Dragon WarsAka: D-War
Directed By: Shim Hyung-rae
Produced By: James B. Kang
Written By: Shim Hyung-rae
Cast:
Jason Behr- Ethan
Amanda Brooks - Sarah
Robert Forster - Jack
Aimee Garcia - Brandy
Craig Robinson - Bruce
Chris Mulkey - Agent Frank Pinsky
John Ales - Agent Judah Campbell
Elizabeth Pena - Agent Linda Perez
Billy Gardell - Zoo Guard
As a young boy, Ethan Kendrick (Cody Arens) encounters antiques dealer Jack (Robert Forster), who has a glowing dragon scale in a Korean chest in his shop. Jack tells Ethan that he is the reincarnated spirit of Haram, an ancient warrior apprentice from 500 years ago. This warrior saved his love Narin from Buraki, a 200 meter long Imugi serpent. Jack gives Ethan a powerful pendant and tells him to find the reincarnated version of Narin; for when she turns 20, the pair will be be forced to fight Buraki again. Twenty years later adult Ethan (Jason Behr) is a television news reporter who coincidentally meets Sarah Daniels (Amanda Brooks), the reincarnation of his love. Together, the duo must fight Buraki who has returned in modern day Los Angeles along with an army of reptilian monsters.
Originally titled Dragon Wars (A title used for the films US release), D-War has a long production history in South Korea. The film was announced in 2002 by director Shim Hyung-rae as his follow-up project to the disappointing Yonggary. An impressive show reel appeared in early 2003, showcasing the extensive amount of CGI the production would be using to create the various creatures. Despite heavy promotion via posters, press releases and videos, the actual filming did not begin until the fall of 2004.
Principal photography took place from October until December of 2004. Like his earlier Yonggary, Shim opted for a mostly American cast. Veteran actor Robert Forster landed a pivotal role and Jason Behr and Amanda Brooks were cast as the two young leads. Rounding out the cast are Chris Mulkey, John Ales, Elizabeth Pena, Geoffrey Pierson, Craig Robinson, Aimee Garcia, Matthias Hues and Holmes Osborn.
The next three years were spent creating the creature effects, all of which were done in house by Shim's Younggu-Art Movies company. The completed film premiered at the American Film Market in early 2007 with Variety calling it "visually entertaining, and superior to helmer Shim Hyung-rae's last monster outing (1999's Yonggary, aka Reptilian)," though the review also said the film had a "a Z-grade, irony-free script," and predicted it would become "the most expensive cult movie on DVD." The film was released in South Korea on August 1, 2007. In the U.S., the film will be released on September 14, 2007.
D-War was released in Korea on August 1st 2007. Within 9 days, it attracted 5 million viewers, setting a box-office record as the most watched film on opening week. Despite the film's popularity, film critics were particularly unimpressed by the movie's weak storyline, and questioned Shim's ability as a director.
The positive reaction among the Korean population is widely attributed to the film's appeal to Korean nationalism. At the end of the film in its Korean print, director Shim delivers a message, "D-War and I will succeed in the world market without fail," accompanied by the Korean folk anthem Arirang. Korean film critic Kim Bong-sok said, “They want it to be successful in the U.S. because it’s Korean, not because it's good," and called the film "immature and poorly made." Other reactions from Korean critics have been similar.
On August 7th, 2007 South Korea's MBC Morning Live TV Show broadcasted the movie's ending scene on TV, causing a controversy. A few days later the Ministry of Culture and Tourism released a statement that the incident did not violate current South Korean copyright laws, which also caused a buzz
D-War set a record of grossing $20.3 M in South Korea in its first five days in 689 theatres. As of September 1, the film has grossed $44 M in Korea and another $10 M in other countries, totaling a worldwide gross at this date of $53,587,404. The film is set to be released in the United States on September 14th.
Buraki's ArmyDawdlers: Massive, slow moving, two-legged, lizard-like monsters armed with dual missile launchers. They are fairly unintelligent and loyal to the Atrox soldiers. They look like a combination of a rhino and a reptile.
Bulcos: Bulcos are mutated birds that resemble European dragons in appearance. They are bred by the Atrox soldiers for aerial combat, and can spit flames up to 500 feet away from them. That combined with their incredible flight speed and agility makes them formidable opponents.
Atrox soldiers: The main infantry of the army, Atrox soldiers are commanded by a man known as the Evil General and are bred to serve Buraki. The Atrox soldiers use Shaconnes as mounts.
Shaconnes: Shaconnes resemble theropod dinosaurs and are used as mounts by the Atrox soldiers. They are the most intelligent of the three monsters used by Buraki's army.
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