Popcorn & Coffee: Dragon Wars: D-War

Do you like watching cheesy B-flicks? Well, you can find plenty of them in the $5 DVD bin at Walmart, including the recently re-released of Dragon Wars: D-War.

Based loosely on the 1989 role-playing video game, Dragon Wars: D-War was released to theaters in 2007. Directed by Hyung Rae Shim, the film stars Jason Behr, Amanda Brooks, Robert Forester, Craig Robinson, Aimee Garcia, and Chris Mulkey.

Ever since he was a child, Ethan Kendrick (played by Jason Behr) has known he has the ability to change an Imoogi into a Celestial Dragon. Now as an adult, working as a news anchor in L.A., he realizes his destiny will finally be foretold when an evil Imoogi, known as "Buraki," is unleashed and brings forth the "Atrox Army," an army of supernatural dragons and warriors, to destroy the world.

This is where Sarah Daniels (played by Amanda Brooks) comes into the story, a young woman who is an incarnation of Yuh Yi Joo. Before the dragon army can get to her, Ethan shows up in the nick of time and rescues her. Well, at least for the time being, as there a prophecy that needs to be fulfilled in order to destroy the Imoogi and the dragon army, so a sacrifice is needed.

The film earned nearly $100 million at the box-office, which isn't too bad considering the budget was round $35 million. However, it was later revealed the special effects went way over-budget, costing nearly $99 million.

Final Thoughts: I recall seeing a few advertisements for the film back in 2007 and then stumbling upon the film on Sci-Fi Channel (now known as Syfy) shortly after. The special effects are pretty good for the most part, but sadly the plot, dialogue and acting is really bad; more in par with a made-for-Syfy movie.

Overall, I enjoyed watching Dragon Wars: D-Wars on DVD. Yes, the premise is silly, but if you don't take the plot too seriously, the movie is actually entertaining. Like I already mentioned, this is a re-release, so it's a bare bones edition with no special features or bonus extras.