`WARRIORS' WITHOUT MUCH VIRTUE.Byline: Michael H. Price Fort Worth Star-Telegram The Fort Worth Star-Telegram is a major U.S. daily newspaper serving Fort Worth and the western half of the North Texas area known as the Metroplex. Its area of domination is checked by its main rival, The Dallas Morning News For a movie that purports to teach children about the glories of nature, ``Warriors of Virtue'' feels artificial. ``Warriors'' is not without its - uh, virtues. But this self-proclaimed alternative to TV-spinoff heroic fantasy Heroic fantasy is a sub-genre of fantasy literature which chronicles the tales of heroes and their conquests in imaginary lands. Stories tend to be intricate in plot, often involving many peoples, nations and lands. isn't all that different from the familiar ``Power Rangers''-type of franchise. And if selling tickets translates to selling related merchandise, you can bet there'll be ``Warriors of Virtue'' doohickeys all ready to ship. The warriors themselves are big hairy kangaroos, and they move like a Hong Kong Hong Kong (hŏng kŏng), Mandarin Xianggang, special administrative region of China, formerly a British crown colony (2005 est. pop. 6,899,000), land area 422 sq mi (1,092 sq km), adjacent to Guangdong prov. martial arts This is a list of martial arts, broken down by region and style. African martial arts Eritrea
adj. spunk·i·er, spunk·i·est Informal Spirited; plucky. spunk  i·ly adv. schoolkid named Ryan Jeffers (played by Mario
Yedida), who has a bum leg and a tremendous will to win.
Several things happen at once: A friend named Ming (Dennis Dun) gives the boy a mysterious book that supposedly contains the meaning of life. A gang of bullies lures Ryan to a creepy old factory, promising him acceptance if he'll cross a swirling wastewater pit via a shaky length of pipe. And you just know that pit has to be the portal to some enchanted en·chant tr.v. en·chant·ed, en·chant·ing, en·chants 1. To cast a spell over; bewitch. 2. To attract and delight; entrance. See Synonyms at charm. land where forces of good and evil are locked in a struggle. The yarn has been told before, and better: Does ``The Wizard of Oz'' ring any bells? But this come-lately knockoff knock·off n. Informal An unauthorized copy or imitation, as of designer clothing: "the place to go for quality knockoffs" Women's Wear Daily. Noun 1. boasts a solid lead performance and mostly sharp-looking creature effects. Yedida has a sardonic intelligence, allowing him to treat his character's disability as more an annoyance than a tragedy. And he comes across as a ``real kid'' instead of one of those gee-whiz grandstanders who populate the general run of ``Three Ninjas'' and ``Power Rangers'' movies. Yedida has unfortunately little in the way of acting support. Angus Macfadyen Angus Macfadyen (born September 21,[1] 1963) is a Scottish actor. Macfadyen was born in Glasgow and was raised partly in Africa, France, the Philippines and Singapore. His father was a doctor in the World Health Organization. , who was so impressive as a corrupt nobleman in Mel Gibson's ``Braveheart'' (1995), plays the villain here with enough overcooked ham for a community picnic. Marley Shelton, as a villager who might prove helpful, seems a little girl one moment and a grown woman the next - very disorienting dis·o·ri·ent tr.v. dis·o·ri·ent·ed, dis·o·ri·ent·ing, dis·o·ri·ents To cause (a person, for example) to experience disorientation. Adj. 1. . Seems Macfadyen's goons are stealing the very force of life from the earth. Ryan must rally the nature-powered Warriors of Virtue, who have lost their unity but get it back easily enough. The screenplay (credited to Michael Vickerman and Hugh Kelley) contains about enough story for a brisk featurette, but the finished film clocks in at nearly two hours. Most of that running time is given over to repetitive action. Veteran Hong Kong director Ronny Yu has an eye for spectacle, which would be more impressive here if there were less of it. As an international production, ``Warriors of Virtue'' marks a few firsts: Producers Don, Ronald, Christopher and Jeremy Law are brothers, born in Hong Kong but long since settled in America as physicians. The Laws' love of Hong Kong action cinema is the inspiration for ``Warriors,'' which was filmed on sound stages in Beijing and on location in Vancouver. True to its premise, the movie has a dreamlike quality, from which some viewers will wish they could wake up sooner. THE FACTS The film: ``Warriors of Virtue'' (PG; violent action, mature themes, drug references, scattered rude language). The stars: Mario Yedida, Dennis Dun, Angus Macfadyen. Behind the scenes: Directed by Ronny Yu. Written by Michael Vickerman and Hugh Kelly
Hugh Kelly (1739 - February 3, 1777) was an Irish dramatist and poet. Son of a Dublin publican, he was born at Killarney, County Kerry. He was apprenticed to a staymaker, and in 1760 went to London. . Released by MGM/UA. Running time: One hour, 43 minutes. Playing: Citywide. Our rating: Two Stars. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Angus Macfadyen stars as the evil Komodo, who is trying to steal the force of life from the earth in ``Warriors of Virtue.'' |
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