Plot: What’s it about?
Mayuko Mizuki (Hiroko Tanaka) is an expert in feng shui, an art that deals with placement of objects for maximum good. She wants to lead a normal life, but she is often pushed to perform exorcisms. This is not what she wants, but her master is unable to do these exorcisms himself, so she agrees to lend a hand. As she deals with some wicked spirits in an abandon high school, she finds herself back into a corner. Mayuko cannot seem to force out the violent spirit, but just in time, an old priest arrives. He drives out the demonic force, then turns his attention toward her, eager to tell her about her destiny. The priest tells her that she has dragon power in her bloodlines, power that allows her to battle demons. While she hasn’t even known this before, he says it is her destiny to follow the path of a demon fighter. She is reluctant at first, as she just wants to be normal, but soon enough, fate steps in to change her mind. An old friend of her master comes and asks for some help, as his island is under attack. Since a massive corporation began to develop the island, women have started to vanish and then turn up murdered. Mayuko ventures to the island, only to discover that a sea demon is behind the brutal deaths. Can she drive out the sea demon and even if so, will she ever lead the normal life she desires?
This movie has topless babes, a horrific sea creature, and Japanese wrestling legend The Great Muta, what else could we want? I didn’t expect much from Dragon Blue, even with all of those elements, as a lot of these “hot chick vs. monster” movies from Asia often turn out to be boring or low rent productions. But Dragon Blue bucks that trend and works quite well, thanks to Takuya Wada’s solid direction. This might not be high art, but Wada directs with skill and lends a steady hand, which results in a good pace, great atmosphere, and passable performances. The Great Muta, billed under his real name of Keiji Mutoh, is better than you might think, while Hiroko Tanaka (Happy People) is fun to watch in the central role. Wada allows the cast to be serious, but overly so, a nice balance that seems to work well. He is more skilled in the realm of atmosphere, as he creates a slow tension that grows as the movie proceeds. The pace is a tad slow at times, but Wada makes sure all the scenes take us closer to the promised land. The monster itself is well crafted and not just in costume, as there is unexpected depth in the character. I don’t want to reveal too much however, so I will end that right there. Dragon Blue is no masterpiece, but for fans of cult Asian cinema, this release is more than worth a look.
Video: How does it look?
Dragon Blue is presented in 1.85:1 widescreen, which is not enhanced for widescreen televisions. The source prints look soft and show wear signs, but that is to be expected since this is an Asian film and of course, Asian films don’t often look pristine, even after only a couple of years of existence. The image is soft as a result, so contrast isn’t as refined as I would like, but in the end, the result is still acceptable. Yes, I would love a redone version with a cleaned up, anamorphic print, but until then, this one will have to suffice.
Audio: How does it sound?
The audio here is presented in solid, but not too memorable fashion, via a pair of soundtrack options. You can listen to the original Japanese language track or an English dub, of which I recommend the original soundtrack, without question. The elements are in fine form and never seem forced, while volume remains stable and never varies much. The music is clean and as rich as stereo allows, while the sound effects have good presence, all things considered. I found the dialogue to be great also, with a clean overall sound and no mishaps to cover here. This disc also includes optional English subtitles, in case you’ll need those.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes no bonus materials.
