With some many independent films trying so hard to push the limits of good taste it is refreshing to see one that targets the family audience. ‘Adventures of Johnny Tao’ is a delightful, family friendly romp that is just fun to watch. It harkens back to the old fashion action serials that we baby boomers used to watch in the neighborhood movie theater on Saturday afternoon. There is nothing that the parents have to be afraid of here. The action is all age appropriate for the PG-13 rating. Of course, that means some of the action may be too intense for the youngest members of your family. This is also a movie that the parents can watch while sitting next to the kids. Too often adults just plop the kids in front of a video and go about other matters. With this flick you will want to make some popcorn and sit down next to them. It does appear that new Indy film makers are drawn to the easier genres like splash and gash horror flicks. After all you really don’t need much in the way of a story; if you have a few buckets of fake blood, some rubber guts and an actress willing to disrobe the flick pretty much shoots itself. In the case of this movie the opposite tack is taken. There is an effort that is obvious that the cast and crew put forward to make the best possible film they could considering the limitations of time and budget. To put this into perspective this film is recorded as costing about $1 million. The average Saturday night original flick shown on the Sci-Fi channel is five times that. A million may sound like a lot but it wouldn’t cover the catering on some big budget sets. This cast and crew come across as having the old ‘lets put on a show’ attitude’ and that in itself makes this move worth while to view.

It helps a lot if the writer and director have some experience with the type of film they are trying to create. Often this experience doesn’t have to be director and writing; association with the genre is helpful if they are smart enough to examine the process. This seems to be the case with Kenn Scott. He is a newcomer to direction and script writing but this film is a very good first outing. He did have a family comedy short that he directed in 1999 but this is his initial screenplay. His familiarity with the family action flick started in 1990 when Scott when he performed stunt work doubling for the titular turtles. He then moved on to the role of Raphael in the sequel. This put him in the middle of things and the man certainly paid attention to the director and writers. His script here is imaginative and not overly complicated. There is just enough of a story to establish the world around the characters but not so much that exposition gets in the way. The danger is not so explicit that the kids will have nightmares. It is more like the old TV show ‘The Green Hornet’ with highly stylized and choreographing fight scenes. The younger set will really get into it and although adults may think it looks too staged you will not complain. The story pulls you in so that little things like this really don’t matter too much. As a director Scott gets into things almost immediately and maintains the pace throughout the movie. There are a few dead spots but not enough to detract too much from the enjoyment. The only downside and faults the film has are technical in nature. Considering Scott is new sitting in the big chair it is forgivable. A new director has to learn and this is the way you do it; trying things out. The bottom line is you can get caught up with the characters and situations so that the technical missteps are not really important. Besides, how many 14 year boys are going to turn to their dads and complain about the over choreography of the fight sequence; it is far more likely his reaction will be ‘cool’.

The movie starts off with a voice explaining that a long time ago a demon descend to earth intent on consuming everything in its path and devouring the souls of man. The only way to defeat this creature of evil is the Dragon Spear. This weapon was carved from an ancient forest and possesses a purity that is overwhelming to the demon. As with any weapon a lot depend on the one who wields it. The next scene is an epic battle between the holder of the spear and the demon. During the battle the spear is broken, the wooden shaft flying off in the distance and the metal point stabbing and mortally wounding both combatants. Before he dies the hero crawls over to a basket hidden nearby. In it is a baby and before he dies the warrior places his bracelet in the basket so the infant will never forget his power. An old man comes over and seeing that his master is dead turns to care for the baby.

We then are moved nine hundred years in time to the present. Johnny Dao (Matthew Twining) is a young man with no particular ambition. His father, Jimmy (Jason London) was a musician who is a local legend due to is one hit record. Johnny works at the town’s gas station and supplements his meager income by charging tourist to see his father’s electric guitar. It is shaped like a dragon’s head and word is it was carved from an ancient spear his father discovered in the carter formed by a meteorite. In his ample spare time Johnny likes to practice martial arts while watching old Bruce Lee flicks. His friend and roommate in the little trailer they live in is Eddie (Matt Mullins). He is a little too into conspiracies involving aliens taking over the earth and won’t speak to Johnny unless he gives the password. One day Eddie is excited over something he found in the desert. Johnny recognizes as a distributor cap for his truck and trades them some sodas for it. Meanwhile a young woman, Mika (Chris Yen) wearing the jade bracelet is making a deal with some shady characters for what they claim is half of the spear. She examines it and decides it is not what she wants. The men feel that she still owes them a ‘service charge’ but Mika is not willing to pay. The main hood’s two henchmen, dressed in electric blue suits attack her but she easily defeats them. Eventually Eddie does come across the real second half of the spear and becomes enslaved by the demon he releases. Johnny has to join forces with Mika to defeat the demon and is requisite hordes and keeping out of the way of a biker demon hunter.

The flick is fun to watch and deserves a chance to take its place in your collection. The DVD is released by MTI who always are on the look out for the strange and often unheard of Indy films like this one.