he get to be evil? Did he become that way due to his father King Freyne's lousy example, and thus would've been a better person had Freyne been a better person. Or was his cruel, sociopathic personality his default nature from the beginning, and thus would have ended up a tyrant regardless of his upbringing? The novelization reveals that Aislinn was Freyne's bride of conquest and trophy wife. Bearing a child from her loveless marriage, Aislinn once thought of killing Einon when he was an infant but couldn't bring herself to do so; she had no love to give her son, so that left Einon to be corrupted by his tyrant father.

* EnsambleDarkHorse: Brother Gilbert thanks to Pete Postlethwaite's comedically charismatic portrayal, is quite popular among fans of the movie.

* EnsambleDarkhorse: Brother Gilbert thanks to Pete Postlethwaite's comedically charismatic portrayal, is quite popular among fans of the movie.

** NoProblemWithLicensedGames: On the other hand, the little-remembered Gameboy game is actually playable, playing like a sort of first-person adventure game with very little actual emphasis on combat (all combats only happen at scripted points) and being more about exploration and story, almost like a western-made visual novel. It's hardly a classic, but it's not downright terrible like the more well-known Playstation/Saturn game is.

** While Draco is a well-animated/rendered CG character for the time, the lighting on him looks off in some scenes containing him. However, this wasn't unusual for 1990s digital creatures, as daytime shots, which this film has a lot of, were especially difficult to pull off with the era's technology.

** The sequel falls under this trope too, which is especially strange given that the company hired for it (not ILM) also did the X-Ray scene in the original ''[[Film/TotalRecall1990 Total Recall]]'', one of the most groundbreaking moments in visual effects history.

** They still hold up fairly well even today.

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: '''Einon.''' The movie makes it quite clear that he was EvilAllAlong, and that he never believed in Bowen's Old Code in the first place. But how did he get to be evil? Did he become that way due to his father King Freyne's lousy example, and thus would've been a better person had Freyne been a better person. Or was his cruel, sociopathic personality his default nature from the beginning, and thus would have ended up a tyrant regardless of his upbringing? The novelization reveals that Aislinn was Freyne's bride of conquest and trophy wife. Bearing a child from her loveless marriage, Aislinn once thought of killing Einon when he was an infant but couldn't bring herself to do so; she had no love to give her son, so that left Einon to be corrupted by his tyrant father.
** It's not entirely out of the question that Einon was a product of a love affair between The Queen and Bowen, mainly since Bowen showcased some rather father-like tendencies towards him.
* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: The first film's soundtrack by Music/RandyEdelman easily qualifies. Especially the main theme, which has been recycled not only through the rest of the franchise but also [[RecycledTrailerMusic used in scenes and trailers]] in so many unrelated films that it has become a standard for good music.

* BaseBreakingCharacter: Kara. Apart from being the target of Einon's unwanted advances, her only role in the film is Bowen's ImpliedLoveInterest. Even though screenwriter Charles Pogue wrote a romance between Kara and Bowen, the film only implies developing feelings. She becomes Bowen's love interest entirely in the novel, but she has little importance to the plot outside those two roles.

* IronWoobie: The dragon race as a whole, they swore to protect and guide mankind and yet they would end up being persecuted, hunted and driven to near-extinction, despite this they kept to their oath, down to the last dragon.
* JerkassWoobie: The novel version of Felton. The guy's a complete jerk, but such a ridiculous amount of bad stuff happens to him (from embarrassment to losing limbs... see ButtMonkey on the main page for a full list) that you feel sorry for him and want to hug him.
* JustHereForGodzilla: Pretty much everyone agrees that the dragon voiced by Creator/SeanConnery is the best thing about this film, that or the soundtrack.
** The franchise suffers from Sequelitis as noted below, but Creator/HelenaBonhamCarter voicing a female dragon is arguably one of the only reasons people would want to watch ''Film/DragonheartVengeance''.

* {{Sequelitis}}: The sequels and prequels are generally considered nowhere near as good as the first film. That being said, the first prequel, ''Film/Dragonheart3TheSorcerersCurse'', got mixed reviews but is often considered better than ''A New Beginning''.
* SignatureScene: The scene where Bowen on his horse is framed against the sun, and Draco flies into frame over him. This image has been used for most posters and home video covers.

** While Draco is a very well-animated/rendered CG character for the time, the lighting on him looks off in some of the scenes containing him. However, this wasn't unusual for 1990s digital creatures, as daytime shots, which this film has a lot of, were especially difficult to pull off with the era's technology.

* TheProblemWithLicensedGames: In regards to the Playstation and Saturn game...oh yeah. Adding an unnecessary and frustrating stamina system, boring combat, meh graphics, poor use of Draco (reducing him to little more than a screen clearing smart bomb)... Its from Acclaim, are you really surprised?

** The prequels' visual effects are quite good for DTV releases.

* MagnificentBastard: Lynkhor on "Vengeance in Black". He wants to plunge the world into a darkness that will be inhabited by himself and whatever [[EldritchAbomination eldritch abominations]] he frees.

* CompleteMonster: At the film's start, Einon seems like a youth needing guidance from his wise mentor, but it gets revealed that any honor Einon has is just a front to learn swordsmanship from Sir Bowen. After Einon finds his dying father, he only tries to wrench the crown out of the man's hands, showing what he will become. Einon gets saved only when a dragon shares his heart with him when mortally wounded, linking their lives. As [[EvilOverlord King]], Einon taxes and works the people without mercy and orders a man's [[EyeScream eyes put out]] with a hot poker before casually killing him years afterward. Einon later tries to rape that man's daughter, and when his mother tries to kill the dragon to stop Einon, Einon [[{{Matricide}} kills her with no remorse]]. While Bowen initially blames the dragon for Einon's change, it turns out [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters Einon was always a monster]] and the dragon shared his heart to try to change Einon's nature.

* {{Sequelitis}}: The sequels are nowhere near as good as the first one.
** The first prequel, ''Film/Dragonheart3TheSorcerersCurse'', got mixed reviews but is often considered better than ''A New Beginning''.
* SignatureScene: The scene where Bowen on his horse is framed against the sun, and Draco flies into frame over him. This image has been used for the VHS and DVD covers.

* IronWoobie: The dragon race swore to protect and guide mankind and yet they would end up being persecuted, hunted and driven to near-extinction, despite this they kept to their oath, down to the last dragon.

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: '''Einon.''' The movie makes it quite clear that he was EvilAllAlong, and that he never believed in Bowen's Old Code to begin with. But how did he get to be evil? Did he become that way due to the bad example his father King Freyne set, and thus would have been a better person had his father been a better person, or was his cruel, sociopathic personality his default nature from the beginning, and thus would have ended up a tyrant regardless of how he was raised? The novelization reveals that Aislinn was basically Freyne's bride of conquest and trophy wife. Bearing a child from her loveless marriage, Aislinn once thought of killing Einon when he was an infant but couldn't bring herself to do so. She had no love to give her son so that left Einon to be corrupted by his tyrant father.
** It's not entirely out of the question that Einon was a product of a love affair between The Queen and Bowen. Especially as Bowen showcased some rather father-like tendencies towards him.
* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: The first film's soundtrack by Music/RandyEdelman easily qualifies. Especially the main theme which has been recycled not only through the rest of the franchise but also [[RecycledTrailerMusic used in scenes and trailers]] in so many unrelated films that it has become a standard for good music.
* BaseBreakingCharacter: Kara. Her only role in the film, apart from being the target of Einon's unwanted advances, is to be Bowen's ImpliedLoveInterest. Even though a romance was written to occur between Kara and Bowen, any feelings that form between them are only hinted at. In the novel, she does fully become Bowen's love interest, but outside of those two roles, she has little importance to the plot.
* CompleteMonster: At the film's start, Einon seems a youth in need of guidance by his wise mentor, but it is revealed that any honor Einon has is just a front to learn swordsmanship from Sir Bowen. After Einon finds his dying father, he just tries to wrench the crown out of the man's hands, showing what he will become. When mortally wounded, Einon is saved only when a dragon shares his heart with him, linking their lives. As [[EvilOverlord King]], Einon taxes and works the people without mercy and orders a man's [[EyeScream eyes put out]] with a hot poker before casually killing him years afterward. Einon later tries to rape that man's daughter and when his mother tries to kill the dragon to stop Einon, Einon [[{{Matricide}} kills her with no remorse]]. While Bowen initially blames the dragon for Einon's change, it turns out [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters Einon was always a monster]] and the dragon shared his heart to try to change Einon's nature.
* CriticalDissonance: The film got mixed reviews from critics, but has a huge fanbase who speak of the film very fondly for the characters, visual effects, and emotional moments.

* HilariousInHindsight: [[Film/HarryPotter Jason Isaacs plays a character named "Felton" in the same film with a character named "Draco". Also, David Thewlis and Julie Christie]].
* JerkassWoobie: The novel version of Felton. The guy's a complete jerk, but such a ridiculous amount of bad stuff happens to him (from embarrassment to losing limbs... see ButtMonkey on the main page for a full list) that you just feel sorry for him and want to hug him.
* JustHereForGodzilla: Pretty much everyone agrees that the dragon voiced by Creator/SeanConnery is the best thing about this film. That or the soundtrack.
** The franchise suffers from Sequelitis as noted below, but Creator/HelenaBonhamCarter voicing a female dragon is arguably one of the only reasons people would watch ''Vengeance''.
* MoralEventHorizon: Einon crosses it either when he casually murders Kara's father ForTheEvulz, or when he [[spoiler:kills his own mother when she tries to fulfill Draco's request to kill him so that Einon can be beaten]].

** The first prequel got mixed reviews but is mostly seen as better than ''A New Beginning''.
* SignatureScene: The scene where Bowen on his horse is framed against the sun and Draco flies into frame over him. This image has been used for the VHS and DVD covers.

** While Draco is a very well-animated/rendered CG character for its time, the lighting on him looks off in some of the scenes he's in. This wasn't unusual for 1990s digital creatures, as daytime shots, which this film uses a lot of, were especially difficult to pull off with the technology of the era.
** While Draco escapes after he and Bowen trick Felton, he manages to swim quickly underwater without creating any sort of turbulent flow on the water's surface.
** When flying near Bowen in the next scene, the wheat isn't affected by Draco flapping his wings.
** The sequel, however, falls under this trope. Especially strange given that the company hired for it (not ILM) was also responsible for the X-Ray scene in the original ''[[Film/TotalRecall1990 Total Recall]]'', one of the most groundbreaking moments in visual effects history.
* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: In ''Battle For the Hearthfire,'' the reason that we're supposed to find Meghan sympathetic, despite her being a pretty terrible person, is because she's been the victim of sexism her whole life...except that she hasn't. Unlike her brother Edric, she was born more obviously part-dragon[[note]]She has scales on her face and [[PowerIncontinence hard-to-control]] [[PlayingWithFire fire powers]], while his scales and SuperStrength are easier to hide[[/note]]. At one point she claims that people would have reacted differently if their situations were reversed, but she disproves that with her own actions--she publicly reveals him as part-dragon after overthrowing him, just to rub salt in the wound, and what do you know, his former ally turns against, proving that their genders had nothing to do with how people treated them.

** And it holds up fairly well even today.
** The visual effects of the prequels are quite good for a DTV release.

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: '''Einon.''' The movie makes it quite clear that he was EvilAllAlong, and that he never believed in Bowen's Old Code to begin with. But how did he get to be evil? Did become that way due to the bad example his father King Freyne set, and thus would have been a better person had his father been a better person, or was his cruel, sociopathic personality his default nature from the beginning, and thus would have ended up a tyrant regardless of how he was raised? The novelization reveals that Aislinn was basically Freyne's bride of conquest and trophy wife. Bearing a child from her loveless marriage, Aislinn once thought of killing Einon when he was an infant but couldn't bring herself to do so. She had no love to give her son so that left Einon to be corrupted by his tyrant father.

* BaseBreakingCharacter: Kara. Her only role in the film is to be Einon's semi-love interest. Even though a romance was written to occur between Kara and Bowen, any feelings that form between them are only implied in the film. In the novel, she does become Bowen's love interest. Outside of those two roles, she has little importance to the plot.