“What if Power Rangers, but dark(ish)?” Such seemed to be the question posed by Aaron Schoenke when he set about creating Legend of the White Dragon with his co-director Sean Schoenke and co-writer Alex Kellerman, even going so far as to reunite the cast of that show in roles of varying importance. It’s actually not a bad idea, promising a blast of cheesy fun for fans of the series. Alas, it only really delivers on the cheesy part.

Treasure hunter Erik Reed (Jason David Frank in his final role) is also a superhero known as The White Dragon, thanks to a magical crystal that found its way into his possession. After losing a battle to villain Ashtagor that left his home city in ruins and scores of citizens dead, he found himself blamed by the public for the devastation and forced into hiding, leaving his wife Rebecca (Cerina Vincent) and daughter Ashley (Frank’s real-life daughter Jenna Frank) to wonder if he was even still alive.

With the White Dragon out of the picture crime is running rampant, but Mayor Trevon Sterns (David Ramsey) is using the city’s resources to continue to try and find the missing man, with pharmaceutical CEO and major campaign donor Jai Katua (Schoenke, in a role that sees him all too eager to remove his clothing) urging him on. Katua’s expectant wife was killed in the aforementioned fight, now blandly named “Dark Day”, and he has spent the ensuing years plotting his revenge, insisting that the White Dragon is still out there and that he will be the one to take him down.

Inevitably, the Police manage to locate Reed, sending him on the run with the help of his old treasure hunting teammates Connor (Jason Faunt) and Iris (Rachele Brooke Smith). With several enemies on his tail, Reed will need to restore his powers quickly if he hopes to be reunited with his family and keep the world safe.

Schoenke’s previous work as a stuntman means that the fight sequences are well choreographed and nicely staged, and while the acting is never what anyone would call “good”, everyone involved at least appears to be enjoying themselves. Unfortunately, after a promising enough opening sequence, Legend of the White Dragon quickly becomes remarkably dull. Major pacing problems mean that those impressive action moments are far too infrequent and the 1990s-syndicated-TV-show level special effects, while occasionally charming, detract from much of what transpires.

With numerous double crosses and twists, Schoenke seems to think he’s crafting the next Infernal Affairs, but there is so much unnecessary exposition and padding one is forced to sit through to get there that it’s hard to care by the time any of it happens. And the final showdown between Reed and Katua proves shockingly deflating, with an abrupt and unsatisfying resolution akin to Batman v Superman‘s. Aside from the rare fight scenes and a few moments of unintentional comedy, there is little to recommend here for all but the most diehard Power Rangers fans. ½

Rated R for some violence. The film also contains some strong language, sexual content, thematic material, and drug use that the MPA has chosen to ignore for whatever reason, possibly boredom.