Review | Film review: The Warrior’s Gate – Luc Besson’s energetic fantasy plays squarely into white saviour narrative
Besson wrote and produced this relic from a time when Asian stereotypes passed by almost unchecked, although its boundless energy almost salvages it – almost
2/5 stars
An American teenager must use his online gaming skills to protect a beautiful Chinese princess in this outdated yet inoffensive fantasy adventure written and produced by Luc Besson, responsible for numerous low-budget action movies with Asian elements, including The Transporter, Danny the Dog and Lucy .
Essentially a rehash of ’80s favourite The Last Starfighter with a martial arts spin, director Matthias Hoene’s The Warrior’s Gate plays like a relic from a bygone era, when broad Asian stereotypes were commonplace and went largely unchecked.
A Chinese warrior, Zhao (Mark Chao Yu-ting of Young Detective Dee ), emerges from an antique urn in the bedroom of high-schooler Jack (Uriah Shelton), believing the boy to actually be his online gaming persona, The Black Knight. Jack is tasked with guarding Su Lin (Ni Ni), a princess being hunted by a marauding army of barbarians. When she is captured, Jack must follow her back to ancient China with Zhao, where they encounter all manner of magical and mystical adversaries.
