Reviewed by Andrew Hamlin
Northwest Asian Weekly
Australian director Mario Andreacchio’s “Dragon Pearl,” filmed mostly in China, aims straight at being a Steven Spielberg family-friendly yarn in which the kids save the day. It succeeds, although not spectacularly. Irish actor Sam Neill, always affable, anchors the adult cast as archeologist Chris Chase investigating the tomb of an ancient Chinese emperor. His cohort, Wang Ji, plays the Chinese archeologist Dr. Li, working alongside Chase.
The movie mainly focuses on the two kids, Dr. Chase’s son, played by Louis Corbett, and Dr. Li’s daughter, played by Li Lin Jang. They’re cute, but in a cloying and overdone manner, and every single one of their antics seems predictable. A dragon does eventually show up, remarkably lifelike and expressive. Much more dragon and much less pre-adolescent hijinks might have made this a movie to remember. (end)
“The Dragon Pearl” showtimes:
June 3 at 11 a.m. at AMC Pacific Place 11
June 9 at 1 p.m. at Kirkland Performance Center
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