Given the success in recent years of ridiculous Z-Grade giant animal films such as Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus and giant animal disaster films likeSharknado, the straight-to-DVD market has been flooded with similar titles. The latest is Dracano. As in Dragon Volcano. Get it? Yep, that’s what we’re dealing with here.
Dracano introduces us to Professor Simon Lowell (Corin Nemec), who has created a device named KRONOS, which he hopes will be able to prevent volcanic eruptions. A test run goes awry, and Lowell is blamed for the eruption of a local volcano. The eruption causes the appearance of a group of dragons who proceed to terrorise the state and begin to spread across the world. Lowell, along with his daughter Heather (Mia Faith) and research partner Carla (Victoria Pratt), attempts to defeat the dragons before it is too late.
The only sensible way to do these films is to go down the ‘so bad it’s good’ route and make the film so endearingly terrible that it actually becomes fun to watch. Dracano almost succeeds on this front. The characters are one dimensional, the CGI is shoddy and the script is horrible, but the film is still kind of enjoyable in a weird way. You thought Denise Richards playing a nuclear scientist in The World Is Not Enough was farfetched? Well Dracanotakes place in a world where every woman looks like a model and continues to do so even when they are being chased by dragons. Pretty much nothing that happens makes any sense, but that doesn’t matter when it is done in a tongue-in-cheek way. The filmmakers realise what they are making is ridiculous and therefore don’t take themselves too seriously.
The actors also seem to be having a bit of fun. Nemec is a likeable enough lead, despite the fact that Lowell never feels like he could be a real person. As his daughter Heather, Faith has clearly been chosen for her incredibly attractive appearance, but her performance would be better suited to a soap opera. As reporter Paige Summers, Heidi Fielek gives the most one-note performance in a film full of one-note performances. Admittedly the lines she is given are absolutely atrocious, but Fielek just isn’t able to make her character work.
Dracano is entertaining enough for the most part. It does descend into utter ridiculousness by the final half hour, but the lead-up is kind of fun. Only give it a go if you enjoy this type of film, but make sure to turn off your brain beforehand. Go into it with sub-zero expectations and you might find some enjoyment in it.
Review Score: TWO STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Runtime: 93 Minutes
Dracano is available for rental and purchase now.
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