OK, I admit I was not really looking forward to seeing "Warriors of
Virtue." It looked
like a Power Rangers wannabe and well, it sort of is. But it also has elements
of
"Neverending Story" and some great photography as well. The plot
is simple enough:
our young hero is dealing with the pains of growing up and growing up with
a leg brace.
He falls into another time and place and fights evil while he learns. But
the five
Kangaroo Warriors who protect the Land Of Tao that Ryan falls into are sort
of laughable
until they start kicking tail in Chinese action flick style.
It really is an East Meets West story since the producers, Dennis, Ronald,
Christopher
and Jeremy Law are medical doctors from Hong Kong, living in the US and
missing
those Chinese movies they grew up watching. As doctors, they also have
a respect for
life that permeates the script. They link the five classic virtues of benevolence,
righteousness, order, wisdom and loyalty to the five elements of earth,
water, metal,
wood and fire. Then of course, they assign one virtue and one element to
each of the
Roos. It isn't anything new, but the mixture of costuming and animatronics
make it
almost believable. And since the photography of the Land of Tao is all
very dreamy and
full of fantasy, it won't be hard for kids to get in the spirit.
And it is an unusual spirit. The bad guys aren't totally bad; the good
guys are vulnerable
to doubt. Not the usual bad and white of comic book material that is so
prevalent today.
I couldn't place the villain, Komodo at first. But it is Angus Macfadyen,
Robert the
Bruce in "Braveheart"! He gets to do some over-the-top acting
as all villains do. And
Mario Yedidia who portrays Ryan is convincing throughout the transitions
from reality to
Tao. Shot in Beijing and Vancouver, with a director from Hong Kong "Warriors
of
Virtue" has an international flavor. And Peter Pau as the Director
of Photography also
deserves mention. Combining the flavor of Chinese action and a surrealistic
fantasy has
to be a challenge but Pau is up to the task.
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