Dragon Movies: Essential Films

Other Watch Lists:
1958 - 202517 Films32h 7m3.6 Average

This watch list captures the breadth and cultural impact of movies featuring dragons across seven decades. Our collection spans from Ray Harryhausen's groundbreaking stop-motion work in The 7th Voyage of Sinbad to the recent blockbuster success of the live-action How to Train Your Dragon.

The list includes technical landmarks like Dragonslayer, which George R.R. Martin praised for having the best dragon ever put on film, and Reign of Fire, which influenced dragon design in later works including Game of Thrones. You'll find cult classics like Terry Gilliam's medieval comedy Jabberwocky and Larry Cohen's creature feature Q: The Winged Serpent, alongside big-budget spectacles such as Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.

The collection also acknowledges box office disappointments that nonetheless left cultural marks, including Eragon and the ambitious Korean production Dragon Wars: D-War. Whether showcasing dragons as terrifying adversaries, misunderstood creatures, or even shape-shifting witches, these films represent the essential touchstones of dragon cinema.

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List not ranked (sorted by Release Date)

1
The 7th Voyage of Sinbad poster

The 7th Voyage of Sinbad

19581h 28m4
Director: Nathan Juran
Cast: Kerwin Mathews, Kathryn Grant, Torin Thatcher, Richard Eyer, Alec Mango

Sinbad the sailor embarks on a perilous adventure to a mysterious island filled with mythical creatures and monsters. He must face incredible dangers to save a princess from an evil sorcerer's curse and prevent war between two kingdoms.

ActionAdventureFamilyFantasy
2
Jabberwocky poster

Jabberwocky

19771h 45m3.2
Director: Terry Gilliam
Cast: Michael Palin, Harry H. Corbett, John Le Mesurier, Warren Mitchell, Max Wall

A young man named Dennis Cooper ventures into a kingdom terrorized by a fearsome monster called the Jabberwocky. This medieval comedy follows his misadventures as he encounters the bizarre inhabitants of a town living in fear of the legendary beast.

FantasyComedy
3
Dragonslayer poster

Dragonslayer

19811h 48m3.6
Director: Matthew Robbins
Cast: Peter MacNicol, Caitlin Clarke, Ralph Richardson, John Hallam, Peter Eyre

A young sorcerer's apprentice embarks on a perilous quest to slay an ancient dragon that demands human sacrifices from a medieval kingdom.

FantasyAdventure
4
Q poster

Q

19821h 32m3
Director: Larry Cohen
Cast: Michael Moriarty, Candy Clark, David Carradine, Richard Roundtree, James Dixon

A small-time criminal stumbles upon the nest of Quetzalcoatl, an ancient Aztec flying serpent that has taken up residence in New York City and begun terrorizing the population.

CrimeHorrorMystery
5
Dragonheart poster

Dragonheart

19961h 43m3.6
Director: Rob Cohen
Cast: Dennis Quaid, Sean Connery, David Thewlis, Dina Meyer, Pete Postlethwaite

In medieval times, a disillusioned knight encounters the last dragon on Earth and must forge an unlikely alliance to defeat a tyrannical king. Their bond becomes complicated when the knight discovers that the dragon's fate is mysteriously tied to the very ruler they seek to overthrow.

FantasyActionAdventureDrama
6
Reign of Fire poster

Reign of Fire

20021h 41m3.4
Director: Rob Bowman
Cast: Christian Bale, Matthew McConaughey, Izabella Scorupco, Gerard Butler, Alexander Siddig

In post-apocalyptic England, an American volunteer and a British survivor team up to fight off fire-breathing dragons that have emerged from underground to reclaim global dominance.

AdventureActionFantasy
7
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire poster

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

20052h 37m4.7
Director: Mike Newell
Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Brendan Gleeson, Michael Gambon

Harry Potter unexpectedly becomes a competitor in the dangerous Triwizard Tournament between three wizarding schools. As he faces deadly challenges including dragons and enchanted mazes, Harry must uncover who entered his name in the competition and why.

AdventureFantasy
8
Eragon poster

Eragon

20061h 44m2.5
Director: Stefen Fangmeier
Cast: Ed Speleers, Jeremy Irons, Sienna Guillory, Robert Carlyle, John Malkovich

A farm boy in the fantasy realm of Alagaesia discovers a dragon egg and embarks on an epic journey to fulfill his destiny as a Dragon Rider and defend his homeland from an evil king.

FantasyActionAdventureFamily
9
Beowulf poster

Beowulf

20071h 55m3.1
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Cast: Ray Winstone, Angelina Jolie, Anthony Hopkins, John Malkovich, Robin Wright

A legendary Scandinavian warrior travels to Denmark to battle the monstrous creature Grendel that has been terrorizing a great hall and its people.

AdventureActionAnimation
10
Dragon Wars: D-War poster

Dragon Wars: D-War

20071h 30m2.1
Original Title: 디 워
Director: Shim Hyung-rae
Cast: Jason Behr, Amanda Brooks, Robert Forster, Craig Robinson, Aimee Garcia

A young man discovers he carries the spirit of an ancient Korean warrior and must protect a woman who holds the soul of his past love when dragons attack modern-day Los Angeles.

FantasyDramaHorrorActionThrillerScience Fiction
11
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug poster

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

20132h 41m4.5
Director: Peter Jackson
Cast: Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Benedict Cumberbatch, Orlando Bloom

Bilbo Baggins continues his epic journey with a company of dwarves to reclaim their homeland and treasure from the fearsome dragon Smaug. Along the way, they face new perils including giant spiders, hostile elves, and the growing threat of the dragon itself.

FantasyAdventureAction
12
Seventh Son poster

Seventh Son

20141h 42m2.8
Director: Sergei Bodrov
Cast: Jeff Bridges, Julianne Moore, Ben Barnes, Alicia Vikander, John DeSantis

A veteran monster hunter who is the seventh son of a seventh son seeks to train a young farmer's son as his apprentice to battle witches, ghouls, and other supernatural threats. The apprentice must survive the dangerous training that has claimed the lives of many before him.

AdventureFantasy
13
Pete's Dragon poster

Pete's Dragon

20161h 43m3.5
Director: David Lowery
Cast: Oakes Fegley, Bryce Dallas Howard, Wes Bentley, Karl Urban, Oona Laurence

A mysterious 10-year-old boy named Pete emerges from the Pacific Northwest woods claiming to live with a giant green dragon named Elliott. When forest ranger Grace meets Pete, she must determine the truth behind his extraordinary story and help him find where he belongs.

AdventureFamilyFantasy
14
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings poster

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

20212h 12m4.4
Director: Destin Daniel Cretton
Cast: Simu Liu, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Awkwafina, Ben Kingsley, Meng'er Zhang

Shang-Chi must confront his past when he's drawn into the web of the mysterious Ten Rings organization, forcing him to face the legacy he tried to escape.

ActionAdventureFantasy
15
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves poster

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

20232h 14m4.3
Director: John Francis Daley
Cast: Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, Hugh Grant

A charming thief and his band of unlikely adventurers embark on an epic heist to retrieve a lost relic in this fantasy adventure based on the beloved tabletop game.

AdventureFantasyComedy
16
Damsel poster

Damsel

20241h 47m4
Director: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
Cast: Millie Bobby Brown, Brooke Carter, Nick Robinson, Robin Wright, Milo Twomey

A young woman discovers her fairy-tale marriage to a charming prince is actually a trap when she becomes an unwilling sacrifice to a fire-breathing dragon.

FantasyActionAdventure
17
How to Train Your Dragon poster

How to Train Your Dragon

20252h 5m4.8
Director: Dean DeBlois
Cast: Mason Thames, Nico Parker, Gerard Butler, Nick Frost, Gabriel Howell

On the Viking isle of Berk, young Hiccup defies tradition by befriending Toothless, a feared Night Fury dragon. Their unlikely bond challenges centuries of conflict between Vikings and dragons, revealing truths that could transform their society.

FantasyFamilyActionAdventure