#Mario Yedidia

[adamwatchesmovies]

Warriors of Virtue (1997)

Warriors of Virtue is the kind of bewildering martial arts fantasy adventure you can only get when people become convinced of their own genius. Had it worked, this would’ve been a bridge Eastern and Western filmmaking. Instead, you’ve got a bunch of disjointed elements mashed together in a big-budget Dungeons & Dragons campaign brought to life.

Unable to join sports because of an injury to his leg, Ryan Jeffers (Mario Yedidia) struggles to fit in. While trying to impress a bully, he falls into a portal to another realm. In Tao, humans and anthropomorphic animals live together in harmony but the world is threatened by warlord Komodo (Angus Macfadyen) and his army. He's been draining the Lifesprings of Tao to stay young forever and now only one remains. To save the world, Ryan must reunite the five warriors of virtue: Lai, Warrior of Wood; Chi, Warrior of Fire; Tsun, Warrior of Earth; Yee, Warrior of Metal and Yun, the Warrior of Water.

You’ll know this movie is in trouble when you first see the titular warriors. They’re hideous anthropomorphic kangaroos. Something’s just… not right about their faces. It isn’t that the special effects are bad; it's their design that's disconcerting. Once you get over the initial shock, you’ll notice they're all missing something: personalities. All of these humanoid marsupials are interchangeable. The only way you can tell them apart is by their outfits, which conveniently remind you of what element they have mastered. Not that it really matters. There are a few brief moments where our heroes use their elemental skills, like a scene where Yee (who is mute and therefore easier to identify but also even more devoid of a personality than the rest) disables a metal death trap. Generally, however, this movie is not about showcasing Avatar: The Last Airbender-like moves where the environment becomes a weapon only these masters can wield.

Before we talk about Komodo, we must address what has driven the Warriors of Virtue apart. Are you ready? It’s Yun, who, in the middle of a battle… killed someone. You read that correctly. This world is at war. Komodo’s troops are slaughtering people wholesale but a single death has caused the defenders of justice to split. Yun and his brethren vowed never to take a life and breaking that promise means Tao's not worth fighting for anymore. Listen. There’s heroic, and then there’s just sanctimonious. People are dying and you’re not doing anything? give me a break.

The plot is so flat and generic this movie should be boring but it isn’t. Mostly, it’s the ill-conceived worldbuilding, hamfisted philosophies and the acting. Angus Macfadyen delivers a legendary performance as Komodo. He’s so hammy and over-the-top, it’s like he’s been emprisonned for a thousand years and his freedom now depends on his ability to act. Every single line is ridiculous and he manages to constantly up the ante. You wouldn’t think it’d be possible, but it is.

This movie is so silly it becomes unpredictable. You should see where Elysia (Marley Shelton) will end up but I didn’t and I bet you won’t either. Important details regularly come out of nowhere and I’m fairly certain it has to do with the appalling story as conceived by Ronald, Dennis, Christopher and Jeremy Law, physicians who created the characters (as kids I assume) and had no filmmaking experience before this enterprise. You can’t make this up.

Warriors of Virtue is the rare kind of movie that’s continuously “so bad it’s good”. It continuously surprises you with its ineptitude and the performances must be seen to be believed. If you want some laughs at someone else's expense, check it out. (November 6, 2020)

[soweirdondisney]

Director Greg Beeman, cinematographer Mark W. Gray, and composer David Michael Frank sat down with Past Foot Forward to talk about developing Under Wraps.

The piece is lengthy, so settle in when you read it, but it’s full of so much detail about filming in Chico, California, getting the song rights to “All By Myself”, working with young actors, and not having many restrictions by Disney.

If you love the piece, Allison Merrill’s has other DCOM coverage.  

[ambersadventuresinwonderland]

Another classic for the collection!!! 🥋🦘

[verecore]

"Under Wraps" 1997

Dir. Greg Beeman

Bill Fagerbakke as Harold the Mummy

Clara Bryant as Amy

Mario Yedidia as Marshall

Adam Wylie as Gilbert

[genevieveetguy]

What do I want to be when I grow up? Alive.

Jack, Francis Ford Coppola (1996)

[actordougjones]

Celebrating 25 years since the 1997 theatrical release of WARRIORS OF VIRTUE. Yes, that’s me on the right at “Yee”, warrior of righteousness and metal. . Pictured with Mario Yedidia as “Ryan”. Creature makeup effects & animatronics by @alterianinc . . #warriorsofvirtue #kungfu #kangaroo #Yee #specialeffectamakeup #animatronics #creaturefx #makeupfx #makeup #mua #actor #actorslife #kidsmovie #1997 https://www.instagram.com/p/CgNDSjauGCv/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[90smovies]

Warriors of Virtue