Erik Reed (Jason David Frank) is a superhero known as the White Dragon, who gets his powers from a special dragon crystal. The evil immortal Ashtagor has destroyed all but one of the recharging pits that are the source of White Dragon’s cosmic power. During their latest face-off, much of Virtuo City was left on fire and destroyed, over 1000 innocent lives were lost, and the dragon crystal was split in half. Ashtagor ensures that Erik is blamed for all of the death and destruction, and so he goes into hiding, not even contacting the family he has managed to keep a secret to let him know that he is alive.

It’s been three years since Dark Day, and most people in Virtuo City still blame Erik Reed for all the loss and destruction. Mayor Trevon Sterns (David Ramsey, Arrow) has launched his reelection campaign, and continues to search for Erik. Erik hasn’t been seen since the incident and some believe he may have actually died on Dark Day. One of those who have refused to give up seeking vengeance against Erik is pharmaceutical giant/philanthropist Jai Katua (Aaron Schoenke), who lost his own wife and daughter on Dark Day. The city remains in chaos thanks to corrupt police officers and the rise of the APOC Gang, controlled by Ashtagor.

Erik believes that Ashtagor has destroyed all of the recharging pits and remains in hiding without his powers. However, his allies Connor Frost (Jason Faunt) and Iris Maine (Rachele Brooke Smith) have managed to locate the last pit, which is hidden deep within the Shin-Tar mountains. Now they must find Erik and take him there, so he can bring back the White Dragon and take down Ashtagor and his gang, clear his name, restore the city he swore to protect, and finally be reunited with his family. However, another threat also looms on the horizen. Jai Katua holds the other half of Erik’s dragon crystal and has been having his top scientist Lee Han (Andrew Hwang) work nonstop on a solution that could activate and recharge the crystal without a pit. He plans to harness the White Dragon power himself to become Dragon Prime, and finally exact his vengeance on Erik Reed.

Star Jason David Frank is best known for his role of Tommy Oliver in the long-running Mighty Morphin Power Rangers franchise. Legend of the White Dragon is a Kickstarter film that feels very much in the same spirt of Power Rangers, with a similar look at feel, though a bit grittier and more mature. It is a sci-fi action adventure that combines martial arts, full armored costumes, and glowing light swords, as good and evil battle it out. While the armored suits don’t look exactly like the Power Ranger suits, they certainly resemble something that could be a part of that world. The film also reunites Jason David Frank with other Power Rangers actors such as Jason Faunt, Cerina Vincent and Ciara Hanna.

I have never watched any of the Power Rangers shows religiously, I’m just seen clips here and there. So there wasn’t any kind of nostalgia factor for me with the cast or look of the film going into it, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I thought the style and art of the film looked great, with bright, bold colors and some solid special effects, transporting the viewer into this world. The fight and action sequences were also well choreographed. The acting was a bit overdone at times, but still quite solid. I had two main issues with the movie. The first was that I found it to be quite slow. Where there were action sequences, they were well executed, however, after the initial face-off between White Dragon and Ashtagor, it’s at least another 20-30 minutes before we see another big fight. The second issue was that sometimes the story was a bit confusing. At times it felt like this was a sequel to some movie I hadn’t seen, and I was missing some of the backstory or “previously on”. There are things that didn’t seem well explained. We are just placed in the middle of this world with little to no explanation of basic things like how and how long ago Erik became the White Dragon, why people would think he’s the villain if he was fighting the actual villain, who Connor and Iris are to Erik, and how they know how to find him when no one else could in 3 years. The film tries to give some flashbacks to fill in the gaps, but only goes back 6 months before Dark Day, when it seems like this should have a much longer history. We also see Erik wearing a backwards baseball cap in scenes with his father Max (Michael Madsen, Kill Bill, The Hateful Eight), seemingly to note that this took place earlier. Though it’s a bit of an odd look, especially if it was only 6 months ago—it feels like that Steve Buscemi “Fellow Kids” Meme.

Maybe this kind of shorthand with the story is something that was present in Power Rangers as well. Since I haven’t seen the series, I can’t comment on how similar the story-telling method is. Perhaps Power Rangers fans will enjoy the nostalgic cast and feel more and forgive more of the story flaws. That said, I still found the film quite visually appealing and interesting.

Legend of the White Dragon is one of final performances for stars Jason David Frank and Michael Madsen. The film also includes appearances by Mark Dacascos (John Wick: Chapter 3) as warrior monk Xang, and Andrew Bachelor (aka “King Bach”) as URI, an advanced computer system hologram Utility Reconnaissance Intelligence. Unfortunately, the film builds to an ending that provides some resolution but really sets up the start of a second film. A sequel seems unlikely at this point given how long it took for this film to actually get released, and given that the main star has passed away.

Well Go has released Legend of the White Dragon on 4K UHD/Blu-ray combo, DVD and Digital. We were sent the the combo pack release for review, which looks and sounds amazing. The picture looks nearly flawless, with an excellent level of detail, even in the film’s darker sequences. The colors look beautiful, from the orange glow of the fires in the opening sequence, to the blue and red light swords smashing together in a later fight sequence. The Dolby Atmos track provides a fully-immersive experience, which is evident right from the opening clash between White Dragon and Ashtagor.

The 4K Combo Pack release includes both a 4K and Blu-ray disc, but some of the bonus material can only be found on the Blu-ray disc. The discs are packed on either size of a standard 4K keepcase along with a carboard slipcover, but no digital copy code is included. The bonus material consists of a filmmaker commentary, a six minute interview with Jason David Frank’s daughter Jenna Frank, a brief thank you to the Kickstarter backers, the film’s trailer, and trailers for three other Well Go releases. The film itself also includes 5 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage that plays during the listing of the Kickstarter backers that follows the credits.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:37:15)

4K UHD:
• 2160p / Widescreen 1.90:1
• Dolby Vision / HDR10
• Audio: English Dolby Atmos in Dolby TrueHD, English DTS-HDMA 5.1, Spanish DTS-HDMA 5.1
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish SDH, French

Blu-ray:

• 1080p / Widescreen 1.90:1
• Audio: English Dolby Atmos in Dolby TrueHD, English Stereo, Spanish DTS-HDMA 5.1, Spanish Stereo
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish SDH, French

Extras:
Material that can only be found on the Blu-ray disc is noted with an *

• Q&A with Jenna Frank* (6:16)
  Rapid-fire Q&A with actress Jenna Frank (“Ashley Reed”), who talks about working alongside her father, what it was like on set, her father’s elation at working with Michael Madsen, a moment that stood out on set, her dad’s performance, the importance of the character of Erik Reed to her father, her father’s unique martial arts technique, and a lot more about her father.
• Thank You to the Backers* (:35)
  Co-director/writer/star Aaron Schoenke (“Jai Katua”), co-director/composer/sound designer Sean Schoenke, and executive producer Chris Jay thank everyone who contributed to the Kickstarter campaign.
• Filmmaker Commentary (1:28:55)
  Co-director/writer/star Aaron Schoenke, co-director/composer/sound designer Sean Schoenke, and executive producer Chris Jay provide an informative commentary throughout the film, sharing behind-the-scenes stories about the production.
• Trailer (1:53)
• Previews*
  Select from trailers for:
  • The Deputy (1:54)
  • Man of War (2:04)
  • Seven Snipers (1:50)

Final Thoughts:

Legend of the White Dragon feels like a bit of a homage to Power Rangers, with a similar look and style, reuniting some of the actors, but giving it a more mature and gritty feel. While I found the film a little slow and hard to follow at times, it is a very visually stunning film. Well Go’s 4K release looks and sounds amazing and should surely please fans. The discs also include some entertaining bonus material. This is defintely one fans are going to want to pick up.