Dragon Wars [Blu-ray]

Director: Hyung-rae Shim, Shim Hyung-rae, Hyung Rae Shim Hyung-rae Shim

Overview

An enormous serpent from a bygone era emerges to wreck havoc on contemporary Los Angeles in this ambitious international co-production produced in South Korea and shot on location in Los Angeles. Shot in English and starring Jason Behr and Amanda Brooks, the $70-million film was the most expensive South Korean film ever produced at the time of its release in 2007.

Product Details

Release Date:	01/08/2008
UPC:	0043396243507
Original Release:	2007
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	SONY PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMT
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:30:00
Sales rank:	35,093

Special Features

5,000 Years in the Making" featurette; Dragon Wars animatics: From storyboard to screen; Conceptual art gallery

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Jason Behr	Ethan
Amanda Brooks	Sarah
Robert Forster	Jack
Aimee Garcia	Actor
Craig Robinson	Actor,Actor
Chris Mulkey	Actor
John Ales	Actor
Elizabeth Peña	Actor
Billy Gardell	Actor
Holmes Osborne	Actor
Cody Arens	Young Ethan
Jody L. Carlson	Actor,Actor
Kevin Breznahan	Actor
Dominic Oliver	Head Doctor
Craig Anton	Dr. Austin
Eloy Casados	Homeless Native American
Alexa Sheehan	Mystery Driver
Matthias Hues	Bounty Hunter #1
Gregory Hinton	Bounty Hunter #2
Derek Mears	Bounty Hunter #3
Gerard Griesbaum	Bounty Hunter #4
Robert Foster	Actor
Steve Jablonsky	Composer

Technical Credits

Hyung-rae Shim

Shim Hyung-rae

Hyung-rae Shim	Director,Screenwriter,Executive Producer,Screenwriter,Director
James B. Kang	Producer,Producer
Eddie Surkin	Special Effects
Taesung Jeong	Producer,Producer
Joon H. Choi	Producer
Hak Hun Kim	Producer,Producer,Producer,Producer
Miky Lee	Producer
Shim Hyung-rae	Screenwriter,Director,Executive Producer
Choi Sung-ho	Producer
Sungho Choi	Producer
Kim Woo-taek	Executive Producer
Christine Sheaks	Casting
Jeong Tae-sung	Producer
Mark Mangini	Sound/Sound Designer
Tom Curley	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

Dragon Wars is just a summer release date and a major star short of passing itself off as a legitimate special-effects blockbuster. Nothing here is more preposterous than what happens in, say, Transformers -- actually, the two films have some similar set pieces. But being dumped in September -- and possessing such a pulpy title -- gave the unmistakable whiff of a B-movie to Dragon Wars, or D-War for short. Those who went for precisely that reason may be disappointed, because it's not outrageously dumb, and in fact has some halfway decent scripting among all the ancient Korean lore, explosions, and slithery dragon mayhem. From an opening sequence in which an army of demon soldiers decimates a Korean village -- with the help of mammoth cannons on the backs of dinosaur-like lizards -- director Shim Hyung-rae serves notice that this film should be taken seriously as a technical achievement, even if these visuals are cribbed from the new Star Wars and Lord of the Rings trilogies. The important part is that they're impressive, and this same visual creativity carries over to the present day, when the dragons make good use of contemporary urban props in terrorizing Los Angeles. Their character design is refreshingly different from what we usually see in dragon films, more like serpents than four-legged flying beasts. No one is going to confuse this for an A-level cast -- the biggest name here is Robert Forster -- but the actors do help steer things clear of the hokum that could have overtaken this production. Shim certainly deserves some of the credit, especially in only his second feature, and the first one anyone saw. Plus, Craig Robinson (Darryl from The Office) chips in a comic relief performance that's a lot funnier than these sidekick roles usually get.