Dragonslayer

Dragonslayer. 1981 Paramount Pictures & Walt Disney Productions.
Starring: Peter MacNicol, Caitlin Clarke, Ralph Richardson, John Hallam, Peter Eyre, Sydney Bromley, Chloe Salaman
Director: Matthew Robbins
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A dragon known as Vermithrax Pejorative terrorizes a medieval kingdom called Urland. Valerian (Clarke) leads an expedition to the house of the sorcerer Ulrich of Craggenmoor (Richardson), the last wizard alive. They explain that their king Casiodorus (Eyre) has offered the dragon a virgin chosen in a lottery that happens twice a year. Ulrich foresaw their arrival, as well as his own death, but agrees to help. A brutish knight from Urland called Tyrian (Hallam), who followed the group on orders from the king, shows up to intimidate the wizard. Ulrich challenges the knight to stab him to prove his magical powers, but dies instantly, to the shock of his young apprentice Galen (MacNicol) and the elderly servant Hodge (Bromley). Ulrich is cremated, and his ashes are placed in a leather pouch. Galen decides to take it upon himself to slay the dragon when the wizard's magical amulet begins to obey his incantations, traveling to Urland with the expedition and Hodge in tow. Along the way, he discovers that Valerian is really a girl, passed off as male by her father to keep her out of the king's lottery.

Galen apparently succeeds in trapping the dragon in its lair, but during that evening's celebration in the village, Tyrian shows up to confront him. He and King Casiodorus conclude that Galen is not a real wizard, and suspects that he only angered the dragon instead of killing it. After the amulet is confiscated, Galen is locked away. The king's daughter Elspeth (Salaman) comes by to taunt Galen, but is horrified to learn about the rumors that the lottery is rigged, and her father cannot convince her otherwise.

It's up to Galen to regain his amulet, and rescue Elspeth from the dragon with the help of Valerian, and unexpectedly, from Ulrich during the final battle.

This was a blind buy during a DVD sale at Wal-Mart, when it cost under five bucks. Good movie, though. Recommended.