Many wonderful creatures exist in the fantasy genre, but none are as well-known and beloved as the dragon. These mighty lizard-like creatures come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, but the most commonly seen are armed with bat-like wings and the ability to breathe fire upon their enemies. There are as many depictions of dragons as there are cultures on Earth, meaning that they can fulfill any role in a story, be it the final enemy the hero must overcome or a wise and powerful ally against evil.
One of the reasons for the dragon’s enduring popularity is the simple fact that everything about them is awesome, from their designs to their abilities. As visual effects in movies evolved, filmmakers came up with new and innovative ways to bring these creatures and their destructive powers to audiences around the world. Now, there is a wide swatch of cool and memorable draconic beings that have graced the big screen and have inspired new creators when bringing their mythical creatures to life. However, these are the best and most badass dragons on the silver screen.
10 Diablos
From ‘Monster Hunter’ (2020)
When a squad of U. S. Army Rangers falls into a parallel universe called the New World, they are attacked by a ceratopsian-looking wyvern called Diablos. Thanks to its ability to rapidly dig through sand and its thick hide, Diablos scatters the soldiers and even kills one. To defeat it, Captain Artemis (Milla Jovovich) joins forces with a local Hunter (Tony Jaa), who shows her how to set traps and use the parts of other monsters to make weapons.
It’s not often that audiences see a dragon with the head of a triceratops that bursts from the ground to gore people to death.
Monster Hunter is yet another lackluster video game adaptation from director Paul W. S. Anderson, but if there’s one thing he got right, it was his depictions of the titular monsters. Diablos stands out the most thanks to its unique design and hunting behavior. It’s not often that audiences see a dragon with the head of a triceratops that bursts from the ground to gore people to death or crush them with a thick tail club. If nothing else, Diablos stands out because it offers audiences something new and powerful, which, coupled with some impressive VFX, makes for a wickedly memorable monster.
Watch on Starz
9 The Bewilderbeast
From ‘How to Train Your Dragon 2’ (2014)
Among the many species of dragons, none are as large or mighty as the Bewilderbeast. These semiaquatic leviathans exhale streams of freezing ice, which they can use to create massive lairs for themselves. Bewilderbeast can also control lesser dragons and act as their alphas. Normally, they are benevolent rulers who provide for their dragons, but if a Bewilderbeast is cruel of heart, it can force its dragons to do terrible acts.
The Bewilderbeast was a wonderful addition to How to Train Your Dragon 2 and stands as one of the franchise’s most impressive dragon species. They serve as a great representation of the gentle giant who prefer to live their life in peace but when roused, are devastating and deadly foes. This duality is best highlighted when the film’s villain, Drago Bludvist (Djimon Hounsou), unleashes his personal Bewilderbeast against the alpha of the hidden dragon sanctuary, leading to a brief but beautifully choreographed battle between the two titans.
How to Train Your Dragon 2
- Release Date
- June 5, 2014
- Director
- Dean DeBlois
- Runtime
- 102
- Writers
- Dean DeBlois , Cressida Cowell
8 The Great Protector
From ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ (2021)
Thousands of years ago, the mythical land of Ta Lo was attacked by an interdimensional being called the Dweller-in-Darkness, who led an army of soul-eating monsters. Fortunately, Ta Lo was protected by a dragon, referred to as the Great Protector, who rose from the waters of the lake to help seal the Dweller-in-Darkness and its army behind a Dark Gate. When the Dweller-in-Darkness was freed by Xu Wenwu (Tony Leung), wielder of the Ten Rings, the Great Protector once again emerged to help Wenwu’s children, Xu Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) and Xu Xialing (Meng’er Zhang), stop Wenwu and the soul-eaters.
Most dragons in films are based on the Western idea of a dragon, which tends to be monstrous and satanic creatures that represent avarice, greed, and wrath. The Great Protector, meanwhile, is based on the Eastern idea of a dragon as a divine and helpful being tied to water instead of fire. The way the Great Protector uses water to subdue its enemies makes for impressive visuals and helps Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings stand out compared to other films in the MCU.
Watch on Disney+
7 The Hungarian Horntail
From ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’ (2005)
Many dragons exist in the wizarding world, but none are more feared than the Hungarian Horntail. Though not as large as the Ukranian Ironbelly, the Horntail is more temperamental, eager to smash things with its spiked tail or unleash flames up to forty feet away. In his fourth year at Hogwarts, Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) faces a Horntail guarding a golden egg as the first challenge in the Triwizard Tournament.
The Hungarian Horntail, as presented in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, is a pretty standard modern dragon, merging the front limbs with the wings to give it a hunched-over appearance. This design choice works to make the Horntail feel more like a feral and dangerous beast compared to the six-limbed design, which adds more tension as it chases Harry across the skies of Hogwarts. It’s also an interesting use of a dragon: despite its power and its ferocity, the Horntail is only the first obstacle of the tournament, which makes Harry and the audience wonder what is to come.
6 Sokurah’s Dragon
From ‘The 7th Voyage of Sinbad’ (1958)
On the Isle of Colossus lives Sokurah (Torin Thatcher), a dark sorcerer who practices his craft deep underground. To protect himself from the violent cyclopses that live on the island, Sokurah keeps a wingless dragon chained to guard the entrance. The beast is eventually let loose by the heroic Sinbad (Kerwin Mathews), but Sokurah maintains control and directs it to attack Sinbad and his crew.
The great Ray Harryhausen gets to go loose with his stop-motion creatures, crafting a stunning sequence that remains impressive nearly seventy years later.
Sokurah’s dragon only appears in the final chapter of The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, but it is a highlight of the film. It reminds audiences that even a wingless dragon is still a deadly foe, and the fact that it is loyal to Sokurah continues to show how dangerous of a foe he is for Sinbad. The climax features the dragon battling with a cyclops before chasing Sinbad’s crew, which allows the great Ray Harryhausen to go loose with his stop-motion creatures, crafting a stunning sequence that remains impressive nearly seventy years later.
Watch on Tubi
5 The Bull
From ‘Reign of Fire’ (2002)
When construction workers tunneling in the London Underground penetrate a cave, they awaken a male dragon who had been hibernating for centuries. After digging his way to the surface, he is soon joined by smaller females, and together, they begin hunting humans and animals while reproducing at an alarming rate. Twelve years later, a ragtag group of survivors decides to face off with the bull, hoping that if they kill him, they can prevent the dragons from reproducing.
The dragons of Reign of Fire rank among some of the best due to how realistic they look and feel, and many details, such as their use of chemical fire breath, have been adopted by most dragons in recent fantasy films. The Bull stands out thanks to his size, power, and personality. The film makes him feel like an unstoppable force of nature driven by a predatory desire to hunt and survive, making him more than a match even for trained hunters. Although the film is underwhelming, The Bull is a brilliant creation and one of cinema’s best-designed dragons.
Reign of Fire
- Release Date
- July 12, 2002
- Director
- Rob Bowman
- Runtime
- 101
- Writers
- Gregg Chabot , Kevin Peterka , Matt Greenberg
4 King Ghidorah
From the Godzilla Franchise
One of the most recognized Kaiju in all cinema, King Ghidorah is a modern take on the multi-headed Japanese dragon, Yamata no Orochi. His origins vary from extraterrestrial to a generic experiment gone wrong, but one thing is for certain: this three-headed dragon cares only for destruction and mayhem. The only thing standing in his way is his arch-rival, Godzilla, who rises from the sea to protect the Earth from Ghidora’s rampage.
Ghidorah is a terrifying dragon not only because of his regenerative properties or lightning manipulation but also because of his cruelty. Ghidorah cares nothing for the sanctity of life or the balance of nature; if allowed to have his way, he would murder everything so he could remake the world in his image. His design is also simple but effective and helps him stand out among the franchise’s multiple powerful antagonists. Ghidorah is among the few dragons who are truly and purely evil, making him even more of a standout.
Watch on Max
3 Maleficent
From ‘Sleeping Beauty’ (1959)
Known as the Mistress of All Evil, Maleficent (Elanor Audley) is a powerful dark fairy who rules from the Forbidden Mountain and the main antagonist of Disney’s Sleeping Beauty. To spite King Stephan (Taylor Holmes) for not inviting her to the Christening of his daughter, Princess Aurora (Mary Costa), she places a terrible curse upon the child and spends the next sixteen years ensuring that it will come to pass. When Aurora’s love, Prince Phillip (Bill Shirley), comes close to defying the curse, Maleficent decides to personally deal with him by transforming into a dragon.
Maleficent’s dragon form is nothing short of iconic, from her dark color scheme contrasted by the green fire she breathes, with sound effects provided by a real World War II flamethrower. She cuts an incredibly imposing, near-terrifying figure and almost kills Phillip were it not for the help of the three good fairies, the true heroes of Sleeping Beauty. Maleficent’s dragon form makes the most of her brief screen time and is a large contributor to why Sleeping Beauty went from a box office bomb to a classic of Disney’s animated canon.
Sleeping Beauty (1959)
- Release Date
- January 29, 1959
- Director
- Clyde Geronimi , Wolfgang Reitherman
- Cast
- Mary Costa , Bill Shirley , Eleanor Audley
- Runtime
- 75
2 Smaug
From ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’ (2013)
Called the last great fire-drake of the north, Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch) decimated the dwarves of Erebor to claim their mountain kingdom and riches for his own. He also laid waste to the human kingdom of Dale before settling into a prolonged hibernation atop his bed of riches. When dark forces begin to stir in Middle-earth, Gandalf the Grey (Sir Ian McKellen) convinces the heir to Erebor, Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage), to lead a company to the mountain to reclaim the king’s jewel, the Arkenstone, and unite the scattered dwarves against the dragon.
Even those who hate The Hobbit movies can agree that Smaug was not only a highlight of the trilogy but also one of the greatest dragons of cinema. His personality is perfect: when he’s not burning down cities, he is a cunning creature who knows how to plant doubt in his enemies to weaken their resolve long before he slays them. Cumberbatch also insisted on performing motion capture for Smaug, which gives the dragon human-like facial movements that further accentuate his mixture of intelligence and savagery.
1 Vermithrax Pejorative
From ‘Dragonslayer’ (1981)
A dragon of incredible age and a fierce temperament, Vermithrax Pejorative made a new lair in the kingdom of Urland and terrorized the country with fire and death. After his brother failed to kill the dragon, King Casiodorus Ulfilas (Peter Eyre) appeased Vermithrax by offering virgin sacrifices twice a year. While this does spare the kingdom from mass destruction, it also fuels unrest among the populace, especially since wealthy aristocrats ensure their families are exempt from the lottery of death.
Vermithrax remains a technical marvel thanks to the groundbreaking special effects by graphics artist David Bunnett, legendary stop-motion director Phil Tippett, and their team at Industrial Light and Magic. The result is a dragon that felt more realistic than ever before, from the way it moved to its design, which captured the dragon’s age, power, and cruel nature at a glance. Many legends of the fantasy genre have been inspired by Vermithrax when creating their dragons and monsters, from acclaimed director Guillermo del Toro to George R. R. Martin, the author of the A Song of Ice & Fire series.
Dragonslayer
- Release Date
- June 26, 1981
- Director
- Matthew Robbins
- Runtime
- 109 minutes
- Writers
- Hal Barwood , Matthew Robbins
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