Dragon Wars
Reviewer: Lee Griffiths
Issue 105 July 2008
(1 votes, average: 4 out of 10)
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Enter the dragon.
The Lowdown: Predicted by an ancient Korean legend, an evil serpent returns to modern day Los Angeles in search of the reincarnation of a girl named Yeo Yi-Joo. A news reporter, Ethan Kendrick, unwittingly finds himself the protector of Yi-Joo, and must defend her when the ancient dragon makes its move.
Review: While Joon-Ho Bong’s The Host (2006) had a hand in putting the monster movie back on the map, fellow Korean filmmaker, Hyung-Rae Shim, seems intent on banging the last nail into the genre’s coffin. The former actor’s reptile/dragon movies have so far left a lot to be desired, and unfortunately, the same goes for his latest foray into the fantastical. The nonsense script is the main culprit, while some shoddy CGI special effects fail to dazzle with their synthetic finish, which is made all the more apparent in high definition.
The CGI dragons/snakes etc just aren’t up to scratch, and in hi-def, the giant creatures fail to blend in with the live action sets and rarely sit comfortably next to the panic-stricken stars. As a result, the film looks even cheaper than it did on the standard DVD. Away from the CGI however, the picture generally delivers the goods, presenting an exceptionally crisp and sharp picture with plenty of colour and detail. The audio also delivers during those grand scale battle sequences, but really, what good is the odd visual and audio flourish of brilliance when you’re faced with such an absurd mess of a movie, complete with a ludicrous and un-involving story and a handful of poor performances.
The special features include a short and shoddy ‘500 Years In The Making’ featurette, a few lazy ‘Storyboard Comparisons’ and a wide selection of HD pics from the film.
PICTURE: 7
AUDIO: 6
FILM: 3
EXTRAS: 4
DVD Info:
Certificate: 12
Starring: Jason Behr, Amanda Brooks, Robert Forster
Directed By: Hyung-Rae Shim
Distributor: Sony Pictures
Audio: Dolby True HD 5.1
Visuals: 2.35:1 Widescreen
Running Time: 90 mins
Price: £24.99
Film supplied by:
DnA
Special Features:
‘500 Years In The Making’ Featurette
Storyboard Comparisons
Conceptual Art Gallery
Trailers
Scene Selection
