3 gibbles out of 5

Director: Kenn Scott

A young martial arts practitioner in a small town must suddenly rise to the occasion when his friend is over-taken by an old, evil spirit which plans to consume the world. Adventures of Johnny Tao is not a brand-spanking new concept, nor is its execution anything awe-inspiring. However, the people putting together the movie wanted to make an older style action film, that kind of ridiculous, silly, goofy, ninja-filled movie that was still kid friendly. And in this sense the movie succeeds.

All of the actors bring a certain charm to their roles, with the lead being impressive for coming across as believably everyday. No one is super-ripped or an amazing martial artist, and even the doofy police character ends up with redeeming characteristics. In short, this is exactly the kind of movie I would have watched at 8 or 9 and probably thought it was awesome, but is still enjoyable today. It’s definitely silly, but not dumbed down at the same time.