Ani-MAY-tion: Batman: Soul Of The Dragon (2021)

I have enjoyed many of the animated Batman movies from the past couple of decades, some of them rank alongside some of my favourite live-action features, and so I went into Batman: Soul Of The Dragon with a certain amount of optimism. It looked as if Batman was being thrown into the middle of a Bruce Lee escapade, and that was alright by me. Okay, there’s no ACTUAL Bruce Lee here, but we all know this is a pairing of Batman and Lee in everything but name.

The plot revolves around a mystical and powerful sword. It was guarded for years, but now may have fallen into the wrong hands. If the sword is used to open a secret gate then our world will be at the mercy of some grand horrors. Fortunately, Batman is on the case, and he is accompanied by some skilled martial artists who used to train alongside him many years ago.

This should have been a slam dunk. I cannot think of the last time I was so excited by the premise of an animated Batman movie, and I kept putting off my viewing of it with a heavy heart. The fact that it ends up being a sub-par adventure for the Caped Crusader is almost unforgivable. There’s no reason for this to be as relatively dull as it is, and things aren’t helped by a supernatural element coming to the fore in the third act.

Writer Jeremy Adams supplies a dull and lifeless script, seemingly uninterested in using the period and setting to occasionally let loose and have some fun with the characters, and director Sam Liu (who helmed one of my favourite animated Batman films a few years ago) does little to liven things up in between the moments of dialogue. The fights lack a certain amount of power and flair that I was expecting, and the pacing isn’t helped by the non-chronological structure, making things feel a bit too drawn out as we are pulled towards a finale that doesn’t seem half as interesting as other movie ideas I had in my head.

The voice cast do well enough. David Giuntoli is fine in the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman, although he isn’t up there with the best actors to take on the role, but I was much happier to hear the performances from Mark Dacascos, Michael Jai White, and Kelly Hu. I am not saying that I recognised them immediately, but they were a great fit for their respective roles, and I am generally a fan of them in anything they do. James Hong also has a small role, and is always a welcome delight, while Josh Keaton is stuck playing a fairly uninteresting villain.

It’s all okay, I guess, but almost every department deemed a bit more. The visual style should have been bolder, the soundtrack should have been more interesting, and the plot should have mixed in more recognizable elements from one or two classic martial arts movies. We should have been given a great “Bruce Lee” movie with Batman added in as a special ingredient. Instead we got a mediocre Batman movie with “Bruce Lee” and co. mishandled and wasted.

4/10

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Prime Time: Double Dragon (1994)

In the many conversations that I've had over the years about videogames that have been adapted into movies, Double Dragon seems to get the least attention. There's probably a good reason for that. Namely, it's not a very good adaptation of the videogame. It's certainly not a terrible movie though, not if you're after some family-friendly martial arts antics with some fun baddies.

Robert Patrick plays white-haired Koga Shuko, a crime lord desperately seeking a magic medallion that goes by the name of the Double Dragon. The medallion gives the wearer power over body and soul, and Shuko has one half already. He can place himself inside the body of anyone else in his vicinity. But if he also gained the other half, which bestows super-strength, then he would be unstoppable. That part of the medallion ends up in the care of brothers Billy Lee (Scott Wolf) and Jimmy Lee (Mark Dacascos), which means Shuko will do anything to capture the brothers.

Written by Michael Davis and Peter Gould, who would both go on to comparatively better projects in the 2000s, Double Dragon is in line with other films and shows that decide to tame numerous elements of the source material to appeal to a family audience. I remember Double Dragon on my Spectrum 48K and being blown away by the fact that one of the enemy types you fight were whip-wielding women (represented here by a woman named Linda Lash, played by Kristina Wagner, although she's depicted in a way that only hints at the videogame character). There were also weapons you could pick up and use, another element largely discarded here.

Director James Yukich has a long list of directorial credits, but this is the first of only two fictional features that he helmed (unless I have missed a title while perusing his extensive filmography). The rest of his work is largely made up of music videos and comedy specials. Thankfully, he doesn't do himself a disservice here. Double Dragon has energy and a slightly whacky sensibility, which is much better than it being over-edited to oblivion and couched in a combination of misguided stylistic choices.

Wolf and Dacascos are decent enough leads, with the latter bringing his impressive fighting skills to the film. Patrick is a fun villain, helped by the look given to him for the film, including the wide-shouldered suits worn throughout. Alyssa Milano is Marian Delario, a rebel fighter working against the system (the world of the film is a weirdly vague dystopian society) and a less passive supporting female character than you might expect. Milano is suitably appealing and resolved to help enact change in the world around her. Wager is underused, sadly, but okay, and Nils Allen Stewart and Henry Kingi play a large thug named Bo Abobo, with Kingi playing him in his mutated form.

I understand why this isn't exactly celebrated, or even remembered often. The fighting isn't impactful, the plotting is silly, the dialogue between the characters has lines to make you cringe, and there's no real brand recognition for the target demographic. But, and it's a big but, taken for what it does onscreen, as muddled and silly as it is, it's not a bad way to spend just over an hour and a half. Especially if you have kids, I'd say aged about 8-12, who may enjoy the action and effects.

5/10

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John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019)

Here we are then, the third in an action movie series that has gone from strength to strength as more and more people have discovered it. If John Wick was a little action movie that seemed to come out of nowhere and blow away fans of the genre with the action set-pieces, and the second film took what was good about the first and tried to expand the cinematic universe in some interesting ways, this third film has the pleasure of making everything that much bigger, and arguably better. There are more people after John, there are more fights, more deaths, we find out a bit more about the power structure of the people that John used to work for, and there are set-pieces here that are jaw-droppingly good.

The story follows straight on from the end of the second film. John is given one hour to make himself disappear. Then he's done. Ex communicado. And with one hell of a bounty on his head. This leads to the first of many great action sequences, involving books, knives, and horses, as the opening act rattles along at a pace you know can't possibly be maintained. John has a plan to save himself, it's a long shot though, and he is going to call in every last favour he can, which includes getting back in touch with a woman named Sofia, who has two of the best-trained dogs you'll see in action cinema. Considering the size of the bounty, the huge array of firepower about to be aimed at him, and the sheer number of his enemies, the odds of John Wick staying alive for a day or more are just about even.

Perhaps the best thing about this series is the consistency when it comes to those involved. There haven't had to be any changes in the lead players, Chad Stahelski has directed every one (and has proven himself to be one hell of a talent in the process, and Derek Kolstad has shaped the journey along every step (here joined by Shay Hatten, Chris Collins, and Marc Abrams). As well as Keanu Reeves still kicking ass in the lead role, you keep getting wonderful supporting turns from Ian McShane and Lance Reddick, and there is always a dog by the side of our hero (thankfully, I don't mean that in a literal sense, that would just be too intense). New additions this time around include Asia Kate Dillon as The Adjudicator, someone working for the High Table, who seem disappointed in the actions of Mr. Wick and those who have helped him, Halle Berry enjoying her best role in some time as Sofia, and Mark Dacascos as a charismatic villain who is prone to fanboying whenever close enough to also fight his new main target. Anjelica Huston and Jerome Flynn also join in the fun, in much smaller roles, and there are some excellent scenes for a returning Laurence Fishburne.

With the bright, clear visuals and the pounding soundtrack, from Tyler Bates and Joel L. Richard, you would be forgiven for being wary of this film leading to sore eyes and/or ears. That's not the case, however, as this series continues to show how major fight sequences can best be presented. The editing and smooth camerawork make every moment a joy to behold, as your eyes dart around to take in every move and impact without being pained by over-enthusiastic editing or poor shot choices. And the soundtrack works perfectly in sync with the visuals, so much so that I immediately added it to my playlist when I got home and now have it playing while writing this review.

There are some flaws. You start to feel the lengthier runtime during the middle section, and there are a couple of moments that feel fairly unbelievable, despite the skilful work of those who have generally turned this outrageous symphony of violence into a cinematic world that is all too easy to buy into. And there are a couple of sequences that I wish had gone on a bit longer (I hope we can see some more motorbike/vehicular action in any future instalments). But I really can't think of anything more that takes points away from this. Characters are developed in ways that remain true to their essence, the unfolding plot holds your interest without ever getting in the way of the action, and it retains the sly sense of humour that has been there from the first film, allowing everyone to grin and chuckle just as much as they wince.

John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum isn't just a fun time. Like the first film, it is the new standard which all other mainstream action movies should aim for. I doubt many will get there, but it will be a lot of fun for us audiences to see others try.

9/10

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Drive (1997)

It's a bit of a shame, really, that 2011 saw the release of such a great movie called Drive. That means that this movie will almost always be referred to from now on as "Drive, no not that one, ANOTHER one". It doesn't deserve such treatment because it happens to be one of the best little action movies that action movie fans failed to give their full support to.

Mark Dacascos stars as Toby Wong, a man who has been (here comes the science bit) enhanced with some gadget thingummybob in his chest. This means that he can punch, kick and throw down loads of people whenever he needs to. It comes in very handy because he needs to do that quite a lot, thanks to the fact that a number of folk are after him in order to retrieve their technology. In between fights, Toby does try to run away and avoid confrontation and that's how he encounters unfortunate Malik (Kadeem Hardison), the man who ends up being his temporary hostage and driver. Malik soon discovers that the bad guys don't actually want to kill Toby, because of the technology inside him, but they couldn't care less about him catching a stray bullet.

While it may not be non-stop action from start to finish, Drive is nicely paced throughout. The first half of the movie has two or three decent fight sequences while the second half has one stunning (literally!) showcase before leading viewers to a finale that piles on the pain and the stunt work for an energetic 20 minutes of superior action entertainment.

In between the fights, Dacascos and Hardison have good chemistry, riffing off each other nicely and keeping things vibrant even while more impatient viewers may simply be waiting for the next rumble. Brittany Murphy is adorable and entertaining in a small role as a kooky teenage lass who runs a motel that the guys end up stopping at and John Pyper-Ferguson and Tracey Walter make a great, quirky, pair of villains until big bad Masaya Kato comes along to well and truly kick some ass.

This may have been the first script by Scott Phillips that was made into a movie but a quick glance at his filmography shows that he may have peaked with his debut. There are no major surprises here but it does what is required of the subgenre and it does it brilliantly, even in a scene that has Mark Dacascos mugging for all he's worth while singing karaoke.

Steve Wang certainly knows how to deliver the goods and the fantastic fight scenes (as over the top and slick as they may be) are elevated by great coverage. In fact, I remain convinced to this day that one of the fights was lifted (homaged?) to be used in Blade II. Not that I have a problem with that, there were enough differences to ensure that it didn't look EXACTLY the same, but it's just another example of Drive being sadly missed when it hit the rental and retail market.

It's a shame that Dacascos was never a bigger star. He had a couple of close calls and he shows here that he has the mix of skills and likeability. Drive remains his finest hour. It certainly showcases his skills far better than Iron Chef.

8/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Drive-Directors-Cut-Mark-Dacascos/dp/B00004SPGP/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1358166177&sr=8-1