In a story ripped from today’s headlines, a gaggle of folks turn up missing in the dense woods surrounding a small mountain town which ends up being the fault of a dragon.
To combat this rather large pain-in-the-ass, the town’s mayor calls in an elite military squad who proceed to trek into those wicked woods and hopefully put an end to all of this legendary creature bullshit. So, these folks walk around, gettin’ their Predator on, while also dealing with a headstrong forest ranger (Arielle Brachfeld) and a death cult that worships the titular beastie. They also fight the dragon… eventually.
With that synopsis you can guess what you are in for with Dragon Soldiers… and if you can’t I’ll tell ya! This is a well done, low-budget creature feature that knows damn well it’s Predator with Dragons and it doesn’t give a singular fuck… and you just know that everyone in front of and behind the camera was having a good time bringing this one to life!
Adding to the positives are some breathtaking natural vistas; all mountains and majestic trees… that are a treat for the ol’ putrid peepers.
What doesn’t fare so well in the visual department is the eponymous creature in this feature. As stated, the budget for this one does not lend itself to creating a monster via CG, and the end result runs the gamut from “okay” to decidedly “not fuckin’ okay” rather frequently… plus what they did show must have been pricey because the dragon is kept to a minimum.
As for special features on this DVD from Lionsgate you get… some trailers for a few other flicks.
Bottom line; Dragon Soldiers is a fun lil’ creature feature with a suitably ridiculous (and admittedly awesome) premise, just be prepared to cut that scaly mother fucker some slack, ya dig?
