Movie Review: The White Dragon

The White Dragon (Fei hap siu baak lung) a.k.a The Flying Heroine: Little White Dragon 

China Film Co-Production Corporation, China Film Group, China Star Entertainment, One Hundred Years of Film Company, Singing Horse Productions, Hong Kong, 2004. 

Black Phoenix (Cecilia Cheung) has reluctantly joined the world of martial arts. Masquerading as White Dragon Jr., she has to fight blind assassin Chicken Feathers (Francis Ng) who has a contract on Second Prince Tian Yang (Andy On). Chicken Feathers is like Zatoichi, only goofier. 

Black Phoenix

Chicken Feathers

A week ago Phoenix was a rich and spoiled student. She dreams of Second Prince who also begins to like her. The prince has older brother First Prince Tian Sheng (Liu Lei). Chicken Feather kills schools lecherous principal. Martial arts heroine and school's janitor White Dragon (Nei Suet) tries to catch him but fails. White Dragon gives her powers to Black Phoenix, the sequence looks like Windows XP copying bar.

Rock 'n' roll

Second Prince Tian Yang and Phoenix

Phoenix gets acne. Only way to cure it is to make good deeds, Robin Hood style. When Chicken Feathers targets Tian Yang, she must try to fight against him. Phoenix begins to sympathize Chicken Feathers when he treats her broken leg. She plays her flute to describe the surrounding world to Chicken Feathers. Chicken Feathers has only one friend, physician Deer Tail (Shiu Hung Hui) who arranges him the contracts. Phoenix tries to solve the conspiracy and save both Second Prince and Chicken Feathers.

The story varies from sentimental drama...

...to silly comedy

Starting as a wuxia-film, the film then morphs into high-school comedy. This is partly a parody of Wuxia-films with some contemporary references. Phoenix plays lute like a rock star, McDonalds sells buns and there is basically medieval China's equivalent of Louis Vuitton. However as the movie switches the genre from wire-fu film, to comedy to romantic drama and back to wuxia drama, the result is uneven experience. Although mixing comedy, romance and action is usual in Hong Kong films, the seams are a bit too obvious. Still the main love story is sweet with some quirky humour so it is hard to dislike. The action scenes are acceptable, although not best of the genre as the movie seems to have quite low budget. The chemistry between the main actors is good and the story does not take itself too seriously.

McBun

Wuxia fight!

Rating: Good 

Starring: Francis Ng, Andy On, Lei Liu, Cecilia Cheung, Xiao Lung Ding, Avi K. Garg, Shiu Hung Hui, Zhangjin Shi, Nei Suet, Patrick Tang, Kitty Yuen,  Huang Xiao-Xu, Dang Chi-Fung, Xia Tai-Li, Meng Kai, Zhang Jia-Jun, Liu Jing-Cheng, Wen Wen, Hu Dan-Feng, Bi Yuan-Biao, Xu Chen Jun Lei, Shen Zun-Ying, Hu Xiao-Lin, Wang Yi-Qiu, Huang Di, Zhu Ming-Ming, Li Su-Qin, Zhang Deng-Ke, Dai Tian 

Director: Wilson Yip

Movie Review: Dungeons & Dragons 2: Wrath of the Dragon God

Dungeons & Dragons 2: Wrath of the Dragon God a.k.a Dungeons & Dragons 2: The Elemental Might a.k.a Dungeons & Dragons: The Sequel 

Skyline Dungeon & Dragons Ltd., Studio Hamburg WorldWide Pictures, Sweetpea BVI Ltd., Zinc Entertainment Inc., Germany, UK, Lithuania, USA, 2005. 

Hundred years after the first movie evil formerly blue lipped Damodar (Bruce Payne) is now a cursed undead. Evil artifact gives his life back. Life is good thinks Damodar, now it is time to get revenge on city of Ismir. 

Damodar

Bored tax minister Berek (Mark Dymond) wants adventure. Sitting behind the desk has taken its toll and he is not quite as good fighter as he was before as his former student Valerious (Vytautas Rumsas) points out. Berek's wife Melora (Clemency Burton-Hill) is a low-level mage but she wants to join the Mages' council some day. Her attempt to practise mending spell has quite devastating results.

Berek

Melora

Citizen of Saragasso comes to ask for help as there is something evil in the mountains. Colossal black dragon is sleeping in the cave. Thousands of years ago Turanian people imprisoned dragon god Faluzure and created an Orb that keeps the dragon sleeping. Now Damodar has the Orb and the world is in danger. As a bonus Damodar puts a curse on Melora so she will slowly turn into an undead. 

Lux

Dorian, Ormaline, Nim and Lux

Group of bravest heroes is chosen to stop Damodar. As Valerious is on some trivial mission Berek volunteers instead to lead the party (in your face Valerious!) Barbarian Lux (Ellie Chidzey), cleric Dorian (Steven Elder), elf wizard Ormaline (Lucy Gaskell), rogue Nim (Tim Stern) form the group of adventurers.

Klaxx the Lich

Dorian casts Turn Undead

Liches, spectres, dragons and deadly traps await the heroes. Meanwhile the mages and Melora try to find out information about Turanians. Klaxx the Lich (Aurimas Meliesius) helps Damodar awaken the undead dragon god. And the dragon god is angry...

Dragon god Faluzure

After the abysmal first movie, the budget is now considerably lower. The special effects are standard Syfy-level although there are some quite impressing dragon scenes. What is great is that now the movie is faithful to the Dungeons & Dragons lore. The gamers will notice the references to familiar items and monsters. The plot feels more serious (but not as dark as the third D&D movie) and luckily there are no Snails-style stupid sidekicks. Nim comes the closest of being the comical character, but in a street credible way and he certainly has professional thieving skills. There is also chemistry between Nim and Lux, with their mutual disliking turning into respect. Bruce Payne who was about the only tolerable thing in the first movie, has now fun as the main villain of the story. However at some points the film feels like watching a larping session (dice not included). Still it is fairly enjoyable and reminds of 1980s low budget fantasy adventures or episodes of "Xena: Warrior Princess". 

Rating: Good (if you are a Dungeons & Dragons / low budget fantasy fan) 

Starring: Bruce Payne, Mark Dymond, Clemency Burton-Hill, Ellie Chidzey, Tim Stern, Steven Elder, Lucy Gaskell, Roy Marsden, Geoffrey T. Bersey, Leonas Ciunis, Liubomiras Lauciavicius, Ervinas Peteraitis, Vytautas Rumsas, David Merheb, Aurimas Meliesius, Laurynas Jurgelis, Andrius Zebrauskas, Arturas Orlauskas, Leonardas Pobedonoscevas, Tauras Cizas, Tomas Vaitkus, Arturas Builovas, Mykolas Dorofejus, Ramunas Abukevicius, Evaldas Leskauskas, Tomas Zaibus, Dawn Akemi, John Frank Rosenblum, Ed Stark 

Director: Gerry Lively

Movie Review: Age of the Dragons

Age of the Dragons a.k.a The White Dragons a.k.a Curse of the Dragon a.k.a Dragon Fire

Koan, Metrodome Cosmic Pictures, Incentive Films, Cinedome, Dragon Quest Productions, Outpost Studios, USA, 2011.

DVD cover says that the movie is adaptation of Herman Melville's "Moby-Dick" with dragons! Let's see how this fares.

Young Ahab (Raphael Cruz) was a hunter who met his match one day when White Dragon killed his sister (Yanique Bland). Ahab gets burned badly and swears revenge.

White Dragon

Ishmael (Corey Sevier) and Queequeg (Kepa Kruse) want to hunt dragons with Ahab. Dragon vitriol is a valuable as lamp oil. Starbuck (David Morgan) and Stubb (Vinnie Jones) challenge Ishmael for harpooning contest. Stubb is the most experienced hunter of the Ahab's crew and Starbuck is devoutly religious. Ahab's adopted daughter Rachel (Sofia Pernas) manages the business side of the vitriol hunting but she can also fight. Old geezer (Wayne Brennan) predicts that they will die.

Ishmael and Queequeg

Starbuck and Stubb

Rachel

The ship Pequod is in this version steampunk-style armoured personnel carrier. Ahab (Danny Glover) is also follower of the slit goggle (or Inuit snow goggle) fashion trend likewise Rammstein, Lee Marvin in "Death Hunt" and Lords of Death- gang in "Big Trouble in Little China." As Danny Glover had only little time available for this movie, a stunt double was used for the scenes where Ahab appears masked. Also Vinnie Jones has very limited screen time.

Pequod

Some examples of slit goggles in popular culture

Ahab promises a triple reward for the man who first spots the White Dragon. The men have to swear to hunt the White Dragon until death. Raw dragon vitriol is dangerous substance and explodes with contact of air and it also glows in the dark (the stuff almost certainly contains white phosphorus). Wretched cook Flask (Larry Bagby) is responsible for the vitriol extraction. The purpose of the hunting trip is not to earn money, but to satisfy Ahab's revenge. Then follow mutiny, betrayals and dark revelations.

Ahab

A good Moby-Dick adaption has always to be successful in building the impending sense of doom. No wonder many metal bands have found inspiration by it (Mastodon, Ahab, even Led Zeppelin and also numerous bands named Moby Dick). "Age of the Dragons" manages to maintain the dark atmosphere throughout the film. However it does not achieve the furiousity of the finale of "Moby Dick" with Gregory Peck (1956).

Ryan Little directed good WWII movie "Saints and Soldiers" and its sequels. J Bateman's music is good and the cinematography looks nice. Let's say that the first half of the film looks decent. Much of the dialogue is taken from Melville's book, just substituting whale for dragon. Danny Glover's Ahab is suitably obsessed and crazy character. The story's fantasy setting is not unacceptable. Why not, there is also an anime adaptation "Hakugei Densetsu" where the whales are whale-shaped spaceships. Not to mention the Asylym version 2010: Moby Dick. For a Syfy movie this looks seriously made without any satirical humour. However the second half takes a wrong direction with standard adventure cliches, forced love story and disappointing finale. Also Queequeg is made a bit boring character instead of mysterious aboriginal.Thus it fails to be fully satisfactory adaptation of the classic story.

Rating: Average

Starring: Danny Glover, Vinnie Jones, Corey Sevier, Sofia Pernas, Larry Bagby, Kepa Kruse, David Morgan, Raphael Cruz, Yanique Bland, Wayne Brennan, McKay Daines, John Lyde, Scott Chun, Amy Micalizio, Brianne Aglaure, Brandon Anderson, Christian Purser, Ryan Don Devey, Valeria Madsen, Preston Gibbs, Mark Oliphant, Gloria Hansen, Ross Howard, David Turley, Chris Larsen, Nathan Harward, Erik Madsen, Erich Cannon, Savannah Ostler

Director: Ryan Little