Wednesday, September 11, 2019

The Invincible Dragon (2019) - Movie Review (Region 3 DVD)

Above: IMDB poster for Invincible Dragon



Greetings valued Dan's Movie Report and www.action-flix.com readers. Today I take one for the team after obtaining Invincible Dragon. After so much promotion on this film during production from various action sites including my own site, I had to watch. The film released in China theatrically on July 2nd and to home market in Asia August 30th.

Rather than going on a long rant and rave about this film, I am keeping the review rather short. Essentially The Invincible Dragon begins as a basic crime drama as women police officers are killed. Actually the initial story is decent, there is some character development, hotheaded cop, concerned boss, etc..., yet the film never manages to allow the audience to care about the characters enough.

Anderson Silva is of course a legendary MMA fighter and all around great guy, but to have him as a lead in his first film is a bit rough, his line delivery is very understated and a bit wooden, that said, he is no worse than many of the secondary characters in the film.

Actresses Stephy Tang and Annie Liu give the film some sex appeal and are decent, yet again they are just side characters in most of the production, save for a few lines. Stephy Tang can act, and has talent she really needed more of a meaty role.

Director Fruit Chan, who is actually quite talented obviously did not have final control of the edit of this film as during the last 30 minutes things go haywire literally and makes zero sense. For the first hour the film is decent, then it tails off due to a long song that basically contains a montage of things that happened in the past, where it should have either opened the film or no song and just went into a story. Finally, a ridiculous ending with very horrid CGI, that made no sense, yeah so we have the boy with the dragon tattoo hah!! Except Zhang's dragon is um, not just an expression.

A few bright spots are JuJu Chan, she plays the wife of Anderson Silva in the film, she is mysterious and turns out to be a cool villain and has the best fight in the film with Zhang Jin, on a train, with what looks to be scaffolding. Sadly the bad train CGI interspersed with the fight lessened the impact a bit.

Zhang Jin is amazing as an action actor, I really enjoy his work. He did his best with the source material, yet some of the action and fights did not have the urgency they should have and the final fight with Anderson Silva is way too long, yep I said it, needed to be shortened. The reason being, it was not epic, had too much interspersed stoppage time, and it seems like posing for the next move rather than a real fight to the death.

Lighting, camera work is good in the non action sequences as Fruit Chan is a master at drama, that said, I did not care for the camera angles during the fight sequences, either the camera was far to close or the angles did not allow the audience to see the action.

Overall, I really wanted to like this film, as I respect Fruit Chan and many of the actors in it, sadly I cannot recommend Invincible Dragon at all, and as a rating perhaps, being kind as I feel today, is a 4 out of 10. If the film eventually finds it's way to Netflix and you like action, watch it for JuJu's fight scene and some of the other action, but otherwise The Invincible Dragon is a forgettable film that will probably deserve to fade away.


Actress Janice Hung Chats The General's Daughter: Exclusive Interview and Photos!


Above Right photo: Exclusive! Janice Hung and The General's Daughter star Angel Locsin.

Photo credits: Angel Locsin and Dreamscape, promotional use only and not monetized.

Greetings valued Dan's Movie Report and www.action-flix.com readers. In this amazing and special interview I chat with Actress, Wushu Champ,and all around force for good, Janice Hung. Janice has blazed her own trail for several years, in action and perseverance. She creates her own content, but this year is her truly international break out. With the top rated serial The General's Daughter and a residency in Macao coming up as Tigress for the Kung Fu Panda Live show, she is catapulting herself to superstar status. Humble and down to Earth, Janice still gives back to her community, with her UDEFEND project. Sit back relax and check out this exclusive interview, and brand new photos from Janice Hung!



DMR: Chat about the show your character and the dynamic of playing a character that would normally be a male role in some shows.

Janice Hung: I’m playing Captain Alex Noblejas an elite soldier in charge of pursuing the protagonist Rhian (Angel Locsin) . The thing about playing captain Alex is a complex character . She is a strong individual who rose to the ranks in a male dominated profession. Also it gave me the opportunity to act with our country’s top actors.



Above: Cool new poster for The General's Daughter

Above: Janice Hung with the actor JC De Vera who plays Major Del Fierro



DMR: Curious about the shooting schedule, is the show shot episode to episode or is it several at a time?

Janice Hung: We usually shoot 3 times a week. We shoot one episode several days at a time.



DMR: How has the response been by the local audiences? I am assuming the show is a weekly show or is it every day like Encantadia.

Janice Hung: The show is one of the top rating shows in the Philippines. The show is shown from Monday to Friday. 

 Mr Albert Martinez he plays General De Leon (Center) Mr Nonie Buencamino  (To the left of Janice)he plays General Maximilliano both are veteran and award winning actors.

DMR: Are you allowed to add your own spin on your character, what type of freedom is allowed on set?

Janice Hung: Yes I am given the chance to give my own input in the character.

DMR: Finally, chat about some of your new work with Udefend, any new projects on the horizon

Janice Hung: The Udefend Project is a year round project it is part of my advocacy to educate and empower the youth through Wushu to promote healthy lifestyle.


DMR: As an added bonus Janice talks about her character reveal in a new episode of The General's Daughter! Please watch the above video!

Janice Hung: The highlight of my character is now revealed I am a spy planted in the military long before. I am now the assassin called Cuatro. We were trending, everyone was waiting for our fight scene to air!


Thanks Janice for this exclusive chat, we will circle back in December when the live show of Kung Fu Panda begins! For the time being, please connect with Janice on her official social media outlets:



YouTube Channel, make sure to subscribe, she is always posting new videos! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg2sG_4NFFTZxPfMNCBn-sA

Finally check out this incredible promo Janice so graciously did live on the set of The General's Daughter!


Update: Janice Hung's final episode on The General's daughter just aired. She had this to say:

This is Cuatro aka Captain Alexandra “Alex” Noblejas signing off.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank ABS-CBN and Dreamscape Entertainment for this wonderful opportunity to portray this character in The General’s Daughter.
I am very grateful for this truly unforgettable experience to become a topnotch soldier and secretly a spy to the military.
I am really honored to have worked with veteran actors,Mr. Tirso Cruz III, Mr. Nonie Buencamino, Mr. Albert Martinez, Ms. Eula Valdez, Ms. Janice De Belen and of course the Diamond Star Ms. Maricel Soriano. They were all very welcoming and helpful in doing the scenes.
It was awesome as well to work with JC De Vera, Cholo Barretto, Kate Alejandrino, Arjo Atayde, Paolo Avelino and Ryza Cenon.
To the production staff and crew of The General’s Daughter, I also salute you. From the directors down to the make up artists, wardrobe thank you for all the dedication and care in bringing out the best in every scene. I am witness to all the hard work behind the scenes for long hours day to day.
Last but never the least, to The General’s Daughter herself, the main character Rhian Bonifacio, Action-Drama Queen Angel Locsin, I offer my deepest gratitude from the bottom of my heart for having the opportunity to work with you. From the first time we met, you said “Pinahanap talaga kita” I am deeply touched and honored coming from a big star like you, I never felt a single hint of star complex as you are very down-to-earth despite having flown high as Darna before. Sabi ko nga, Idol ni Cuatro si Darna. You are one honest , genuine and sincere individual, and I am witness to your dedication to bring quality performance to give the best to the audience and fans. We've shared so much together - from wonderful memories and profound learnings to the bruises, scars and wounds from our fight scenes. Basta Gel, kung kailangan mo ng kalaban ulit o kakampi, nandito lang ako!Maraming Salamat Gel.
Being part of TGD is truly an amazing learning experience that I will cherish forever. I will use this experience as a springboard to my next project as I embark on the international stage as Tigress in Kung Fu Panda Spectacular Live, a collaboration of Broadway Asia and DreamWorks. Join me in my next journey.
Thank you, The General’s Daughter!!