‘Warriors Of Virtue’ Compelling Fairy Tale
Before reading further, you should know that the heroes of “Warriors of Virtue” are five talking kangaroos who, trained by a wise old master, are kung-fu aces.
That description all but begs for a ninja-turtles-with-pouches dismissal, but “Warriors of Virtue” proves to be much more than that. Far from the ready-made commercial extravaganzas that children’s entertainment has become, this movie is based on an original story.
You don’t know these characters from a cartoon or comic book or special-edition plastic cup available at some fast-food restaurant.
Maybe all that will come if the movie’s a hit, but for now “Warriors of Virtue” offers a chance to get in on the ground floor. Conjuring a Tolkien-like realm of magic and monsters where good and evil clash - no wacky pop-culture references, no flying-pizzas-and-electric-guitars - director Ronny Yu seeks to create a fairy tale. And he succeeds.
This film goes beyond disbelief. For those able to suspend their sense of irony (and let’s hope that still includes most children), “Warriors of Virtue” is a surprisingly compelling tale. After a brief, foreboding introduction - something about an enemy growing stronger - we meet Ryan (Mario Yedidia), a boy who dreams of what life would be like without the brace he wears on his leg.
It doesn’t take long to prove that this movie isn’t just another mindless mighty-morphin pseudo-fantasy. When Ryan drops in on his buddy Ming (Dennis Dun), the chef at a nearby restaurant, the film breaks into a stunningly choreographed montage of Ming’s slashing/flinging/ high-kicking cooking style. It is simultaneously silly and cool.
We quickly learn that the bum leg and stupid brace make Ryan feel like damaged goods. Despite Ming’s urgings to find the power inside himself, Ryan gladly goes off with the big kids on campus when they invite him along for some fun.
But in a cruel initiation, Ryan is goaded into a reckless stunt and plunges into a whirlpool.
He awakens in a lush forest and is thrilled to discover his leg is healed. When passing soldiers try to kill him, Ryan is rescued by a kung-fu kangaroo. Which might have confused the kid, except a beautiful girl appears and explains what’s going on.
This is the land of Tao. There’s a war between the good Master Chung with his five warriors of virtue and the evil Komodo (Angus Macfadyen) with his dark army. If Komodo wins, this magical world dies.
It sounds preposterous and often is (how could talking kangaroos not be?), but “Warriors of Virtue” is many things. For one, it is often beautiful. Director Yu, a veteran of Hong Kong’s film scene, creates one memorable image after another.
He cleverly has the land of Tao appear unreal, dreamlike, with scenes bathed in unnaturally beautiful light, amid slow-motion swirls of leaves falling like multicolored snowflakes.
xxxx “WARRIORS OF VIRTUE” Location: East Sprague, North Division, Showboat cinemas Credits: Directed by Ronny Yu, starring Mario Yedida, Dennis Dun, Angus Macfadyen Running time: 1:43 Rating: PG