Reign of Fire Starring Christian Bale and Matthew McConaughey

Let me start by saying that this movie, plotwise, is absolutely nothing special. It's a story that's been told over and over again - the world's been taken over by some hostile entity, and the good guys have to fight against all odds to take it back again in the name of all that's good and right and just.

We've seen this general plot before with various enemies in such movies as Red Dawn (the Russians), Independence Day (alien invaders), and Armageddon (a large ball of rock, careening towards the earth). Like the other movies with the same plot, Reign of Fire is sadly predictable every step of the way, from the very beginning to the very last.

That having been said, this film is also pretty enough, and the acting good enough that you might not care that you can predict what's about to happen; even those of you obsessive film types who guess the ending in the first five minutes may find yourselves sitting and watching for no reason that you could really explain. Strong character development and the acting to pull it off are what make this film better than mediocre.

Yes, this is a common plot, with some very common major character types, but the writers somehow managed to add enough personal details and intrigue to both the leads and the smaller players that you actually find yourself feeling somewhat emotionally invested in their outcome.

You know that things will work out alright for them in the end, because, let's face it - they always work out for the good guys in such a film, but you nonetheless watch because you have to see good triumph. Despite predictability, you'll find that you genuinely care about the film's subjects.

3.25/5 stars