The story: D.B. and Bird are two good hearted souls that are trying to help out the folks in their community by stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. When D.B. hears the Princess is looking for a husband, D.B. poses as a Prince so that he can marry her and help out the community in greater ways. The only problem is there are 2 other suitors (The Prince of the North and the Prince of India) looking to win her hand in marriage and he must compete in a series of challenges in order to marry her. Will D.B. be able to survive the dangerous challenges while also trying to avoid being killed by the evil Prince of the North? Does D.B. really fall in love with the Princess? All will be revealed.

Let's face it, the only reason to watch this film is for David Carradine. Fans of "Kung Fu" will especially enjoy seeing Carradine in here as his role is similar to that of "Kung Fu." Carradine offers sage advice and even has a nice throw down with a villain at the end. Sadly, he never utters the word "grasshopper."

Aside from Carradine, the film also boasts lavish costumes and a stunning location that will certainly take your mind off the ridiculous on screen antics.

Now for the bad news, which is everything else. I was aware that this film was a re-working of "Arabian Nights," but I certainly wasn't expecting campy supernatural elements to be stuffed into the film. Throughout the course of the film, we see a stone dragon come to life, a flying magic carpet, hideous fast and slow motion flying wire work, a good David Carradine fighting an evil David Carradine, a story about "Wang The Thirsty," and flying fruit seeds. Yes, you read that right. I was as baffled watching it as you are reading about it.

The film also suffers in that everyone speaks English fluently, even though the film is set in Shanghai, China. Aside from a few instances, I don't think any character spoke Chinese. To make the film even more historically inaccurate, D.B. sounds like a surfer dude (and Keanu Reeves)! The universe this film is set in makes no sense whatsoever.

The DVD

Video:
The widescreen picture quality is good at capturing the vibrant colors of the costumes, locations, and sets. However, I did happen to notice some blurry images at times.

Sound: The English 5.1 Dolby Digital track contains clear audio and music.

Extras: * Trailers for "Pandemic," "Marco Polo," and "Son Of The Dragon."

* A nearly 11 minute interview titled "Getting Candid With David Carradine." Carradine discusses the cast, location shooting, breaking a toe, and even the TV show "Alias."

* A 9 1/2 minute making of featurette titled "Epic Stories In A Fabled Land." This typical featurette includes interviews with the cast, script discussions, the action, etc.

Final Thoughts:
Unless you are a die hard David Carradine fan, there is no reason to watch "Son Of The Dragon." 3 hours of your life should be spent elsewhere.

Film and television enthusiast Nick Lyons recently had his first book published titled "Attack of the Sci-Fi Trivia." It is available on Amazon.com.