D: Michael Ritchie
Paramount (Edward S. Feldman & Robert D.
Wachs)
USA 🇺🇸 1986
94 mins
Comedy/Fantasy
W: Dennis Feldman
DP: Donald E. Thorin
Ed: Richard A. Harris
Mus: Michel Colombier
Eddie Murphy (Chandler Jarrell), Charles Dance (Sando
Nanspa), J.L. Reate (The Golden Child), Charlotte Lewis (Kee Nang), Victor Wong (The Old Man)
Hot on the heels of Indiana Jones & The Temple Of
Doom and Big Trouble In Little China comes another adventure-fantasy with an Oriental inspiration, starring Eddie Murphy as a social worker on the search for a mysterious Dalai Lama-like
child with the power to bring peace throughout the world.
The main problem with this film is that it can't
decide which genre to commit to and winds up a complete hodge-podge with an annoyingly smug performance from Murphy rather than an enchanting one. Product placement also seems rather
forcibly shoed into the plot as well, especially in the scene with the dancing Pepsi can. Some people with nostalgic sensibilities might still enjoy it, and that's cool, but even as a kid
I found this movie average at best.
5/10