Who Needs Plot When You’ve Got Dragons?
If you’ve been missing Japanese monster movies, take heart. “Dragon Wars: D-War” (from South Korea actually) proves the genre quite alive. It is such a breathless, delirious stew, it’s impossible not to be entertained, provided — this is crucial — you have a sense of humor.
Hmmm, exposition. O.K. Centuries ago in Korea there were giant serpents called Imoogi. A bad one, Buraki, had armored troops. A girl, Narin, had this glowing bubble, the Yuh Yi Joo, which turns Imoogi into dragons. But she and her lover-protector, Haram, sacrificed themselves without giving it up.
Deep breath. In Los Angeles an eruption suggests something big has awakened, something cranky. When Ethan Kendrick (Jason Behr) finds out, he recalls being taught as a child by the mystic Jack (Robert Forster) that he is Haram reincarnated. Narin is now Sarah Daniels (Amanda Brooks). Exhale.
Got all that? Good, because once Baraki starts to boogie, “Dragon Wars” rocks. Bulcos, winged carnivores, munch on iron-rich helicopters. References to Ray Harryhausen and Toho productions fly. One sequence evokes “King Kong,” but with heat-seeking missiles. The seams in effects and dialogue glare, but lend charm.
Baraki eats elephants, but he can’t outrun cars, which lets Ethan and Sarah reach New Mexico for a “Godzilla”-like rumble between Imoogi. “We’ll see each other again,” says Sarah to Ethan after the bout. Hoo-boy. Batten the hatches.
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“Dragon Wars: D-War” is rated PG-13 (Parents strongly cautioned). Bulcos were harmed during the making of the picture.
[NYTimes.com]
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