The biggest issue at the core of the movie is that the plot is bafflingly complex for such a simple premise. We don't need twenty minutes of exposition to tell us why there is a dragon slithering around Los Angeles. We don't need some dumb fable about protectors of humanity sacrificing some girl with a special tattoo to a different dragon that wants to ascend to the heavens. Just tell us that there is a good dragon and a bad dragon. Leave the nonsensical "fate" and "destiny" stuff out of this. The only reason we want to see this movie is to watch a giant mythological creature destroy buildings. The more time you spend on a story about characters whom we don't and will never care for, the more you lose your audience.
But, as I mentioned, there are some enjoyable parts to be had. The effects are mostly cheesy, but there are a few points here and there where the dragons and destruction are convincing. The big chunk in the middle of the film where some evil army of dragon dudes attacks the military is a silly bit of fun. Three helicopter pilots die because of the dragons. And for some reason, all three raise their hands above their heads right before they crash, as if they're going to get less hurt by doing so. Like I said, silly fun.
The production values of the film are slick (relative to the other schlock we've reviewed), but the ineptitude of the script reveals itself to be just standard Sci-Fi channel-esque fare on a bigger budget. There's not enough entertaining bits compared to the plodding expository bits.
Oh yeah, and the worst part about the film? For almost the entire duration, the "dragon" is really just a giant snake. It doesn't have wings or legs or anything, which makes the title that much more confusing.
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