There’s something quite appealing about Legend of the White Dragon. This is a film that clearly comes from a love of superhero movies, martial arts and, of course, the legacy of Power Rangers, but it also feels like a project made by people who simply wanted to make the kind of action movie they grew up enjoying.
The story follows Erik Reed, the White Dragon, a former superhero who has been living in hiding after a devastating battle leaves him blamed for the destruction and loss of life in Virtuo City. Stripped of his powers and separated from his family, Erik is forced back into the fight when a new threat emerges with a connection to the same mysterious energy that once gave him his abilities.
At the centre of everything is Jason David Frank, and knowing the circumstances surrounding the film makes his performance particularly significant. Legend of the White Dragon became Frank’s final leading role, and there’s inevitably an added emotional weight to watching him take on the White Dragon one more time. Frank clearly knows how to handle the physical side of the role. There’s a lot of action packed into the 97-minute runtime, with the film mixing superhero powers, martial arts and more traditional fight sequences.
Then we have Mark Dacascos.
Now, anyone who has followed martial arts cinema for as long as we have will know that putting Dacascos in your movie immediately gets my attention. From Only the Strong and Drive through to Brotherhood of the Wolf and John Wick: Chapter 3, Dacascos has always had that ability to bring something extra to an action scene. Here he plays Xang, a warrior monk entrusted with protecting the White Dragon crystal.
Unfortunately, I would have liked more Mark Dacascos. Whenever Xang appears, you get that little spark of excitement because you know what Dacascos is capable of. He gets some nice moments and a couple of opportunities to show off his martial arts skills, but the character is also used to deliver quite a bit of the film’s exposition.
For me, that’s one of the film’s missed opportunities. Give Mark Dacascos more fights! It’s that simple. When you’ve got someone with his background and experience in martial arts cinema, you want to see him really let loose. The rest of the cast also brings plenty of familiar faces to the party. Michael Madsen appears as Erik’s father Max Reed, while David Ramsey, Jason Faunt and Rachele Brooke Smith also feature in important supporting roles.
There’s also something rather bittersweet about seeing Michael Madsen here, with this being one of his final film appearances. His presence adds another familiar face for genre fans to enjoy.
The Action
For me, this is where Legend of the White Dragon needed to deliver, and while there are some good sequences, the action doesn’t always have the impact you’d hope for.
There are some decent martial arts exchanges and plenty of superhero-style combat, but the editing can sometimes make the fights feel less impressive than they actually are. Some of the choreography is better than the finished sequences would suggest, with repeated angles and quick cuts occasionally taking away from the impact. That said, I still found myself enjoying the old-school enthusiasm running through the film.
This isn’t a giant Hollywood superhero production, and you can see the limitations of the budget on screen. But there’s something quite likeable about the fact that this started as a crowdfunded project and eventually became a feature film. The Kickstarter campaign raised more than $500,000 towards making the feature.
And that’s important when watching it. Legend of the White Dragon feels like a film made by fans for fans.
Final Thoughts
There are moments where the story becomes a little too familiar, some of the effects and editing show the limitations of the production, and I definitely wanted more from some of the martial arts sequences especially Mark Dacascos.
But there’s still plenty here for fans of superhero action and martial arts to enjoy. It’s Family Fun guaranteed.
Most importantly, Legend of the White Dragon gives Jason David Frank one final leading role, and that alone makes the film worth checking out for anyone who grew up watching him on screen.
For me, it’s a genuinely enthusiastic action movie, and you can feel the passion behind the project. Its one that you can sit with family and freinds and enjoy, even brings on a feeling of hope and whenever Mark Dacascos appears, I’m going to be paying attention.
