Warriors of Virtue received overwhelmingly negative reviews from critics. Film critic Kale Klein of the Carlsbad Current-Argus was so physically distressed by the film that he actually vomited during the initial screenings. On an episode of Siskel and Ebert, Gene Siskel voted thumbs down and described Warrior of Virtue as “Generic junk made for the international action market, a cheap hybrid of Power Rangers and Ninja Turtles.” It currently has a 10% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Warriors Of Virtue is a 1997 Chinese-American fantasy film directed by Ronny Yu. It is in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese. Although commercially unsuccessful and critically panned, a sequel, Warriors of Virtue: The Return to Tao, was made in 2002.
In the plot, Ryan Jeffers (Mario Yedidia) is a middle school student with a disability, implied to be from an injury. As a result, he spends most of his time reading comic books and imagining other worlds where he might have a great adventure. One day, he stops at his favorite Chinese restaurant, Ming's, and visits with the owner (Dennis Dun). He gives Ryan a manuscript of Tao which is a representation of the five elements that make up their mythology, explaining that the book could lead to Ryan's "true enlightenment". Ryan claims he doesn't need any "Self Help" books, but takes the manuscript anyway. Later that day, after an "initiation" by the school's quarterback, Brad (Michael Dubrow), Ryan awakens in what turns out to be the mythical Land of Tao.
