WARRIORS OF VIRTUE

Starring Mario Yedida, Dennis Dun and Chao-Li Chi Directed by Ronny Yu Rated PG, with fantasy-action violence and some foul language Running time 102 minutes We give this film a rating of 5 out of 10

(May 2, 1997) -- Warriors of Virtue aims to capture Power Rangers fans -- that is, very young children -- with kung-fu fighting kangaroos and Taoist values.

Set in a crunchy-granola fantasyland, the movie presents five high-kicking 'roos who represent benevolence, wisdom, order, loyalty and righteousness.

Good qualities all, of course, but perhaps a mite too sophisticated for 5-year-olds. Young viewers are more likely to be attracted to the warriors' symbols -- water, earth, metal, fire and wood; to the human child-hero, Ryan Jeffers; and to the violence.

Played by Mario Yedida (Jack, James and the Giant Peach), Ryan is a smart kid with a big imagination and a leg brace (worn, for some reason, on the outside of his baggy jeans), who longs for acceptance by bigger, cooler kids.

Dennis Dun (Big Trouble in Little China) is impressive in his too-brief role as a Chinese cook who practices kung fu at the wok and befriends Ryan. He urges the boy to seek self-knowledge and gives him an ancient book about Tao.

Ryan foolishly accepts a dare from a loud-mouthed bully and ends up swept into a whirlpool that takes him to a dark, watery place that looks a lot like Yoda's home planet in The Empire Strikes Back. The locals are under the thumb of a maniacal despot called Komodo (Angus Macfadyen) who guzzles a mineral found in the local "lifesprings," which are running dry.

Ryan makes friends with a treacherous woman (Marley Shelton), and with the magical old master, played by Chao-Li Chi (The Joy Luck Club), who finally introduces him to the Warriors. They're having their own crisis, as it happens, since one broke the sacred vow never to take a life.

He gets over it, however, as the boy and the 'roos take on Komodo's swarming armies in time for Ryan to learn all the requisite lessons: Drugs are bad; protect natural resources; watch out for peer pressure; don't trust sexy women; and, most important, kick heads when the chips are down.

In the end, despite its spiritual pretensions, Warriors of Virtue offers kids pretty much what they've been getting from the combat-happy Power Rangers. The costumes may be different, but the flying fists remain the same.