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The Princess is used to getting her own way, and it’s not long before she has Jack take her to the local mall so that she can learn how to blend in. The Princess is left in Jack’s care – but not before her bodyguard disappears back to their world via the box. Even though he’s clearly not the fierce warrior the stranger is looking for, Jack is still given a task: to protect the Princess Su Lin (Ni) from harm. That first night, Jack wakes to find a sword at his throat, and an ancient Chinese warrior (Chao) asking if he’s the Black Knight. Jack takes it home and keeps it in his room. Jack does have a job, at least, even if it doesn’t pay an awful lot, but his boss likes him, enough to give Jack a gift: a large wooden, ornamental box. His life has its fair share of problems: his mother, Annie (Guillory), is a realtor who hasn’t sold a property in months (which means money is fast becoming an issue), and at school he’s being bullied by an older teen called Travis (Daulby).
Away from his computer, however, he’s not quite so powerful or dominating.
Jack Bronson (Shelton) is a teenager whose online gaming avatar, the Black Knight, is a complete badass, winning fantasy encounter after fantasy encounter.
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It might not have been for everyone, but Matthias Hoene’s family-friendly action fantasy was the perfect afternoon matinee movie for me.Cast: Uriah Shelton, Mark Chao, Ni Ni, Dave Bautista, Sienna Guillory, Francis Chun-Yu Ng, Zha Ka, Dakota Daulby, Luke Mac Davis Seen as an odd choice by many as the opening film for this years Glasgow Frightfest, The Warrior’s Gate just goes to show how diverse the festival truly is. Hell, there are people out there who love the “kung-fu Kangaroo” movie Warriors of Virtue, despite it being maligned by many a critic (myself NOT included, I’m a fan), yet that 2000s kids martial arts film would make a fantastic double-bill with The Warrior’s Gate as both share similar themes and positive moral message. But if I was a kid, watching this for the first time? I’m sure I’d be blown away by it, just as I was by all those 80s kids movies I still love today. And, at times, Hoene’s film does border on the ridiculous… but only in so much as it’s weird to see people in ancient China dancing to a Diplo track! Though to be fair, there was a similar scene in the first Bill & Ted movie featuring Joan of Arc at the mall so there is a precedent, and one I’m sure we all love from our teen years.Īnd that’s the thing, as a so-called ‘adult’ I can more-than appreciate The Warrior’s Gatefor the fun fantasy action flick it is. Now the mixing of such diverse genres shouldn’t work but thanks to a sprightly script, some fantastically staged action set-pieces and a cast – including Dave Bautista in a fantastic villainous role – that all seem dedicated and willing to make this work, no matter how bizarre The Warrior’s Gate gets. That heavy 80s US kids/teen cinema influence is only matched by The Warrior’s Gate‘s love letter to Wuxia cinema, and in particular the fantasy epics of Tsui Hark such as Zu: Warriors of the Magic Mountain and Detective Dee and earlier wuxia films like John Woo’s Last Hurrah For Chivalry (1979) and King Hu’s Dragons Gate Inn (1970). Even having a video game being a key plot point screams The Last Starfighter – though The Warrior’s Gate takes the concept of a video game being a “training tool” for a battle (in this case a kung-fu fight) further by also making video games the final saving grace for the hero in his everyday life too. There’s a BMX chase sequence that looks like it could have stepped out of BMX Bandits or RAD, whilst the idea of having a hero be bullied by other kids at his school is ripped straight from The Karate Kid (writer Robert Mark Kamen having penned all THREE of those movies). Talk about international filmmaking! However despite the multi-cultural background, Hoene’s film actually takes it’s inspiration from two very distinct countries… and genres. The first in a three-picture deal between Luc Besson’s EuropaCorp and China’s Fundamental Films, The Warrior’s Gate is a French/Chinese co-production, written by long-time Besson collaborator Robert Mark Kamen ( The Karate Kid, Lethal Weapon 3, The Transporter), helmed by a German and featuring an American in the lead role. ALong the way he learns bravery, inner strength and, of course, kung-fu!
He teams with warrior Zhoo (Chao) and a flaky wizard (Ng) to stop the evil Arun (Bautista) from marrying the princess and get back home. Stars: David Bautista, Sienna Guillory, Uriah Shelton, Mark Chao, Francis Ng, Zha Ka, Kara Hui, Dakota Daulby | Written by Luc Besson, Robert Mark Kamen | Directed by Matthias Hoeneįilmed in 2015, The Warrior’s Gate sees Jack (Shelton), a bullied teenager mistaken for the video game hero he plays in his favourite game, magically transported to China, on a mission to save Su Lin, the princess he had been tasked with protecting.
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