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(About Our Ads) "DRAGON WARS" (2007) (Jason Behr, Amanda Brooks) (PG-13) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Minor Mild Extreme *Moderate Extreme Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Minor Minor Extreme None Mild Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Minor None Moderate Moderate Extreme QUICK TAKE: Action/Adventure: A TV reporter and a young woman go on the run when they realize she's carrying a mystical power that evil forces wish to use to help turn a monstrous serpent into an even more powerful dragon. PLOT: Ethan Kendrick (JASON BEHR) is a Los Angeles based TV reporter who was earmarked 15 years ago by antiques dealer Jack (ROBERT FORSTER) as a reincarnated warrior destined to protect a woman from harm. It seems that every 500 years, a woman is born with Yuh Yi Joo, a special power within her that, when she turns 20, will allow an Imoogi (a monstrous serpent) to turn into a dragon and thus ascend into Heaven. The only problem is, there are good and bad Imoogis, and one of the latter known as Buraki has arrived looking for Sarah Daniels (AMANDA BROOKS), a nearly 20-year-old woman who's recently had a sense of dread that something bad is going to happen. Accompanied by an army of hardened soldiers, giant reptilian beasts with huge cannons on their backs, and fire-breathing dragons all led by the Evil General (MICHAEL SHAMUS WILES), Buraki lays waste to part of the city in his pursuit of Sarah and the mystical power she unknowingly possesses. With the help of his TV cameraman, Bruce (CRAIG ROBINSON), Ethan eventually tracks down Sarah and goes on the run with her, trying to keep her out of harm's way. With the Federal Government -- represented by FBI agents Pinsky (CHRIS MULKEY) and Campbell (JOHN ALES) along with scores of combat ready troops -- on the way, a massive battle looms on the horizon for the City of Angels, as well as Sarah. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they're into campy monster movies or those featuring dragons, they might. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13 For intense sequences of violence and creature action. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: JASON BEHR plays a TV reporter with a mysterious connection to a warrior from 500 years earlier. When he realizes his calling, he sets out to save Sarah and does what he can to try to keep her out of harm's way. AMANDA BROOKS plays a young woman who finds herself the target of the evil forces wanting the Yuh Yi Joo. She then goes on the run with Ethan. ROBERT FORSTER plays an antiques dealer who's really the reincarnated warrior chosen to protect the carrier of the Yuh Yi Joo from Buraki. He does what he can to inform Ethan of his duties and to help him protect Sarah. CRAIG ROBINSON plays Ethan's coworker who assists him, uses some profanity, and carries around a gun that he tries to use on the Evil General. CHRIS MULKEY and JOHN ALES play FBI agents on the case who follow orders from above to resolve it any way that needs to be done. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this fantasy-based action flick that's been rated PG-13. Profanity consists of at least 1 "s" word, while other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered, as is one partially heard, seemingly sexually related line of dialogue. Cleavage is briefly seen, as is a rather chaste kiss. Violence, on the other hand, is quite abundant, although it's nearly blood free (most of the latter involves wounded or killed monsters and animals). Large scale battles between a monstrous serpent, flying dragons, & ancient warriors and the U.S. military results in all sorts of death and massive destruction. Some of that and various moments of potential peril may be unsettling to some viewers (especially if they're afraid of snakes as this one is hundreds of feet long). Various characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes, and some brief alcohol is present, as are a few brief scenes regarding deaths in families. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, some sweeping camera movement might induce that reaction. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Sarah's roommate says that they'll go out for a drink later, and we then see them in a bar where the roommate brings over bottles of beer for both of them. When that doesn't seem to do the trick, the roommate says she thought a few beers would help Sarah (who then leaves to go home, without having any). BLOOD/GORE Jack shows a scar on his arm from being sliced there 500 years ago. A zookeeper is shocked to come across Buraki with a full-size elephant in its mouth. Buraki then tosses that elephant aside, and it has some bloody wounds on it (but nothing too graphic). Ethan has a tiny bit of blood on his face after his car is hit and flips over. A beast is hit by a shockwave of energy that quickly causes it to disintegrate down to its skeleton. A serpent rapidly sheds its skin as it turns into a dragon. A dragon shoots a fireball down into a serpent, causing it to burn up, sending fleshy parts (seen from a distance and not in detail) away from the carcass. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Buraki, the Evil General, and their minions all have bad attitudes for their actions and goals. Some jerks accost and start grabbing at Sarah at night in a parking lot, but Jack comes to her rescue. A cop makes the hand to head sign for crazy about a zookeeper and his story about seeing Buraki, and some viewers might not like attempted humor showing the zookeeper later in a straight jacket for the same. The Secretary of Defense gives orders to Agent Pinsky to do what's necessary to resolve the problem (meaning kill Sarah). Later, he prepares to shoot and kill Sarah, but Ethan jumps in the way and takes the shot, hitting the floor hard (but he's later okay, so we don't know if he was hit or not). The agent then tries again, but his partner shoots him dead instead. FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence" may also be unsettling, suspenseful, or scary to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material, but probably few others. The monstrous appearance of Buraki, the other various monsters, and the Evil General might also be unsettling or scary to younger kids and those who are afraid of snakes in general (and the ones here are hundreds of feet long). In a flashback to Ethan as a boy, he visits Jack's antiques store where a chest magically opens by itself and some sort of spirit or mystical energy approaches and encompasses the boy (who isn't scared by that). Jack fakes having a heart attack to make young Ethan's father leave so that he (Jack) can inform the boy of his destiny. Some jerks accost and start grabbing at Sarah at night in a parking lot, but Jack comes to her rescue. He knocks aside two of them, and when the third hits him across the back with something, Jack knocks that guy back into a windshield, hard. Ethan has a nightmare where various statues and such in Jack's antiques store seem to come to life. Sarah has a nightmare where reptilian scales suddenly form on and then disappear from her car, followed by the Evil General grabbing her and raising his sword as if to strike her. Buraki causes all sorts of damage to a parking garage (the structure and cars parked in it) as it chases after Ethan, Sarah, and Bruce who flee in a car, barely avoiding it. While in hypnosis, mystical powers emanate from and lift Sarah into the air. At one point, Buraki's large, fanged mouth is right at Ethan and Sarah, but cops open fire on the serpent, allowing the two to escape. Following orders, an FBI agent prepares to shoot and kill Sarah, but Ethan jumps in the way and takes the shot, hitting the floor hard (but he's later okay, so we don't know if he was hit or not). The agent then tries again, but another agent shoots the first one dead. We see that the warriors have Ethan tied up (and one hits him with a shield to silence him) while they tie Sarah to an altar to sacrifice her. Buraki appears ready to kill Sarah and/or Ethan, but a good, same-sized serpent shows up and the two do battle. Sarah appears ready to sacrifice herself to Buraki to end all of the madness, but she then fools him. A major human character apparently dies and is then seen in spirit form (that may be unsettling to some viewers rooting for the character to live). GUNS/WEAPONS Handguns/Shotguns/Machine guns/Attack helicopters (with machine guns and missiles)/Tanks/Regular and sci-fi type cannons/Swords/Spears: Carried and/or used to threaten, wound or kill various creatures and/or cause property damage. See "Violence" for details. Bruce gives Ethan his handgun, and the latter isn't happy to have it. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "You're always making sh*t up," "Incompetent fools," "What the hell /are you talking about/was that?" "Dude," "You're killing me, man," "We ain't got jack," "Whacked out," "Some old fart," "A major whoop ass," "You lousy bum," "Do you really believe in all this crap?" "Who the hell are you?" "Have you gone insane?" "Somebody tell me what the hell is going on," "Yo, where the hell you been?" "I'm getting really tired of this destiny crap" and "Shut up." A cop makes the hand to head sign for crazy about a zookeeper and his story about seeing Buraki. JUMP SCENES Dragons suddenly shoot fireballs at Ethan and Sarah's car. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) An extreme amount of suspenseful, ominous, and heavily dramatic music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 1 "s" word, 6 hells, 2 craps, 1 ass, 1 damn, 2 uses of "God" and 1 use each of "G-damn," "Jesus," "Swear to God" and "What in God's name?" SEX/NUDITY Sarah briefly shows some cleavage. We partially hear Bruce playfully talking on the phone to someone about what sounded like see-through lace. Ethan and Sarah briefly kiss. SMOKING None. TENSE FAMILY SCENES In a scene set 500 years ago, a man states that his wife just died while delivering their new child. In a scene set 500 years ago, a young woman sees a warrior kill her father while searching for her. A miscellaneous guy briefly mentions Buraki's look being like that he's seen in his ex-wife's eyes. We see a flashback to young Sarah at her father's grave, yelling out, "They're all gone, I'm all alone." TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT The mythology of dragons. How the government would react if such an event like this would occur. We see a flashback to young Sarah at her father's grave, yelling out, "They're all gone, I'm all alone." VIOLENCE Some cops briefly struggle with a man. We see what looks like a meteorite crater in the city (that was actually caused, it's suggested, by the serpent or other evildoers) where cars are crushed, etc. 500 years ago, the Evil General's army approaches a Korean city, complete with armed warriors and giant reptilian type beasts with huge sci-fi type cannons on their backs. They use those to open fire on the city (causing all sorts of explosions and resultant property damage on a massive scale), while traditional cannons are fired back from the city at them. People on both side of the conflict are hit (including one in the city who's partially on fire), followed by the warriors storming the city, slicing and stabbing many people (without any resultant blood), all while searching for the chosen woman. During this, one of the giant reptilian beasts steps down on one person, and another picks up a person in its mouth, while other people are knocked around and/or manhandled. A young woman's father is killed by them, followed by various small explosions going off all around the warriors, with two good men then showing up to do battle with the villains. The master slices and stabs many of them, but is sliced across his arm. The enormous Buraki then corners the chosen women and her protector on a cliff, and the two jump off to the sea and their death below, all as Buraki tries to catch them in his mouth. Some jerks accost and start grabbing at Sarah at night in a parking lot, but Jack comes to her rescue. He knocks aside two of them, and when the third hits him across the back with something, Jack knocks that guy back into a windshield, hard. A zookeeper is shocked to come across Buraki with a full-size elephant in its mouth. Buraki then tosses that elephant aside, and it has some bloody wounds on it (but nothing too graphic). Sarah's roommate and her boyfriend hear a loud noise outside only to encounter Buraki there at night, by the pool. They try to flee, but run into the Evil General. Backtracking away from him, the roommate then ends up in Buraki's jaws and is then dropped down into the pool (we don't know her fate). As Sarah swings some unknown thing at them, hospital staff and a cop grab and control her. Buraki causes damage to a hospital while trying to get at Sarah. Buraki causes all sorts of damage to a parking garage (the structure and cars parked in it) as it chases after Ethan, Sarah, and Bruce who flee in a car. Bruce's SUV crashes into the Evil General, but other than knocking down the latter, it doesn't harm him. Bruce then tries shooting the Evil General, but his armor protects him. Ethan then tries hitting the Evil General with a stick, but that doesn't hurt him, and the Evil General knocks him aside and then pulls out his sword. Bruce then grabs that sword but it loses its blade, and the Evil General knocks Bruce aside, but another vehicle (driven by Jack in disguise) then smashes into the Evil General, allowing the others to escape. Armed forces storm an old mine, but then run out when Buraki crashes up through walkways and such toward them. Outside, we see freshly dead soldiers and wrecked choppers on the ground, and the forces then open fire on Buraki, as well as Evil General's warriors, but the bullets bounce off their armor and shields. All of those forces are then hit by a fireball and presumably incinerated. We see brief flashback images of the above attack on the ancient Korean city (with explosions, warriors slicing people, etc.). Buraki violently and rapidly slithers after Ethan and Sarah who try to elude him in a car, with the huge serpent causing all sorts of property damage. Buraki causes building damage while coming after Sarah and Ethan who are on foot and then in Bruce's SUV. The serpent then picks and throws a car in their direction. It crashes in front of Bruce who then crashes into it. Buraki's large, fanged mouth is then right at them, but cops open fire on the serpent, allowing the others to escape. Buraki then smashes down into one of the cop cars. Buraki causes all sorts of chaos, damage, and panic on the streets as it quickly slithers toward and then up and around a building (that's also damaged) as it tries to get to Ethan and Sarah who are trying to take off in a helicopter. The serpent then grabs the landing rung on the chopper, and right after Ethan and Sarah jump out, it throws the chopper toward the street where it explodes upon impact with that. Attack choppers then arrive and open fire on Buraki with machine guns. After it destroys one chopper, they then add missiles to the mix, eventually causing the giant serpent to fall from the tall building to the streets below where the choppers continue to riddle it with gunfire. Helicopter sized dragons then arrive on the scene, resulting in a multi-minute battle between them and the attack choppers (were opponents on both sides are hit, sometimes explode, or even crash into each other or buildings). During this, one dragon latches onto a chopper and tries to claw its way into the cockpit, with the pilot using a handgun to shoot the dragon. The chopper then crashes into a building and explodes as the pilot tries to get out. Meanwhile, down on the street, the huge reptilian beasts with sci-fi cannons on their backs arrive and open fire on military tanks that return fire, with opponents on both sides being hit. All sorts of property damage occurs during both of these battle sequences that take place simultaneously. Following orders, an FBI agent prepares to shoot and kill Sarah, but Ethan jumps in the way and takes the shot, hitting the floor hard (but he's later okay, so we don't know if he was hit or not). The agent then tries again, but another agent shoots the first one dead. Various dragons shoot fireballs at Ethan and Sarah's car, eventually hitting it, causing it to flip over and catch on fire. We see that the warriors have Ethan tied up (and one hits him with a shield to silence him) while they tie Sarah to an altar to sacrifice her. A beam of light, however, shines down onto Ethan's amulet, sending out a shock wave that kills all of the warriors, opens a crevice into which some of them fall, and shreds some beast down to its skeleton. All are killed save for the Evil General who then engages in a sword battle with Ethan, quickly slicing and then disarming him. An attempted jab, however, hits that amulet and seemingly shocks the Evil General, apparently vaporizing him. Buraki appears ready to kill Sarah and/or Ethan, but a good, same-sized serpent shows up and the two do battle, biting into and throwing each other around. The bad one appears to kill the good one, but Sarah then sends the magic within her into the good serpent that then resumes the large-scale fight. A dragon shoots a fireball down into a serpent, causing it to burn up, sending fleshy parts (seen from a distance and not in detail) away from the carcass. Reviewed September 14, 2007 / Posted September 14, 2007