Jason Behr - D-Wars #7: After 6 years in the making, it's finally out! ~ DVD News!!!

**Crystaline** · 09-15-2007, 02:29 PM

D-War (2007)

Directed by
Hyung Rae Shim

Genre: Action / Drama / Fantasy

Plot Summary: Based on the Korean legend, unknown creatures will return and devastate the planet. Reporter Ethan Kendrick is called in to investigate the matter, and he arrives at the conclusion that a girl stricken with a mysterious illness named Sarah is suppose to help him. The Imoogi makes its way to Los Angeles, wreaking havoc and destruction. With the entire city under arms, will Ethan and Sarah make it in time to save the people of Los Angeles?

Credited cast:
Jason Behr .... Ethan Kendrick
Amanda Brooks .... Sarah
Robert Forster .... Jack
Aimee Garcia .... Brandy
Craig Robinson .... Bruce
Chris Mulkey .... Agent Frank Pinsky
John Ales .... Agent Judah Campbell
Elizabeth Peña .... Agent Linda Perez
Billy Gardell .... Zoo Guard
Holmes Osborne .... Hypnotherapist
NiCole Robinson .... Psychiatrist
Geoffrey Pierson .... Secretary of Defense
Cody Arens .... Young Ethan
Kevin Breznahan .... Reporter
Dominic Oliver .... Head Doctor
IMDB

Film Location: Korea

Theatrical Release: September 14th, 2007

Dragon-Wars English Site
D-War Official Site
Trailer
USA Trailer
Longer Trailer
Jason in Korea 08/01
Jason speaks at Korea debut
Jason Interview by Korean press
Another Jason interview
More Interviews
Articles
Photos - More here, here, and here
Photos from LA premiere

Previous Threads:
D-War #5: Jason Interviews on Korea TV
D-War #6: It's a huge success in Korea! Jason, KaDee & Cast Attend Premiere!

**Dreamer 4 Ever** · 09-15-2007, 02:33 PM

Thanks Crystal

LongTimeFan · 09-15-2007, 02:35 PM

Thanks for the new thread.

And I forgot to add this... also from the New York Times page... And NYT readers give the film 3.5 stars out of 5 - not bad!

NUMBER 1! Not bad at all!!

**Dreamer 4 Ever** · 09-15-2007, 02:36 PM

Thanks Liz

**Crystaline** · 09-15-2007, 02:48 PM

That's awesome!

MyrnaLynne · 09-15-2007, 04:01 PM

Well, we saw Dragon Wars! Mr ML and MLette went too. LOL! Have to say that was probably the longest and most impressive battle sequence I ever saw in a film, but the dialogue was very odd and stilted (as if, hmm written by a guy who doesn't speak English?) and some of his ideas of how the FBI, hospitals, Army etc work in the US were pretty comical too. Plus there were a few shots in LA where you can see the Army's POV shooting down the street - at nothing! You can see the street is empty - And then you see the opposing CGI army in the next shot. Sloppy. Can't say there's another movie out there quite like Dragon Wars!

But it was very nice to see Jason, doing what he does so well. I hope it makes some money. Our show was a few gangs of teenage boys, and one Korean family.

Maggie aka Sarah · 09-15-2007, 06:44 PM

Crystal: Thank you for the new thread!

Liz: Thank you for posting the Times Pulse!

D-War is currently rated as B on boxofficemojo.com

I have the suspicion that the combination of teenaged guys and Jason fans are probably responsable for the ratings.

Also good to see that D-War is doing well at the boxoffice.

Saw D-Wars this afternoon with Fearless Leader.

Though did admit that it puzzles me that D-War is doing better at the boxoffice then Skinwalkers... as in my opinion... Skinwalkers is a better film. Skinwalkers has a better script and there is more scope for the actors to actually act. In D-War the special efforts are stressed way more then the human cast members. But then again... comparing D-War to Skinwalkers is like comparing the proverbial apples to oranges.

Spoiler:

Likes some stuff and didn't like some other stuff. Enjoyed the film overall. Definitely isn't a masterpiece.... but did enjoy the scenes with Jason of course! Oh and not all of his wardrobe is totally bizarre. The outfit that he changes into is quite nice... dark jacket without stripes. I think that it's the stripes on that suit are what makes that outfit look totally weird.

Liked how some of the lines were played for humour. The CGI stuff is also pretty good. Is some sloppy stuff editing stuff though as ML mentioned. And the dialogue is definitely stilted at the beginning. I liked the second half of the film more then the first half. Mainly because there's more action in the second part of the film.

Do think that the ending would have been better if the "good" dragon had taken the glowing ball from Sarah and then somehow given back her life force so that she could have lived happily ever after with Ethan.

Or maybe perhaps they could have shown Ethan and Sarah as a happy couple in some future life. The way that the ending was handled was probably was a cultural type thing though.

Also noticed that destiny is featured a lot in D-Wars. Have the feeling Jason may be attracted to narratives where destiny plays a part. Some of the dialogue definitely does echo Roswell in some ways.

Maggie

Punkrocker · 09-15-2007, 08:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maggie aka Sarah (View Post)

Though did admit that it puzzles me that D-War is doing better at the boxoffice then Skinwalkers... as in my opinion... Skinwalkers is a better film. Skinwalkers has a better script and there is more scope for the actors to actually act. In D-War the special efforts are stressed way more then the human cast members. But then again... comparing D-War to Skinwalkers is like comparing the proverbial apples to oranges.

Maggie

Probably two of the biggest factors would be that D-Wars had more theaters, and a steady release date once one was picked. There's also the fact that it was probably more marketable to kids, and the general audience. Whereas with Skinwalkers, the werewolf fans were alienated to an extent by the editing down and the way it was packaged, and it wasn't necessarily something the general audience would respond to, especially enough to hunt down a theater actually showing it. It certainly wasn't marketed to kids even though the movie was toned down.

**Crystaline** · 09-15-2007, 09:29 PM

I'm willing to bet D-Wars attracted the same audience as Transformers. And that's a good thing. Kids like dragons and special effects.

LongTimeFan · 09-16-2007, 12:36 AM

From BoxOfficeProphets

Quote:

Friday Numbers Analysis
By David Mumpower
September 15, 2007

Jodie Foster's recent hot streak of solid openings appears destined to come to a screeching halt this weekend as The Brave One opens to a disappointing (but expected) $4.6 million in its first day. As chronicled in Kim Hollis' weekend forecast, Foster's last three movies had opened to $30.1 million, $24.6 million and $29.0 million. That's an average of $27.9 million the previous three titles. The Brave One will be lucky to earn half of that. A very good 3.2 multiplier would still give it box office of only $14.7 million. Clearly, the dark tone of the advertising campaign alienated potential viewers. This prevented Foster's core fan-base from supporting her with this feature.

The other two new releases this week wish they could be the type of disappointment that The Brave One is. Mr. Woodcock earned only $2.9 million on Friday, proving yet again that for all his popularity, Billy Bob Thornton is not a box office draw. A $7.5 million weekend is in order, which is better than The Astronaut Farmer's $4.5 million debut. But it'' still not good. Dragon Wars, the Korean production starring that guy from Roswell, finished in fifth place with $1.6 million. Given the fact that it's a virtually unknown series of actors starring in a title from a still green distributor in Newstyle Releasing, this performance isn't that bad. It's just that $4.0 million isn't noteworthy.

ARTICLE - The Korean Times

Quote:

09-16-2007 13:58
'D-War' Ranks 5th in US Box Office in 1st Day Earnings

South Korea's science fiction blockbuster "D-War" ranked fifth in U.S. box office earnings with $1.55 million on its first day of showing Friday, trailing U.S. box office hits "The Brave One" and "Mr. Woodcock," an online
entertainment magazine said Sunday.

The movie, made by comedian-turned film director, Shim Hyung-rae, earned $1.55 million by being shown on over 2,269 screens in the U.S. while the U.S. thriller movie "The Brave One" earned $4.6 million and the comedy "Mr. Woodcock" $2.8 million, Variety magazine said. Both U.S. films were also released on
Friday.

"D-War," starring Hollywood actors, is a story about a legendary Korean serpent, called Imoogi, before it is transformed into a dragon that rules heaven. The film's distributor had planned to show the $30-million film, the most expensive ever produced in South Korea, on 1,700 screens in the U.S., which later increased to 2,275, the largest U.S. release ever for a Korean film.

As of Sept. 1, the movie attracted about 8.2 million viewers in South Korea, a success ranked fifth in Korean box-office records. The movie has been a controversial box-office hit with some movie reviewers critical of the film's weak plot and patriotic appeal.

**Roswell 10/2/00** · 09-16-2007, 05:17 AM

Oh that is wonderful news!

I saw D-Wars yesterday and I really enjoyed it! A lot of action and some scenes were very funny plus there were tons of close ups of Jason Behr so I was very happy!

It is playing at 25 theaters here on Long Island NY!

behrsgirl77 · 09-16-2007, 06:36 AM

Okay, I saw the movie opening night, Friday in NJ. Not being a fan of reviews because to be honest, what one person likes I may hate. I any event, went with the hubby...can I just say that while it started off a little slow, I didn't go into the movie looking for an Oscar worthy script *lol* But I have to say some of those reviews posted are just nasty and vicious, and to be honest uncalled for.

Anyways, the theater I was in was pretty packed, and there were children with their parents, teenagers and the rest were made up of grown men...by the middle of the movie it didn't matter *to me* what was being said on the screen the action was enough to melt away the time. I personally thought it looked amazing, and while I think someone commented that at one point the army wasn't shooting...it seemed to me they were too far away, since in the next sequence the rockets had to go off to a far distance. *LOL* But again...it might have just been me caught up in the movie.

Personally, Dragon movies of any kind are not my thing, so for me to have enjoyed it says a lot. My husband enjoyed it as well, it was visual stimulation and then, to my surprise when it was over, people were clapping. And it was deserved, as those of you who have seen it know!

So honestly, I think it’s whatever floats your boat.

I did see the NYTimes review and can I just say FINALLY someone has taken the movie for what it is supposed to be? Really now, people are always looking towards the negative at least someone had the sense to look for what the movie really was about...the visual stimulation.

I mean don't get me wrong, could have the script been better? Of course. I could say the same thing about Transformers and I LOVED that movie...some of the wording was just cheesy and out of place, completely not believable (to me) yet who cares??? That movie was visually awesome and kept me glued to the screen.

I think I've rambled enough...I'm just glad it’s doing well in the theaters!! Jason deserves it after being shafted with Skinwalkers! Because personally I loved the movie!

MyrnaLynne · 09-16-2007, 07:09 AM

That's very true - some of the nastier reviews sounded like they hadn't even actually SEEN the movie. The big battle sequences in the city were very cool indeed and exciting. It definitely held your interest all the way through and was exciting. I'm surprised it only made $1.6 million, I really thought it would surprise people and a lot of families/teenager boys would go out and see it. Mr Woodcock also had a crude teen boy sensibility, but it just looked kind of offensive to me.

It just was very odd, a Korean guy's imagination of what America is like and how things operate over here. Mr ML found the portrayal of the FBI (storming out of their office like the Magnificent Seven saddling up) particularly hilarious. And I felt very sorry for Robert Forster saddled with all that awkward exposition, although his turning up and morphing throughout the film was kind of cool.

Also, like Maggie , I was hoping the good Imoogi could work some magic at the end to save Sarah, and it would have been nice if he'd given Jason a ride back home to LA too! LOL! They leave him in who-knows-where at the end. Also a couple of times where it seemed he'd been shot - and then wasn't, and Craig Robinson had been killed - and then just has a band-aid later (shades of Livien!). Plus, when the Imoogi morphed, it looked so much like something from the decor of a Chinese restaurant, I thought it was almost humorous. The big snakes were way cooler. Although I loved the kindly eyes and the sad emotions it had.

There's no comparison to Skinwalkers, which was a smaller film, much better crafted and more competent film, but which got screwed in getting to the box office and managed to alienate fans of the genre and also was such a well kept secret it was even released, almost nobody saw it.

Well - Jason certainly is doing a variety of things! His character was oddly passive too - I thought he was going to 'save the world' but he pretty much was swept along for the ride by that pesky old 'destiny' thing again, despite how much he tried to run away. Glad we saw it, I think this film will have a long life, no matter how much it gets made fun of.

Hope there aren't too many spoilers in here - I don't know how to use the spoiler posting thing. d'oh.

LongTimeFan · 09-16-2007, 07:10 AM

Great review Kristen! Good to see your pixels!

Thanks to the rest of you who reviewed it too... I just checked back with that NYTimes link from my above post and now there are reader reviews there as well - here are some of them from random people who saw the movie too. Possible number of stars is 5 - so here you go - and if you want to read more, just click the link above. Keep checking the link for more...

Quote:

Can You Remember Monster Week?
If your one of the minion that loved cheesy 60's era Sci-Fi flicks featuring monster favorites i.e. Gidra, Gammera, Mothra, and of course Godzilla then you'll love this modern day adaptation. The plot is simple, computer graphics are abundant and the action is non-stop after the first 10 to 15 minutes. Drop you Spielberg expectations, saddle up the kids and imagine yourself @ 4:00pm after school huddled in front of the TV for Monster Week. Your kids will thank you and you'll enjoy 90 minutes of un-complicated entertainment.
- rozier01

Quote:

great
I just watched this movie today ,and it was awesome! I'm gonna watch this movie with my friends again.my kids love this movie so much,especially the dragon,and monster!!
- swalve

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Dragons fight like "300" Bournes.
We loved it! D-Wars is The Bourne Ultimatum with Dragons. It was great to see a film my wife and I can take our 10 and 13 yr old girls with our 15 yr boy and all love it at the same time. We literally felt like we where on a 90 minute roll coaster ride, eating pop corn, spills included. 300 was the last film my wife and I truly loved enough to see a few times, with only our boy. D-Wars has the fight to the end excitement of 300, and we can go back with our kids; a few times for sure. I hope someone in Hollywood makes a sequel where the âDragons fight the Transformersâ. Ideally in Washington, DC. Go filmmakers, Go! LMoro
- luisamoro

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Excellent Movie for Family!!!
This is an excellent movie for family!!! The story line was very unique.. CG was real great (better than Godzilla and Hulk). There were some scenes volent and shocking, but neither too cruel nor scary. There was no obscene scene, either. I watched it with my 7-year old son..... It was so amzing (and even miraculous) that he did not take his eyes off the screen throughout the whole movie. He said he loved it so much. I was so impressed by the last scene, which is sort of the climax of the movie. A good "imoogi" (a good pre-dragon giant serpent) transforms itself into a real dragon and ascends into the sky... It is so exotic, fantastic, dazzling, and overwleming. The scene is extremly spiritual in an entertaining way. It is really beyond description. You shouldn't miss it. I tend to agree, though, that acting could have been a bit better (A-). But what the heck! It's just a monster/action movie targeted for children, teenagers, and parents who want to spend quality time together. It is really worth watching with your children, if you want to keep some unforgettable memories shared between you and your children for years to come. I bet you will never regret watching it.
- ylee85

Quote:

Bad is Good
Fortunately for the makers of this film it is so bad that it may soon become a classic. It is so incoherent that after two minutes you abandon hope of comprehension and just sit back and enjoy. It is the perfect example of what happens when you have a lot of money and good intentions but no script. Sound familiar? In retrospect this fiasco makes Godzilla look like Hamlet although I am sure that it makes perfect sense to seven year-olds trained for the unreal by countless hours immersed in video games. On the way home I realized that this film is a brilliant satire of the dilemma facing America today. The wonderfully drawn, computer-generated dragon that ravages downtown LA is a metaphor for our involvement in Iraq. Since nothing emanating from DC makes any sense, that same feeling of hopeless predicament pervades this film as well. The scurrying federal agents reveal themselves to be as clueless as Chertoff's people and the army defending the homeland is ill prepared to deal with this novel threat. My only regret is that the LA heroine wasn't played by Margaret Cho. As the lovely strains of Arirang accompanied the rolling credits I left the theater hungry for kalbi--a film with more meat on its bones.
- stevejablonsky2

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Imoogi Metamorphosis - A Metaphor?
In Korean legends, Imoogies are depicted as incomplete life forms symbolizing the average people of no novelty, while a dragon is a symbol of the King. Imoogi needs a human sacrifice (female virgin) to become a dragon. This metamorphosis story had themed in many folk tales which are mostly sad because it involves either demise of Imoogi or tragic sacrifice. While Imoogies are village watchers, Dragons are Gods of the sky controlling the weather especially the rain, which is critical in traditionally agricultural society. For an Imoogi becoming a sacred dragon and flying in to the sky is the utter purpose of the existence. So, some Imoogies threatened the unwilling village to earn human sacrifice often in a violent way. Ironically, an Imoogi is not always a hated villain. The powerless, uneducated everyday people often identified themselves with Imoogi hoping to be a powerful dragon someday. But more often than not, the Imoogi ended up being defeated by a human warrior, which is sad because it metaphorically depicts the powerlessness of general public. Just seeing an oriental dragon visualized in such a detailed manner makes this movie worth to see. Besides, old Korean villages, costumes and people are surprisingly well presented, which is very educational to any people who has little or no exposure to this old but unknown culture. The music used for ending credit is a famous Korean folk song called 'Arirang' which symbolizes unfulfilled love of young lovers.
- yvawoo

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not bad
Great CG with poor plot.
- zhen2 FOUR STARS - which I couldn't show due to too many smilies...

And there has to be one negative one - you can't expect everyone to like it - after all, I hated Little Miss Sunshine and it got nominated for an Oscar!

Quote:

expensive low quality film
Don't trust the trailer. That's all. No plot, poor acting, only series of the wasted CGI.
- moon7up ONLY ONE STAR

LongTimeFan · 09-16-2007, 07:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MyrnaLynne (View Post)

That's very true - some of the nastier reviews sounded like they hadn't even actually SEEN the movie.

Haven't seen it or at least didn't investigate it much - the one guy who said it was set in a city that 'looked like LA' - and said the tanks in LA were CGI - they weren't - when they shot those sequences, they made the papers for Shim being allowed to bring tanks down the streets of LA - so that guy really didn't know what he was talking about - I almost emailed him to tell him so.

D-WAR'S US OPENING FROM THE KOREAN POV... The Korea Herald They need to ignore the nearly always negative American film critics and look at what people have to say too - I think I should send this guy the link to the ordinary people who reviewed it at the NYTimes.

Quote:

'D-War' released in U.S. amid biting reviews

At least director Shim Hyung-rae got the numbers right. He predicted that his monster flick "D-War" would be released in some 2,000 theaters in the United States, and it secured 2,225 screens when it made its formal debut on the weekend.

The box-office revenue was reportedly $1.5 million, or about 1.4 billion won, on Friday alone, a solid performance that was roughly in line with the lofty expectations following the movie's tremendous success here in Korea.

What Shim failed to predict was the harshness of reviews by American movie critics. It was not a total surprise because Shim's flick had already suffered a slew of biting critical reviews in the Korean press. And bad reviews do not always drag down the box-office score of a film, as long as it wins the hearts of local moviegoers -- somehow.

Andy Webster of the New York Times called "Dragon Wars" -- the English title of "D-War" -- a film that proves that the Japanese monster movie genre is alive. But here's a line that suggests his overall impression: "It is such a breathless, delirious stew, it's impossible not to be entertained, provided -- this is crucial -- you have a sense of humor."

Of course, not everybody has a sense of humor when confronted with this effects-heavy film with such a flimsy plot. Roger Moore, film critic for the Orlando Sentimental, went so far as to declare that it's "the dumbest dragon movie since 'Dragonheart.'"

Hollywood.com also points out the flawed cinematic elements of the film: "A few nifty special effects are no compensation for the nonsensical, nuts-and-bolts 'Dragon Wars, which combines mysticism, monsters and martial arts -- and doesn't make a darned bit of sense with any of it."

The Hollywood Reporter, an influential entertainment publication, also gave this movie a poor mark, saying that helmsman Shim "applies a strictly grade-Z sensibility" to his film, though it does, he acknowledges, boast superior CGI special effects for a movie of its type. The critic sums up the quality problem with "D-War," in a tone reserved for low-grade flicks: "This monster film makes even the remake of 'Godzilla' look good."

The Boston Globe said that moviegoers may not appreciate the acting, directing, costumes, editing, props, music or other aspects of the film, but once the story gets going, and the giant snake and prehistoric dino-birds begin to run through downtown Los Angeles, the movie turns "shockingly watchable." But of course, the underlying fact is that, in the eyes of the Globe's reviewer, until that chase sequence, "there was no evidence that anybody involved with this laughable fantasy knew what he or she was doing."

By Yang Sung-jin