The key to this dilemma lies with Ryan, who has a friend named Ming, a virtuoso chef in a Chinese restaurant (he can land a ladle-full of fried rice on a platter at 10 paces). Ming is wise in the Zen master tradition, and he shows Ryan an empty cocoon: As a child he released a beautiful moth from it, only to see the moth die, because 'I interrupted its journey' and it 'needed its struggle.' Likewise, Ryan must continue his journey. If he feels inadequate as the water boy on the football team, then he must prove himself. Ming gives him an old book that may contain the answers.

'Warriors of Virtue' is ambitious in its production, if not especially original. Its set design is by Eugenio Zanetti, who won an Oscar for 'Restoration,' and he does a good job of creating a forest planet with towering trees and an Evergladeslike landscape not unlike Yoda's setting in 'The Empire Strikes Back.' The 'Star Wars' movies are evoked in more than the setting; when Ryan opens the old book Ming gave him, he finds its pages blank, and on the soundtrack we hear, 'The answer lies within you, Ryan'--which sounds uncannily Forcelike.

Warriors Of Virtue Movies

Warriors Of Virtue Movie Cast

On the planet of Tao, he finds Elysia and Master Chung (a Mr. Miyagi clone) helped by a group of five creatures who look like kangaroos but behave like a cross between Power Rangers and Ninja Turtles. The kangaroos represent the elemental forces of fire, metal, wood, water and earth. (The movie informs us these forces are more powerful than 'guns, lasers . . . morphing.') As the evil Komodo schemes to drop the Roo-Warriors through a trapdoor into death by spinning blades, only Ryan can save the day--if he can wrest the book from the scheming little person Mudlap (Michael John Anderson).

Warriors Of Virtue Movie Scenes

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Warriors of Virtue is a great title. Unfortunately, it's not a great movie. Full Review Original Score: 1.5/4 Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times. January 1, 2000 The movie looks better than it plays. At the Lifespring, Ryan becomes the pupil of the sage Master Chung (Chao Li Chi), and befriends his disciples, the titular Warriors of Virtue: a small set of martial-arts champions, of a species resembling anthropomorphic kangaroos; whereof Yun (Jack Tate), their former leader, is in disgrace for killing Elysia's brother by mistake, while the.