Dragonheart: Battle for the Heartfire

Dragonheart: Battle for the Heartfire is a 2017 American-Romanian fantasy adventure film directed by Patrik Syversen. It is the second direct-to-video prequel of the 1996 film Dragonheart, and it takes place about seventy years after the events of Dragonheart 3: The Sorcerer's Curse. Like its predecessor, it takes place many years before the first film. It was released on Netflix, DVD, and Blu-ray on June 13, 2017.

Plot

Many years after Gareth and Rhonu became rulers, a woman dies moments after giving birth to twin infants, who both have peculiar patches of scales on their bodies. Despite their appearances, their father Walter keeps them in his care. Twenty years after the twins' birth, King Gareth nears death, and with his estranged son having been missing for years, succession is in doubt. As Gareth passes, Drago, who had previously shared his heart with him, survives and learns his heart is connected to someone else.

Drago leaves the capital and finds that his heart is now bound to Edric, the male twin who possesses enhanced strength and uses it to serve as a sheriff the shire of Earl Roberts. Drago reveals that Edric's father was Gareth's estranged son. Between his father spending most of his time helping Drago and his mother dying after her bonded dragon's death, Walter became disillusioned with dragons and ran away. Drago convinces Edric to take his grandfather's throne. Despite being well-liked by the people, Edric's arrogance and inexperience with royal duties bothers Drago. After realizing that their bond is abnormally weak, Drago confronts Edric, forcing him to reveal the existence of his twin Mehgan. The young girl grew up shunned because of her more visible scales and her power to manipulate fire. After she accidentally burned their home down with Walter inside, Edric bargained to have her sent away by boat to protect her from the villagers. Unwilling give up the chance to be Robert's sheriff, he refuses to stay with Mehgan.

Edric later learns that a contingent of Vikings have invaded, and he rides out with his army to meet them. Still refusing to trust Drago, he ignores advice to let the dragon fight and instead challenges the Norsemen's leader to a duel, only to find that it is Mehgan. The twins meet for a parley where Drago teaches them about the Heartfire, the source of his fire breath. Mehgan demands that she be given the throne as the firstborn twin, but Edric refuses and ends the negotiations.

Overnight, Mehgan and her army sneak into the camp, and she drains the Heartfire from Drago while he sleeps. When the Norsemen start their attack, Mehgan reveals her control of the Heartfire. Overwhelmed by Mehgan's power, Edric has no choice but to surrender. Once Mehgan and the Vikings secure control, she banishes Edric, unaware that Thorgrim sent men after him against her wishes. Edric flees to Robert's shire and requests aid in opposing Mehgan, only for his former Earl to betray him to the Vikings. He is then taken aboard a ship bound for Norway to be sold into slavery. While Mehgan goes on to improve women's rights in the kingdom, she tells a captive Drago what happened after Edric sent her away. After getting caught in a storm that threw everyone but her into the sea, she was set adrift until she ran aground in Norway, where her powers earned her the attention of Thorgrim. Edric tries to escape his captors, only to nearly sink the boat. He is saved by Drago, who was freed from his captivity by locals. Edric and Drago receive aid from a theatre troupe, where the two reconcile, and Edric reveals his guilt over his hateful last words to his father and sending his sister away alone. With the help of the troupe, Edric and Drago sneak into the royal castle. When Edric goes to take the Heartfire from Mehgan, he sees a Viking attempting to kill her. His warning saves her life, but their refusal to work together allows the Viking to take the Heartfire to Thorgrim, who promptly turns his men against the twins.

Drago saves the twins from being captured, then forces them to fight to the death for the throne. They fight and argue until they begin to remember how close they were as kids. Mehgan reveals that Edric accidentally killed their father: to protect his chances of having a good life, she took the blame herself. The truth moves them both to reconcile and work together against the Vikings. Returning to the castle, Edric challenges Thorgrim to combat in a bid to steal back the Heartfire while Mehgan rallies the women of the castle to help her fight the Vikings. Mehgan finds open flame, but is mortally wounded by an archer before she can reach it, which fells Drago also. Edric fails to get the Heartfire back and Thorgrim drinks it in a bid to control the power, but is overwhelmed by the power, opening Edric up to kill him, which scares the Vikings off. Mehgan uses her remaining strength to recover the Heartfire and offers it to Drago, but he instead has Edric use it on her. The Heartfire heals Mehgan, and the two siblings offer their Dragonhearts to one another, allowing them to survive Drago's death at the cost of their powers. As he becomes a new star in the Draco constellation, Drago calls on them to rule their land together.

Cast
Patrick Stewart as Drago (voice)
Tom Rhys Harries as Edric
Jessamine-Bliss Bell as Mehgan
Valeriu Bazu as King Gareth
Tamzin Merchant as Queen Rhonu
André Eriksen as Thorgrim
Turlough Convery as Walter
Richard Cordery as Earl Robert
Martin Hutson as Osmund
Delroy Brown as Councilor Marrakar 
Lewis Mackinnon as Player
Marte Germaine Christensen as Sable
Ørjan Gamst as Krokr
Daniel Berge Halvorsen as Hakon
Stig Frode Henriksen as Leiknarr
Dina De Laurentiis as Kendra
Edouard Philipponnat as Tomi
Mihai Hurduc as Juggler
Elija Ungarvy as Spaki
Minhea Trusca as Woodsman

Production

Development
A sequel was first hinted at by writer Matthew Feitshans soon after the video release of the series' third film in 2015. Matthew Feitshans later confirmed his involvement on a fourth film on his Twitter account, along with new director, Patrik Syversen, who will take over filming after Colin Teague declined to return. The budget was reportedly almost twice the size of the third film's following its surprise success.

Filming
Filming began on April 12, 2016 at Corvin Castle in Hunedoara, Romania, and wrapped on May 6 with the rest of filming completed in late 2016.

Music
The score was composed by Mark McKenzie, who previously composed the score for Dragonheart: A New Beginning and Dragonheart 3. The film also contains the original themes by Randy Edelman from the first film.

Visual effects 
Cinemotion Ltd. provided the CGI effects.

Release

The film was released on June 13, 2017.

Reception

Sequel
The direct-to-video sequel directed by Ivan Silvestrini, Dragonheart: Vengeance, began production on November 2, 2018.

References

External links

Category:2017 films
Category:2010s prequel films
Category:2010s fantasy adventure films
Category:American films
Category:Romanian films
Category:Direct-to-video prequel films
Category:Arthurian films
Category:Direct-to-video fantasy films
Category:Universal Pictures direct-to-video films
Category:Films about dragons
Category:Dragonheart films
Category:Films shot in Romania
Category:Films produced by Raffaella De Laurentiis
Category:Romanian fantasy films
Category:American fantasy films