Dragon Nest: Warriors' Dawn (2014)

Dragon Nest: Warriors' Dawn is a movie starring Jiao Xu, Guanlin Ji, and Ying Huang. Lambert joins the Dragon Slayers' League to save Altera from the Black Dragon.

Director:

Yuefeng Song

Writers:

Bill Borden (screenplay), Terry Izumi (story)

Stars:

Jiao Xu, Guanlin Ji, Ying Huang

1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Jiao Xu	...	Liya (voice)
Guanlin Ji	...	Neilwin (voice)
Ying Huang	...	Elena (voice)
Dawei Shen	...	Lambert (voice)
Xianglong Meng	...	Barnac (voice)
Ye Sun	...	Gerrant (voice)
Tian Jing	...	Argenta (voice)
Hong Shang	...	Terram (voice)
Zitong Xia	...	Kasarana (voice)
Ge Hu	...	Velsekud (voice)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Blythe Auffarth	...	Liya / Kasarana (voice)
Graham Beckel	...	Varnak (voice)
Bianca Collins	...	Argenta (voice)
Andy Comeau	...	King (voice)
Lucas Grabeel	...	Gerrant (voice)

Storyline

The land of Altera has observed an uneasy peace for years among Humans, Elves and Evil beasts who are loyal to the legendary Black Dragon. But the Black Dragon begins to stir from its hibernation, sending the Beasts marching across Altera. With a beast conquest perilously close, a small group of Humans and Elves unite to try to find a secret hidden road to the Black Dragon's cave and destroy it. But the fate of all of them may be in the hands of the young warrior Lambert, who must summon the confidence and skill to face the Black Dragon himself just when all may be lost.

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Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Family | Fantasy

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Mili Pictures [China]

Country:

China

Language:

English Mandarin Cantonese Russian

Release Date:

31 July 2014 (China)

Also Known As:

Dragon Nest: Rise of the Black Dragon

Box Office

Budget:

$40,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$5,690,000 (China), 3 August 2014, Wide Release

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mili Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Connections

Followed by Throne of Elves (2017)

User Reviews

All RPG clichés from last decade cramped into one viewing

Building a movie from online multiplayer games is not easy. These games are known for social interaction or accessible gameplay, not strong narrative. Dragon Nest animation resorts to utilizing mediocre antics from many other games or movies, then put it in one predictable story and weak animation. It's a dull journey and what few sparks it has, mainly from vista or music, can't save it from mediocrity.

Story is very basic, cue in your typical hero-in-training, alliance with other race, some comedy reliefs and potential romantic angle, then you'll have the 101 good versus evil plot. It's a dreary development with just about everything one would expect not to see again in fantasy genre. Granted, this sort of plot has been used many times and it can be to great effect, but Dragon Nest merely stacks them without novelty and hope for the best.

Animation isn't its strong suit, the visual looks pedestrian as though it's from last gen video games. Sometimes the audio sounds out of place as the mixing stutters on some parts, dubbing is the usual sloppy mess, especially for supporting chars. There's a bit inconsistency with details as well, shadows or texture don't sync well into the scenes. Frankly, these kinds of problems shouldn't happen on feature length animation of today's technology.

If there are some redeeming parts, they are the decent soundtracks and design for the world. They manages to draw that fresh fantasy vibe, although much too briefly before the average animation kicks in again. Watching Dragon Nest offers the same level of excitement as grinding in online game, low at best.