Including a fire-breathing, flying sage-eyed creature into a movie, and it will sell itself. Dragons feature in several movies as the main characters or a companion of the main character. They are always more prominent, capable, sharper, and brighter than people from any stage within a movie.
Dragon movies will get you fixed at the edge of your seat, wondering what will happen next. These creatures are sure to bring out the best characters in the movies they feature. If you are a fan of dragon movies, then you’re in for a treat. So get your movie night prep up because we will give you a list of the best dragon movies of all time that you watch anytime.
1. Eragon (2006)
English 1h 44m IMDb
Director: Stefen Fangmeier
Stars: Ed Speleers, Sienna Guillory, Jeremy Irons
The life of a young orphaned boy, Eragon, begins as his story is told. A fateful mystic blue stone seals off his destiny as it chooses him as its keeper. However, this is no ordinary stone; it’s the only remaining egg of the dragon race.
When the egg hatches, Eragon becomes the new dragon rider destined to save his hometown from the wicked king Galbatorix and his wizard, Durza. With the help of his brothers, mentor Brom, the princess Arya, and Saphira, the dragon, Eragon receives a set of new responsibilities.
Will he beat evil? Or are the forces of the darkness too strong? You can only fly on with the adventure to find out.
2. Dragonheart (1996)
English 1h 43m IMDb
Director: Rob Cohen
Stars: Dennis Quaid, Sean Connery(voice), Dina Meyer
This movie is all about dragons being hunted and killed by one man. After some time, he realizes what he has been doing is foolish and damning. It leads the last dragon to cooperate with a disillusioned dragon slayer and stop an evil king with partial immortality.
Director Rob Cohen makes this series enjoyable by portraying the idea of prejudice against someone for no reason at all. And the later reconciliation with the touch of special effects and sounds made it the best of its kind.
3. George and the Dragon (2004)
English 1h 33m IMDb
Director: Tom Reeve
Stars: James Purefoy, Piper Perabo, Patrick Swayze
This movie covers a typical English story where there is a king, princess, sword fighters, knights, and, to spice things up, a dragon. Directed by Tom Reeves, this movie tells the story of a brave young knight returning home from his crusade. George is tired and wants to hang his sword, find a place, and settle down.
Back home, he finds King Edgaar in a terrible state because his only beautiful daughter, the princess, is missing. So, in exchange for a small piece of land, George looks for the princess with the help of the king’s servant, Elmendorf. But what happens next is more than what George signed up for, and you can only find out by dedicating your time to watching this movie.
4. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
English 2h 41m IMDb
Director: Peter Jackson
Stars: Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage
If you love fantasy and adventure, The Hobbit will have you glued to your screen for more than two hours. Directed by Peter Jackson, it tells the story of dwarves on a quest with Gandalf the Grey and Bilbo Baggins to reclaim their homeland, Erebor.
Smaug has taken over their home, and Bilbo Baggins, possessing a Mysterious magical ring, hopes to get everything back. But, will they succeed in this mission? You can only find out if you watch this fantastic movie.
5. Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)
English 2h 24m IMDb
Director: Peter Jackson
Stars: Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage
If you don’t have enough of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, here is a continuation to satisfy your curiosity. Bilbo Baggins and his friends have to fight a war against an array of combatants.
The battle against Nazgul is victorious, and the only threat remaining is to face the formless Sauron. The main aim is to keep the Lonely Mountain from falling into the hands of the rising darkness threatening to engulf the only place they know as home.
Galadriel manages to defeat him and then banishes him and his forces to the east. This movie is a true definition of what one is willing to do to keep their home, and it will leave you glued to your screen and in a fantasy world.
6. Reign of Fire (2002)
English 1h 41m IMDb
Director: Rob Bowman
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Christian Bale, Izabella Scorupco
Are you a fun dominance movie lit up with dragons flying everywhere? Then, here is a treat for you. Directed by Rob Bowman, this movie starts at a construction site where a huge angry fire-breathing dragon emerges from the earth.
The dragon establishes dominance over the whole planet by setting everything ablaze. However, there is a boy who survives as his mother is crushed to death trying to protect him. Then, the dragon flies away, and soon, more dragons appear.
Now a grown-up, Quinn, the survivor boy, recalls everything happening in the last event and decides to join hands with the military and decides to take back their home by destroying the beasts. This movie will show you what it looks like with humans almost becoming extinct on the planet.
7. Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991)
Japanese 1h 40m IMDb
Director: Kazuki ÔmoriKoji Hashimoto(earlier film clips), Katsumune Ishida(earlier film clips)
Stars: Kosuke Toyohara, Anna Nakagawa, Megumi Odaka
For the fans of Godzilla, this movie will take you back to the origin of Godzilla as he battles his equal, King Ghidorah. It also involves time travelers who try to warn Japan of the dangers of Godzilla and how he will destroy Japan.
They decide to offer their help, but they have an ulterior motive. They decide to create Ghidorah and use him to destroy Japan instead of sustaining an economic reign. The plan also includes erasing Godzilla from history so that their plans don’t face any threats.
However, their plan to kill Godzilla backfires, and he comes back even more powerful. This is your treat if you are a fan of huge angry monsters getting revenge.
8. How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
English 1h 38m IMDb
Director: Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders
Stars: Jay Baruchel(voice), Gerard Butler(voice), Christopher Mintz-Plasse(voice)
This is one of the best dragon movies of all time. It’s an animated movie that starts with a young Viking worried about his town and the growing monster plague. So the young Viking sets off to haunt dragons, and he is unlikely to become friends with a young dragon his net had caught.
He cannot kill it and thinks there is more to the creature than he has assumed, setting him free. He then plans a prosthesis for the dragon’s hold tail and tries to figure out how to fly it. This movie is about becoming friends with the enemy and realizing they have also wanted to be friends for the longest time.
9. How to Train Your Dragon (2014)
English 1h 42m IMDb
Director: Dean DeBlois
Stars: Jay Baruchel(voice), Cate Blanchett(voice), Gerard Butler(voice)
If you loved part 1, then you will love this one too. Five years have passed since Toothless and Hiccup successfully united the Vikings and dragons on Berk Island. The now inseparable pair takes a journey through the skies, exploring new worlds.
While on an adventure, they discover an ice cave home to several wild dragons and mysterious dragon riders. Their leader, Eret, tries to capture Toothless for their leader, and the two find themselves in a battle, trying to protect the peace.
10. Raya and The Last Dragon (2021)
English 1h 47m IMDb
Director: Don Hall, Carlos López Estrada, Paul Briggs(co-directed by)
Stars: Kelly Marie Tran(voice), Awkwafina(voice), Gemma Chan(voice)
Directed by Don Hall and co-directors Paul Briggs and Carlos Lopez Estrada, this movie foretells a story when humans and dragons lived together in harmony until the sinister monster, Druun, threatened to destroy the earth, and the dragons sacrificed themselves to save humanity.
However, after 500 years, Druun has returned, and it’s up to a lone hero, Raya, to look for the last dragon and save the world. This is one of the best of 2021. However animated, it will get you fixed to your screen for over two hours.
11. Pete’s Dragon (2016)
English 1h 42m IMDb
Director: David Lowery
Stars: Bryce Dallas Howard, Robert Redford, Oakes Fegley
You will love Pete’s Dragon if you love action spiced up with comedy, adventure, fantasy, family, and drama. Mr. Meacham is telling stories to children about dragons, but Grace, his daughter, doesn’t seem to believe him until she meets Pete, an orphan living in the forest for six years who claims to be living with a dragon.
Grace sets off to see for herself, with the help of Natalie. On the way, they face various obstacles, but importantly, they must try to avoid Pete’s cruel foster father. This is for the lovers of fantasy and adventure, making it a worthwhile one hour 43 minutes of sitting.
12. Wish Dragon (2021)
English 1h 38m IMDb
Director: Chris Appelhans
Stars: Jimmy Wong(voice), John Cho(voice), Constance Wu(voice)
Are there things you have planned but aren’t just going as planned? Then, it’s time to get a wishing dragon. This movie tells a story of a boy, Din, who’s been longing to catch up with his childhood friend with plans to explore new abilities, but things don’t go as planned.
A wish dragon appears, showing him the magic possibilities. Now Din has to trust his instincts, hold on to his dreams, and learn that everything is possible if you believe in yourself. He finally meets and talks to his childhood friend, Li Na. Maybe that’s what you need to get going.
13. Spirited Away (2001)
Japanese 2h 5m IMDb
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Stars: Daveigh Chase(English version), Suzanne Pleshette(English version), Miyu Irino(voice)
Directed by Hayao Miyazaki, this movie tells a story of a young girl, ten-year-old Chihiro. Her family moves to the suburbs, and she finds herself wandering in an abandoned amusement park filled with spirits, gods, and witches.
After her parents undergo a mysterious transformation, she realizes that she must summon courage she never thought she had to save her family. While trying to achieve that, Chihiro has to endure laboring in a bathhouse for spirits as she waits to reunite with her parents. This movie will leave you dazzling at the world around you and curious.
14. King of the Monsters (2019)
English 2h 12m IMDb
Director: Michael Dougherty
Stars: Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga, Millie Bobby Brown
This crypto-zoological agency Monarch faces it off against a huge god-sized monster, directed by Jonathan Liebesman. Godzilla collides with his ultimate nemesis; the three-headed King Ghidorah, Rodan, and Mothra.
The world is only recovering from the terror that monsters exist when this new threat creeps in, and the crypto-zoological agency Monarch has just but one way to defeat them. And this is to let Godzilla fight it out as the world trembles while it watches. Godzilla is no doubt one of the best dragon movies you’ll watch.
15. Dragonslayer (1981)
English 1h 49m IMDb
Director: Matthew Robbins
Stars: Peter MacNicol, Caitlin Clarke, Ralph Richardson
The Dragonslayer continues to have a cult following. It tells a story of a young wizard sent on a mission to find and kill a dragon that has been eating young virgin girls from a nearby kingdom. The theme of this movie will take you back to the story of David and Goliath in several ways.
It also has some popular motifs that still stand to date, like a lottery system for dragon sacrifices. Galen takes a heavy spear forged by Valerian’s father, uses the amulet to enchant it, and calls it the ‘Dragonslayer.’ This spear can pierce the dragon’s armored shield.
16. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
English 2h 37m IMDb
Director: Mike Newell
Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint
If you are a fan of the Harry Potter movies, this is an epic addition to the list. Harry Potter is looking forward to a spring getaway with his friends, but he has to attend a tournament between rival magic schools. A key component of the tournament is the dragon battle.
He tries to focus but is distracted by the recurring nightmares where Death eaters set fire to all the guests’ tents combined with Voldemort’s image. Harry later discovers his wand is missing and is later found at Winky, Barty Crouch’s house. He discovers it was the one used to cast the Dark Mark.
17. The Reluctant Dragon (1941)
English 1h 14m IMDb
Director: Alfred L. Werker, Hamilton Luske(cartoon sequences), Jack Cutting(cartoon sequences)
Stars: Robert Benchley, Frances Gifford, Buddy Pepper
Most dragon movies always portray dragons as viscous, fire-breathing creatures. Not this one. Ever met a shy dragon movie? The movie tells of a young boy reading a book about dragons and knights when his father comes rushing to find that he has seen a monster.
The boy calmly tells his father that it is only a dragon. The father panics and runs off to the village. The boy then goes to the dragon’s lair, only to find a poetry-loving, shy beast. The two become friends, and when he returns to the village, he learns that the dragon slayer has arrived. Find out what happens next by watching this unique movie.
Verdict
Dragons have always been seen as dangerous animals, including in movies. For the longest time, it has seemed unmanageable and vicious. The movies portray them as smarter, faster, and stronger animals capable of doing more than humans. Dragon movies will leave you yawning for more, and this list has got you covered for a great deal of fun and entertainment.