D-War
Encyclopedia
D-War is a 2007 South Korean fantasy
action film
released in North America
as Dragon Wars: D-War, War of the Dragons in Malaysia, and sometimes referred to colloquially and in some marketing materials as Dragon Wars. It is written and directed by Shim Hyung-rae
. This was Korea's largest-budgeted film as of 2007.
.
15 years after this revelation, a corrupt Imoogi identified by the name of 'Buraki' invades the city, bent on capturing Sarah; whereupon Ethan, now a televised-news anchor, rescues her, conveys the knowledge of her purpose, and attempts to save her from Buraki. During the resulting chase, Buraki's 'Artox Army' enters the city and engages the United States Army
, the United States Air Force
, and the Los Angeles Police Department
in battle
. Here, the Artox Army is shown to consist of black-armored, humanoid warriors; theropod-like cavalry
called "Shaconnes"; small, winged Western dragons called "Bulcos"; and immense, slow-moving reptile
s identified in the dialogue
as "Dawdlers", who carry rocket
launchers on their backs. This army overwhelms the human forces, while Ethan and Sarah escape. They are subsequently captured by the Bulcos and taken to a menacing fortress in the midst of a darkened desert
landscape. There, Ethan's medallion destroys the Artox Army. Ethan then tries to save Sarah from Buraki, but Buraki strikes him aside and attempts to consume Sarah, whereupon he is attacked by the Good Imoogi. Having won the fight, Buraki again approaches Sarah; but having offered herself to him, she instead gives her power to the Good Imoogi (apparently losing her own life in the process), who thereupon becomes the Celestial Dragon. The two fight again, and the Celestial Dragon destroys Buraki.
After Buraki is destroyed, Sarah dissolves, and the Celestial Dragon permits her spirit
to speak to Ethan, whom she promises to "love... for all eternity"; then withdraws Sarah into his body and ascends to the heaven
s. Immediately Jack appears behind Ethan, reminds him that the two of them "have been given a great honor" to take part in this transformation, and dissolves; presumably never to be seen again. Ethan's own fate is not revealed.
as his follow-up project to 1999's Yonggary
. A show reel appeared in early 2003, displaying the extensive amount of CGI
used to create the various creatures. Despite heavy promotion via posters, press releases, and videos, principal photography did not begin until October 2004, continuing through December. The budget was set at 30 billion won
(approximately US$33 million), but ultimately went over budget in order to create the various creatures in the film, with some outside estimation as high as $US75 million dollars. The DVD release confirmed that it did indeed cost US$75 million. In Korea, the budget of this movie was controversial because of the high costs and the poor reception abroad, which led to embarrassment over the true budget numbers, which were concealed to further shame.
As with 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.
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. The film was released in South Korea on August 1, 2007. In the U.S., the film was released on September 14, 2007.
On August 7, 2007, South Korea's MBC
Morning Live TV Show broadcast the film's final scene on TV without the permission of the studio, causing a controversy. A few days later the Ministry of Culture and Tourism released a statement in which they said that the incident did not violate South Korean copyright laws.
, 25% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 32 reviews, while the film scored a 33 out of 100 at Metacritic
. Derek Elley of Variety
, reviewing it at the Berlin Film Festival's market section, called it "visually entertaining, and superior to helmer Shim Hyung-rae's last monster movie (Yonggary
in 1999)", while also saying the film had a "Z-grade, irony-free script," and "likely to end up the most expensive cult movie on DVD." The Hollywood Reporter
' s Frank Scheck said, "the CGI effects are undeniably impressive" but that "the laughable story line, risible dialogue and cheap humor ... seriously detract from the fun." Luke Y. Thompson in L.A. Weekly derided the film as one "for connaisseurs of the 'totally preposterous crap' school of fantasy cinema... You know who you are: You have all the Warlock sequels on Laserdisc [and] the complete Leprechaun series on DVD" and says it's "funnier when it tries to be serious than when it goes for the gag."
Within nine days of its South Korean release, D-War attracted five million viewers, setting a national box office
record for an opening week. The seemingly positive reaction from the Korean population, as indicated by the movie's box office success in Korea, was widely attributed to the film's appeal to Korean nationalism; a logical impression drawn from Shim's message at the end of the Korean version of this film, "D-War and I will succeed in the world market without fail," accompanied by the Korean folk anthem, "Arirang
." However, despite box office success, D-Wars was far from critically acclaimed by either Korean critics or Korea's general public. 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" and "below criticism". Other reactions from Korean critics have been
similar.
D-War set a record of grossing US$20.3 million in South Korea in its first five days in 689 theatres. As of September 1, the film has grossed US$44 million in Korea and another US$10 million in other countries, totaling a worldwide gross of US$54 million as of September 16. In North America
, the film grossed US$5 million on 2,275 screens in its opening weekend. As of November 25, 2007, the film has grossed US$10,977,721 in North America
, making it the highest-grossing Korean-made film released theatrically in North America.
Since then, D-War has been released theatrically in Malaysia and China, both with moderate critical reaction. China was the only one to live up to the South Korean release record, spawning 3,000,000 admissions and a premiere including pop idol Libing Chen. The movie was a box office failure in Japan
.
Fantasy film
Fantasy films are films with fantastic themes, usually involving magic, supernatural events, make-believe creatures, or exotic fantasy worlds. The genre is considered to be distinct from science fiction film and horror film, although the genres do overlap...
action film
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
released in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
as Dragon Wars: D-War, War of the Dragons in Malaysia, and sometimes referred to colloquially and in some marketing materials as Dragon Wars. It is written and directed by Shim Hyung-rae
Shim Hyung-rae
Shim Hyung-rae is a South Korean former-comedian and filmmaker best known for directing the 1999 re-make of Yonggary and D-War , by far the most expensive Korean movie in history...
. This was Korea's largest-budgeted film as of 2007.
Cast
- Jason BehrJason BehrJason Nathaniel Behr is an American film and television actor. He first starred in the American television series Roswell, for which he was twice nominated for a Saturn Award, followed by roles in the films The Shipping News and the American remake of the Japanese horror film The Grudge...
(Cody ArensCody ArensCody Arens is an American teen actor and voice actor. He is the brother of Logan Arens and Skye Arens. He is most notable for the voice of Littlefoot in The Land Before Time television series based on the films and The Land Before Time XIII: The Wisdom of Friends and as the role of Liam...
, young) as Ethan Kendrick - Amanda BrooksAmanda BrooksAmanda Brooks is an actress who starred in the 2007 film D-War and in the 2006 film Cut Off. She also had leading roles in the 2005 films Flightplan and River's End. She is the daughter of film composer Joe Brooks....
as Sarah Daniels, damsel in distressDamsel in distressThe subject of the damsel in distress, or persecuted maiden, is a classic theme in world literature, art, and film. She is usually a beautiful young woman placed in a dire predicament by a villain or monster and who requires a hero to achieve her rescue. She has become a stock character of fiction,...
and holder of the Yeo-Yi-Ju - Robert ForsterRobert ForsterRobert Forster is an American actor, best known for his roles as John Cassellis in Haskell Wexler's Medium Cool, and as Max Cherry in Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown, the latter of which gained him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.- Early life :Forster was born Robert Wallace...
(Steve Tartalia, double) as Jack, Ethan's mentorMentorIn Greek mythology, Mentor was the son of Alcimus or Anchialus. In his old age Mentor was a friend of Odysseus who placed Mentor and Odysseus' foster-brother Eumaeus in charge of his son Telemachus, and of Odysseus' palace, when Odysseus left for the Trojan War.When Athena visited Telemachus she...
and Sarah's guardian - Chris MulkeyChris MulkeyChris Mulkey is an American actor who most recently appeared in Against the Wall, Cloverfield, the NBC TV movie Knight Rider, and as a corporate executive in season 7 of 24...
as Agent Frank Pinsky, senior partner of an investigation - Elizabeth PeñaElizabeth PeñaElizabeth Peña is an American actress and the daughter of a theater-company co-founder, who has also compiled experience as a television director in her own right.-Early life:...
as Agent Linda Perez, a scientist employed by the FBI - Craig Robinson as Bruce, Ethan's fellow-member in televised journalism
- Aimee Garcia as Brandy, Sarah's friend
- John AlesJohn AlesJohn Ales is an American actor best known for appearing in Spy Hard, The Nutty Professor, You Wish, and more.-Film:*Crime Killer ... Kids*Spy Hard ... Kabul*The Nutty Professor ... Jason...
as Agent Judah Campbell, junior partner to Frank Pinsky - Billy GardellBilly GardellBilly Gardell is an American actor and comedian. Gardell has been visible within the comedy world industry since 1989. He currently portrays Mike Biggs on the CBS television series Mike and Molly.-Early life:...
as Mr. Belafonte - Hyun Jin as Haram, a previous incarnationIncarnationIncarnation literally means embodied in flesh or taking on flesh. It refers to the conception and birth of a sentient creature who is the material manifestation of an entity, god or force whose original nature is immaterial....
of Ethan's soulSoulA soul in certain spiritual, philosophical, and psychological traditions is the incorporeal essence of a person or living thing or object. Many philosophical and spiritual systems teach that humans have souls, and others teach that all living things and even inanimate objects have souls. The... - Roberta Farkas (uncredited) as Narrator
Plot
The story follows the adventures of Ethan Kendrick, who is charged in his childhood by an antiques dealer named Jack to protect the Yeouiju, an individual born able to change an Imoogi into a Celestial Dragon. To this end, Jack gives Ethan a medallion formerly belonging to Haram and reveals that the Yeouiju is Sarah, whom Ethan will find in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
15 years after this revelation, a corrupt Imoogi identified by the name of 'Buraki' invades the city, bent on capturing Sarah; whereupon Ethan, now a televised-news anchor, rescues her, conveys the knowledge of her purpose, and attempts to save her from Buraki. During the resulting chase, Buraki's 'Artox Army' enters the city and engages the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
, and the Los Angeles Police Department
Los Angeles Police Department
The Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...
in battle
Battle
Generally, a battle is a conceptual component in the hierarchy of combat in warfare between two or more armed forces, or combatants. In a battle, each combatant will seek to defeat the others, with defeat determined by the conditions of a military campaign...
. Here, the Artox Army is shown to consist of black-armored, humanoid warriors; theropod-like cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
called "Shaconnes"; small, winged Western dragons called "Bulcos"; and immense, slow-moving reptile
Reptile
Reptiles are members of a class of air-breathing, ectothermic vertebrates which are characterized by laying shelled eggs , and having skin covered in scales and/or scutes. They are tetrapods, either having four limbs or being descended from four-limbed ancestors...
s identified in the dialogue
Dialogue
Dialogue is a literary and theatrical form consisting of a written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more people....
as "Dawdlers", who carry rocket
Rocket
A rocket is a missile, spacecraft, aircraft or other vehicle which obtains thrust from a rocket engine. In all rockets, the exhaust is formed entirely from propellants carried within the rocket before use. Rocket engines work by action and reaction...
launchers on their backs. This army overwhelms the human forces, while Ethan and Sarah escape. They are subsequently captured by the Bulcos and taken to a menacing fortress in the midst of a darkened desert
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
landscape. There, Ethan's medallion destroys the Artox Army. Ethan then tries to save Sarah from Buraki, but Buraki strikes him aside and attempts to consume Sarah, whereupon he is attacked by the Good Imoogi. Having won the fight, Buraki again approaches Sarah; but having offered herself to him, she instead gives her power to the Good Imoogi (apparently losing her own life in the process), who thereupon becomes the Celestial Dragon. The two fight again, and the Celestial Dragon destroys Buraki.
After Buraki is destroyed, Sarah dissolves, and the Celestial Dragon permits her spirit
Spirit
The English word spirit has many differing meanings and connotations, most of them relating to a non-corporeal substance contrasted with the material body.The spirit of a living thing usually refers to or explains its consciousness.The notions of a person's "spirit" and "soul" often also overlap,...
to speak to Ethan, whom she promises to "love... for all eternity"; then withdraws Sarah into his body and ascends to the heaven
Heaven
Heaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...
s. Immediately Jack appears behind Ethan, reminds him that the two of them "have been given a great honor" to take part in this transformation, and dissolves; presumably never to be seen again. Ethan's own fate is not revealed.
Production
Originally titled Dragon Wars (and still referred to by this title in publicity material), D-War has a long production history in South Korea. The film was announced in 2002 by director Shim Hyung-raeShim Hyung-rae
Shim Hyung-rae is a South Korean former-comedian and filmmaker best known for directing the 1999 re-make of Yonggary and D-War , by far the most expensive Korean movie in history...
as his follow-up project to 1999's Yonggary
Reptilian (film)
Yonggary is a 1999 South Korean Kaiju film. It is a modern-day remake of the kaiju film Yonggary. The film was released in Korea in 1999 as Yonggary but released in the United States under the new title Reptilian in 2001...
. A show reel appeared in early 2003, displaying the extensive amount of CGI
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
used to create the various creatures. Despite heavy promotion via posters, press releases, and videos, principal photography did not begin until October 2004, continuing through December. The budget was set at 30 billion won
South Korean won
The won is the currency of South Korea. A single won is divided into 100 jeon, the monetary subunit. The jeon is no longer used for everyday transactions, and appears only in foreign exchange rates...
(approximately US$33 million), but ultimately went over budget in order to create the various creatures in the film, with some outside estimation as high as $US75 million dollars. The DVD release confirmed that it did indeed cost US$75 million. In Korea, the budget of this movie was controversial because of the high costs and the poor reception abroad, which led to embarrassment over the true budget numbers, which were concealed to further shame.
As with Yonggary, Shim opted for a mostly American cast. Veteran actor Robert Forster
Robert Forster
Robert Forster is an American actor, best known for his roles as John Cassellis in Haskell Wexler's Medium Cool, and as Max Cherry in Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown, the latter of which gained him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.- Early life :Forster was born Robert Wallace...
landed a pivotal role and Jason Behr
Jason Behr
Jason Nathaniel Behr is an American film and television actor. He first starred in the American television series Roswell, for which he was twice nominated for a Saturn Award, followed by roles in the films The Shipping News and the American remake of the Japanese horror film The Grudge...
and Amanda Brooks
Amanda Brooks
Amanda Brooks is an actress who starred in the 2007 film D-War and in the 2006 film Cut Off. She also had leading roles in the 2005 films Flightplan and River's End. She is the daughter of film composer Joe Brooks....
were cast as the two young leads.
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
American Film Market
The American Film Market is a film industry event held each year at the beginning of November in Santa Monica, California. About 8,000 people attend the eight day event to network and to sell and acquire films...
in early 2007. The film was released in South Korea on August 1, 2007. In the U.S., the film was released on September 14, 2007.
On August 7, 2007, South Korea's MBC
Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation
Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC (Hangul : 문화방송주식회사, Munhwa Bangsong Jushikoesa) is one of four major national South Korean television and radio networks. Munhwa is the Korean word for "culture". Its flagship terrestrial television...
Morning Live TV Show broadcast the film's final scene on TV without the permission of the studio, causing a controversy. A few days later the Ministry of Culture and Tourism released a statement in which they said that the incident did not violate South Korean copyright laws.
Reception
The film received mostly negative reviews upon release in the U.S. and was not screened in advance for many critics. As of January 5, 2008, on the review aggregator Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, 25% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 32 reviews, while the film scored a 33 out of 100 at Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
. Derek Elley of Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
, reviewing it at the Berlin Film Festival's market section, called it "visually entertaining, and superior to helmer Shim Hyung-rae's last monster movie (Yonggary
Reptilian (film)
Yonggary is a 1999 South Korean Kaiju film. It is a modern-day remake of the kaiju film Yonggary. The film was released in Korea in 1999 as Yonggary but released in the United States under the new title Reptilian in 2001...
in 1999)", while also saying the film had a "Z-grade, irony-free script," and "likely to end up the most expensive cult movie on DVD." The Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter
Formerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...
Within nine days of its South Korean release, D-War attracted five million viewers, setting a national box office
Box office
A box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through an unblocked hole through a wall or window, or at a wicket....
record for an opening week. The seemingly positive reaction from the Korean population, as indicated by the movie's box office success in Korea, was widely attributed to the film's appeal to Korean nationalism; a logical impression drawn from Shim's message at the end of the Korean version of this film, "D-War and I will succeed in the world market without fail," accompanied by the Korean folk anthem, "Arirang
Arirang
"Arirang" is a Korean folk song, sometimes considered the unofficial national anthem of Korea. Arirang is an ancient native Korean word with no direct modern meaning.- Variations :...
." However, despite box office success, D-Wars was far from critically acclaimed by either Korean critics or Korea's general public. 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" and "below criticism". Other reactions from Korean critics have been
similar.
D-War set a record of grossing US$20.3 million in South Korea in its first five days in 689 theatres. As of September 1, the film has grossed US$44 million in Korea and another US$10 million in other countries, totaling a worldwide gross of US$54 million as of September 16. In North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, the film grossed US$5 million on 2,275 screens in its opening weekend. As of November 25, 2007, the film has grossed US$10,977,721 in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, making it the highest-grossing Korean-made film released theatrically in North America.
Since then, D-War has been released theatrically in Malaysia and China, both with moderate critical reaction. China was the only one to live up to the South Korean release record, spawning 3,000,000 admissions and a premiere including pop idol Libing Chen. The movie was a box office failure in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
External links
(Korea) (US)- D-War Official homepage
- Craig Robinson Interview about "D-War" at UGO.com
- http://www.dvd-forum.at/356/bodycount.htm "D-War" Bodycount