Journey with the New Generation of Heroes in Dragon Nest: Warriors’ Dawn

Dragon Nest is a celebrated free MMORPG that stole audiences’ attention all over the globe. With the ability to choose which character to suit your personality (and best customize to your liking too), players can undergo different adventures and go on quests with objectives to achieve the highest level. Due to the undying popularity of this video game, developers were prompt to make a movie adaptation. Here, the first from the supposedly trilogy franchise, Dragon Nest: Warriors’ Dawn was born.

Dragon Nest: Warriors’ Dawn official movie banner

DN: Warriors’ Dawn, formerly called as Rising of the Black Dragon, is set in Altera, where humans and elves are living separate peaceful lives. Until beasts (evil creatures) started to invade the once calm land with threats of rising the all powerful black dragon. Lambert, the clumsy, average main character of the story, goes on a quest with a party of legendary heroes to find the black gem in order to not disrupt the black dragon from its slumber and fall prey to its onslaught. Of course, with all adventure animated movies, the journey never goes on smoothly.

Story plot-wise, the players of Dragon Nest would rejoice to find out how this movie came close to the game’s story. Appearance of some NPCs, effectively animated landscapes and exercising of skills from different character classes are enough to make the players of the game watch with familiarity. The battle scenes are commendable and the details the artists focused on the animation is also unbelievably beautiful. The color, even strands of hair, and art make the movie as seemingly lifelike as much as possible. If you’re into Final Fantasy-esque animation details, DN: Warriors’ Dawn does not disappoint. Even at the fight scenes, the male characters have achingly gorgeous hair flips that make the female characters in the film a little left-out.

Screen cap of Gerrant and Lambert in Dragon Nest: Warriors’ Dawn

With regard to the detailed animation and superb 3D, some of the scenes appear a bit confusing and distracting. There were too many things happening simultaneously that keeping up with the pace of each battle scene makes you feel you missed something important. The humor was also little bit lost in the film and sounded forced. Although, since the movie is for general patronage and targeted for younger audience (and judging from boisterous laughter heard inside the cinema), it worked its magic to young hearts. Somehow watching a hero defeat evil and get the girl in the end makes it a bit cliche on the part. The romance between the hero – Lambert – and his love interest, Liya, looks uncalled for. The movie would standalone with the story line regardless of who gets who in the end, but the love made a huge character development for Lambert, so to speak.

All in all, Dragon Nest: Warriors’ Dawn is a good rendition of old school RPG complete with sorcery, magical creatures, and a hero’s adventure that solely points to a showdown to defeat evil. It makes you want to come back to your childhood days where good wins over evil on a daily basis and that it’s possible to be your own hero.

It’s a wonderful film to watch – players and non-players alike – with your whole family. The central themes of the film revolving around bravery, friendship, and that with the right focus and motivation, you can achieve the impossible.

Catch Dragon Nest: Warriors’ Dawn on March 18 in cinemas near you.