Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- campy
- witty
- uplifting
- 1980s nostalgia night
- cult movie night
What critics said
Critics and later commentators broadly regard the film as an entertaining, nostalgic, deliberately cheesy martial-arts musical whose Black hero and cult energy stand out despite dated execution.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Leroy Green drives the quest, defeats the principal martial-arts antagonists, and embodies the film's reversal of conventional Asian-action stereotypes.
The plot intertwines martial-arts training and combat with Laura Charles's singing career, music promotion, and energetic 1980s presentation.
Leroy seeks the final level known as the glow and learns that internal strength and spiritual control are essential to overcoming stronger opponents.
Sho'nuff's theatrical persona, exaggerated villains, jive-inflected dialogue, and absurd martial-arts mythology create an intentionally oversized comic tone.
Films like The Last Dragon, and why
Enter the Dragon
shared martial arts spectacle, comic bravado, and stylized hero-versus-villain mythology
Black Belt Jones
shared black action-hero focus, urban setting, music-driven energy, and blaxploitation lineage
The Karate Kid
shared playful martial arts choreography, fish-out-of-water humor, and exaggerated villainy
Big Trouble in Little China
shared cult sensibility, musical interludes, comic-book action, and heightened 1980s style
Movie Details
- Director
- Michael Schultz
- Release Date
- 1985-03-22
- Runtime
- 109 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (302)
Cast
- Taimak
- Vanity
- Christopher Murney
- Julius Carry
- Faith Prince
- Leo O'Brien
- Mike Starr
- Jim Moody
- Glen Eaton
- Ernie Reyes Jr.
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Sony Pictures Core Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Last Dragon about?
- A Harlem martial-arts prodigy pursues spiritual mastery while battling flamboyant rivals and rescuing a singer in a joyous 1980s kung-fu fantasia.
- What is The Last Dragon like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Last Dragon as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Last Dragon violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in The Last Dragon as moderate.
- What did critics think of The Last Dragon?
- Critics and later commentators broadly regard the film as an entertaining, nostalgic, deliberately cheesy martial-arts musical whose Black hero and cult energy stand out despite dated execution.
- Which films are like The Last Dragon?
- Films with a similar feel include Enter the Dragon, Black Belt Jones, The Karate Kid, and Big Trouble in Little China.
- How long is The Last Dragon?
- The Last Dragon runs 109 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Last Dragon?
- In United States, The Last Dragon streams on Sony Pictures Core Amazon Channel.
