Dragon Wars Is Hilarious
Appreciating South Korean D-War As An Accidental Comedy
Dragon Wars Critical Response
US critics mostly derided South Korean monster movie import Dragon Wars (it’s at 25% positive reviews on critic tracker rottentomatoes.com). The few that did turn in positive reviews did so in a way that acknowledged the film’s many weaknesses. The New York Times Andy Webster titled his review, “Who Needs Plot When You’ve Got Dragons?” Website IGN.com subtitled their review, “A Movie Without A Single Redeeming Quality That We Highly Recommend,” Perhaps in an attempt to translate to the US box office the film’s principals are American actors (star Jason Behr was on T.V.’s Roswell) and the bulk of the film is set in L.A. Yet the film had a weak box office run in the US (grossing about $10 million) versus overseas ($62 million, likely helped by its hit status in native South Korea).
Dragon Wars Is Hilarious, Lapses in Logic
During one scene the heroes Ethan (Jason Behr), Sara (Amanda Brooks), and Ethan’s friend Bruce (Craig Robinson from TV's The Office) are confronted by a warlord. Bruce shoots at him, but the warlord is bulletproof. The struggle continues until a car randomly runs into the warlord. For the moment everything is safe, but Ethan and Sara inexplicably leave Bruce alone with the warlord. Sara later asks Ethan, “What about Bruce?” to which Ethan responds, naturally, “I’m sure he’ll be fine.” It’s these sort of logical leaps that define Dragon Wars.
Taking A Bullet Is No Big Deal In Dragon Wars
Ethan jumps in front of an FBI agent’s bullet to save Sara. He gets up and she asks him, “Are you okay?” and of course he replies, “Yeah, I’m alright.” There is no sign of blood, his jacket isn’t even ruffled. In the next scene they are driving to Mexico and he is completely fine. There is no sign whatsoever that anything has happened to him for the remainder of the film.
Dragon Wars Doesn’t Take Itself Seriously
There are small signs Dragon Wars may be aware of its own ridiculousness, or at least willing to poke a little fun at itself. An ambulance splashes a bum with water and he screams out, “You bum!” At one point the head warlord magically walks through a fence as an old lady looks on curiously. She then walks directly into the fence, smacking her head as she goes. This is about as close as the movie gets to being in on its own joke.
Bottom Line
Dragon Wars is a movie best enjoyed with multiple friends and a hearty dose of humor. It’s a film you enjoy whilst making fun of its ridiculousness. It’s a film you enjoy despite its ridiculousness, or more likely, because of it.
