Dragonwolf

I can't even begin to imagine how this movie was ever made. It's a wonder and a mystery how it passed the initial script phase, let alone was greenlit by a production studio and financed by producers and studio execs. I don't think we will ever know, but I have a theory. I can't in good conscious think that director Raimund Huber set out to make a serious or even good movie. I just can't get my head wrapped around that notion with this film 'Dragonwolf'.

It's that bad. He must have seen a bunch of episodes of 'Mystery Science Theater 3000' and set out to make a movie, hoping those guys would see his movie and riff it for his own enjoyment. That's the only logical explanation for this movie. In this two-hour asinine film, we see a variety of three sets of scenes that play off in a pattern with some of the worst acting, worst dialogue, and worst delivery that ever graced the big screen. It's as if perhaps the director wanted us on his inside joke to himself to make a joke of a movie.

These patterns of the three types of scenes play out with two sets of flashbacks followed by a fight scene. Rinse and repeat for over 120 minutes in the worst way. The fight scenes are laid out nicely and are choreographed fairly well, although there are plenty of blatant moments where the stunt team miss their cues and marks, making some of the movie magic reveal its ugly head in the form of falling or taking a hit too soon. It was sad and funny all at the same time. Not only that, but these fight scenes come so often that they become very redundant and quite boring to watch, which I thought I would never say.

'Dragonwolf' contains neither a dragon nor a wolf, but rather centers on two childhood friends named Mozart and Julius who live in a city rampant with violent crime and drugs known as The Devil's Cauldron. These two friends have grown up to become this vicious city's two most respected enforcers, but have a falling out over a girl. I mean, there's got to be plenty for everyone, right? That's not the case here though, as these two friends become enemies and we are forced to watch them fight with their now separate factions, which climaxes into the ultimate battle. Between the fight scenes, w e get flashbacks to these kids growing up and of the girl they loved.

That's all she wrote for 'Dragonwolf', and it could have been fun or at least entertaining, but the awful dialogue, acting, and delivery really made this movie implode on itself, and the fact that it lasts more than two hours is just downright laughable. If you're a fan of the 'Mystery Science Theater 3000' series, it's late at night, and you've had a few beverages, then you might be able to get through this with some sense of dignity and humor. Other than that, 'Dragonwolf' is one of the worst movies your eyes will ever see. 

'Dragonwolf' comes with a very good 1080p HD transfer and is presented in 1.85:1 aspect ratio. The overall picture looks great when not in flashback mode, which goes into the full sepia color and drowns out some of the detail. Other than that, the detail is very sharp and vivid, revealing great closeups that show great facial features and fine textures in the costumes. Individual hairs and makeup effects can be seen nicely. Wider shots also look good, providing some nice depth as well.

Again, when we head into the flashback sequences, which there are quite a few of, the picture is heavily color graded, almost void of all color minus the sepia tone. In other scenes, there is not one moment that would pop off screen, color wise, as the filmmaker wanted to set the film in a gloomy setting. Black levels are deep and inky and the skin tones are always natural. There were no major problems with any aliasing, banding, or video noise, leaving this video presentation with good marks.

This release comes with a DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix and is in English. In fact, this was shot in English and not in Thai, which is fairly rare. Sure, you can tell some of the actors are dubbed, but it's an English movie, which made the film all that much worse with the crazy accents and bad delivery. That being said, this is a good audio presentation that packs a punch during the many fight scenes. Every hit, kick, and body blow packs a punch with great directionality and a good amount of bass, so that you feel every hit connect.

The bass has a good rumble to it without ever going into the rocky territory too. Dialogue is always clear and somewhat easy to follow, meaning some of the accents are so over-the-top ridiculous and obviously not spoken by people where English is their first language, that you might have a difficult time making things out from time to time on the first view. The rear speakers give a great and consistent sound as well throughout. I just wish the film was better for this audio mix. The dynamic range is wide and the LFE is great, leaving this audio presentation with solid marks.

Theatrical Trailer (HD, 2 Mins.) - Trailer for the film.

'Dragonwolf' has the audacity to be over two hours long, with no real plot, the worst acting known to man, terrible dialogue, and not even have the common courtesy to feature a dragon-wolf or a wolf-dragon for that matter. In all seriousness though, this is an awful film from top to bottom, and should only be viewed if highly intoxicated and willing to make fun of it. The video and audio aspects though are quite good, but the only extra is the trailer, leaving this movie a skippable one.