Skyrimhas been one of the most successful RPGs of all time for so many reasons. Players can dig into a massive and immersive world, adventure to their heart’s content, and battle a whole host of different monsters, chiefly among them, dragons.Getting to hunt and fight dragonsis a huge draw toSkyrim, which is exactly why fans of the game will love the 1981 cult-classicDragonslayer.
The movie has been forgotten over the years, but even though it did fail to make adequate money during its theatrical run, many aspects of the film were still applauded by critics and fans alike. Being a Paramount and Disney co-production, the fact that this fantasy movie was darker than many others of the era seems to have been lost on movie-going audiences, but luckily, the movie has seen new life among fans ofThe Elder Scrolls.
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What Is Dragonslayer About?
Released back in 1981 ona low budget by today’s standardsof roughly 18 million dollars,Dragonslayertells a fantastical and dreary tale of a wizard’s apprentice named Galen and his winding adventure to slay a dragon. The whole story doesn’t actually start that way, instead, Galen is simply initially interested in spreading the ashes of his fallen master over some kind of strange burning water. This gets Galen to head to the kingdom of Urland where the true journey finally begins.
Armed with his master’s magical amulet and with his companion, a young and disguised woman named Valerian, by his side, Galen immediately heads to find the nest of a dragon only to be captured by the captain of the king’s royal guard, Tyrian. Galen thought it would be a good idea to block the entrance to the dragon’s cave, but both Tyrian and King Casiodorus disagreed, quickly locking the young apprentice in the dungeon. Luckily, Princess Elspeth visits Galen in the dungeon, but she gets far more than she bargained for.
It was rumored that the king had been using a rigged lottery system in order to sacrifice young women to it, what may not be as widely known is that the king is doing soto honor the dragon Vermithraxin order to keep his wider kingdom safe. After rigging the lottery so that it would select the princess, Galen is enlisted to put the vicious and now enraged dragon down once and for all.
After some mighty weapon crafting with Valerian, Galen takes the hopeless fight to the dragon in the hopes to save the princess, protect the kingdom, and to honor his master all at the same time. It’s a tall order, and just as one might expect in a darker fantasy, the journey is drought with danger and not every moment is one to be celebrated.
How Is Dragonslayer Like Skyrim?
One of the biggest things anySkyrimfan will first notice aboutDragonslayeris just how well the two match in terms of atmosphere and tone. While certain eighties charms do bleed through in the dialogue and film choices, the movie does maintain a tone that takes itself entirely seriously, and that is only made more clear when the incredible special effects show up. There’s a deep, unexplored,and lore-filled world to experiencethroughoutDragonslayer, and the unique story decisions made throughout will feel reminiscent of some of the winding storylines that are found withinSkyrim’squestlines.
Skyrimis filled to the brim with magical artifacts andDragonslayerdoes the exact same thing. With Galen’s magic amulet, he enchants a mighty spear while Valerian uses some dragon scales to make a powerful shield. Those sorts of items would all be of serious importance inSkyrim, and inDragonslayer, Galen puts them to good use, wounding the dragon and surviving a near-fatal attack.
There aren’t exactly any dragon shouts to be heard throughout the movie, at least not from Galen anyway, but there is plenty of simple magic. It is also true that there is the royalty that is so self-interested that the outcomes of their actions are poorly thought through, a position that can be taken inSkyrimdepending on what side a player falls on a specific questline.
The movie is filled with classic fantasy tropes, and while it does lack some of the more fantastical elements ofSkyrim, it does fulfill the need for medieval fantasy. The evil Vermithrax can be compared toSkyrim’sAlduin in that both are fearsome enemies that few can hope to challenge alone. Relying on help from others in the process of slaying the dragon is key, although it’s likely that there aren’t that many people who managed to take down Alduin in the same way that Galen takes down Vermithrax.
How Does Dragonslayer End?
The ending toDragonslayermight just beone of the most explosivein all of classic fantasy. Galen wasn’t able to save the princess or defeat Vermithrax with the weapons he’d crafted and enchanted, and it looked like he and Valerian were ready to accept their defeat and ride off to safety. Before they do leave, Galen’s amulet delivers a message that the place he is supposed to spread his master’s ashes is the dragon’s cave that he had already been to.
Upon doing that very thing, Galen’s master Ulrich appears to take on the dragon. Ulrich instructs Galen that he must finally destroy the amulet he’s held on his journey at the right time. Cue the epic wizard battling a dragon on top of a mountain. Ulrich puts up a solid fight but is ultimately no match for the dragon, that is, until it snatches the wizard and Galen realizes that the time to destroy the amulet has arrived. With the amulet smashed to pieces, Ulrich and the dragon Vermithrax are engulfed in a massive explosion, putting an end to the threat of the horrific beast once and for all.
The slimy kingends up taking all the glory for the kill, but that doesn’t matter too much, as Galen discovers he is now filled with magical powers that he uses to conjure a horse for himself and Valerian to ride off to new adventures.
Dragonslayeris available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video.
