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May 02, 2011dmarkwind rated this title 1 out of 5 stars
For adult viewers without young children, this direct-to-DVD release doesn't have a lot to offer. It doesn't even live up to its cover art - who is that red-headed kid on the cover? (he's not in the movie) and one could only wish the dragon of the movie was as cool and beefy as that one looks. The dragon from the Jane and Dragon TV series is more impressive than what you get here. I found this comparable to a made-for-TV movie at best with a lame storyline, second-rate acting, and poor special effects. The story is about a trio of high-school (although they seem much more junior highish to me) nerds led by a kid named Arthur who are rescued from the local bullies by a magical troll who knows Arthur somehow holds the secret to defeat an evil dragon. There's a story thread about how a card game the kids enjoy is really a history of magic, which in this universe is potion-based. The "big stars" here are Lea Thompson and Wendie Malick. In her 20s, Thompson was a bonafide star, headlining real big-budget efforts like the Back to the Future trilogy, All the Right Moves, Red Dawn, and many others. In the 1990's, her Caroline in the City series enjoyed a popular five-year run. But now in her 50's, Thompson's playing a clueless and tired mom reduced to spewing a bunch of angry one-liners. Malick's performance here recalls her cardboard delivery as Nina Van Horn in the old Just Shoot Me series and she's just as annoying here. She plays a meglomanical vice principal (we never see the actual principal) who somehow has authority over custody issues and criminal matters. The film's troll, who is named Bart, is played by Richard Sellers, who sports blue makeup and talks in a barely understandable Donald Duckish voice. Throughout the movie, Sellers never gets to stand fully upright as he's always hunched over to appear shorter than his younger costars. The film's other grownup is Eric Lutes, whose previous credits include a co-starring role on Caroline in the City, a part in a Weird Al Yankovic video, playing the Olsen twins' dad in two different TV movies, as well as a slew of other TV appearances. Here he's a washed up video game guru who invented the card game the kids love and who is the first adult to believe their story. The bottom line is Adventures of a Teenage Dragonslayer is very much for kids and if you're over 10 or don't look at it very critically, you might enjoy it, but I sure didn't.