Starring: Sam Neill, Li Lin Jin, Louis Corbett, Jordan Chan, Wang Ji, Robert Mammone
Director: Mario Andreacchio
Distributed by: Ketchup Entertainment
Release Date: June 18, 2013
MPAA Rating: PG
Run Time: 95 minutes
Film: 2 out of 5 stars
Extras: 1/2 out of 5 stars
I have to admit plain and simple, I am a sucker for anything with Samn Neill. But this is not really a not the Sam Neill show, as he just pops in for a few scenes. This family film is currently a Wal-Mart Exclusive until Aug 20, 2013. As entertaining as the cover art looks though with the very pretty dragon, it is quite underwhelming. The dragon special effects do look sharp but they are sparsely used like Sam Neill in the film. Kids might enjoy but parents be warned this is lame and bit of a bore.
Official Premise: Josh (Louis Corbett) and Ling (Li Lin Jin) thought they were in for a boring vacation with each of their parents (Sam Neill, Jurassic Park and Wang Ji) at an archaeological dig in China. It turns into an adventure of a lifetime when they discover a mournful dragon trapped deep inside a mystical temple. According to ancient legend, the dragon is missing its life force, a sacred pearl that is hidden away in a secret chamber. Josh and Ling must battle evil forces (and some very skeptical parents) in their heart-stopping journey to return the magical pearl to its rightful owner.
Ketchup Entertainment is releasing this film as a combo pack with a Blu-ray + DVD + Vudu Digital Copy. The film was shot by award-winning Australian DP, Geoffrey Simpson, so I was very impressed with the 1080p transfer. In fact the locations where the film were shot were the best part of watching this. The DTS-HD MA 5.1 tracks sounds good enough with the occasionally weak action scenes and decent score. Like the film itself, the special feature department is extremely lacking. We only get the film’s trailer here, so don’t expect much in the extra department.