Plot: While many thought Draco was the last of the noble race of dragons, it is now known that a young dragon exists, Drake (voiced by Robbie Benson). If it becomes public knowledge that Drake is alive and well, it could mean danger for him as many would love to capture and hunt him down. He soon meets a friend in the form of Geoff (Chris Masterson) a young orphaned stable keeper who wishes to leave his current life behind. If Geoff wants some fantasy and adventure, who is better to help him in this quest than Drake, a living and breathing dragon? If Geoff can persuade Drake to do what he says, he might be able to achieve a personal dream of his…to become a knight. The two soon begin to travel the lands getting into adventures, usually coming out as heroes and saving the day for those who need help. But all is not well, as powerful forces within the kingdom seek to bring their adventures to a close and the wily pair may not have what it takes to defeat this kind of power.
Entertainment Value: This sequel went straight to video and it shows, as the movie has been scaled down a lot from the original and this almost seems like an episode of Hercules or Xena at times. The narrative is passable, but doesn’t make a lot of sense and more or less ambles around until it needs to pull the threads, then heads toward the expected finale. A New Beginning takes a kitchen sink approach, but all of the elements thrown into the mix feel rushed and low rent, from the hilarious dragon special effects to the laughable martial arts sequences. So those in search of a serious or at least sincere fantasy style adventure will be let down, as this is pure camp and as I said, has the production values of a television show episode. I had fun with this one though, as I liked the cheese pouring from every aspect of the production, with the ridiculous dragon and questionable casting choices as the highlights. So no, A New Beginning doesn’t have a lot to offer if you don’t appreciate b movie style corniness, but if you do have a taste for the low rent, sillier side of dragons, you might have some laughs here.
If nothing else, I’d recommend this movie just because Harry Van Gorkum is here, the man who played the crested jacket salesman on Seinfeld. The idea of his character from that show battling a dragon and using political strategy to seize power just makes me laugh, so I loved his presence in this one. His performance is over the top, but he is such a great villain and you can’t help but hate the guy, so even if you’re not a Seinfeld fan, you should find him to be one of the film’s brighter points. The dragon Drake is voiced by Robby Benson, but is crafted from some of the worst CGI you’ll find in a major studio movie. I mean, Scorpion King level bad, which is odd, given that the special effects of the original were a big selling point. The cast also includes Christopher Masterson, Tom Burke, and John Woodnutt.
Marc Fusion 