Spider-Man: The Dragon's Challenge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Spider-Man: The Dragon's Challenge |
|
|---|---|
British theatrical release poster
|
|
| Directed by | Don McDougall |
| Produced by | Lionel E. Siegel |
| Written by | Lionel E. Siegel |
| Starring | Nicholas Hammond Rosalind Chao Robert F. Simon Benson Fong Ellen Bry |
| Music by | Dana Kaproff |
| Cinematography | Vincent A. Martinelli |
| Editing by | Erwin Dumbrille Fred Roth |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures Television (United States) Columbia Pictures (International) |
| Release date(s) | February 3, 1981 (Europe) May 9, 1981 (worldwide) |
| Running time | 96 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Spider-Man: The Dragon's Challenge is an exciting superhero movie from 1981. It was shown in movie theaters in many countries outside the United States. This film was actually made from two episodes of The Amazing Spider-Man TV show, called "The Chinese Web," which first aired in 1979.
The movie was directed by Don McDougall and written by Lionel E. Siegel. It stars Nicholas Hammond as the amazing Spider-Man, also known as Peter Parker. Other main actors include Rosalind Chao, Robert F. Simon, Benson Fong, and Ellen Bry. This film is a follow-up to two earlier Spider-Man movies: Spider-Man (1977) and Spider-Man Strikes Back (1978).
Spider-Man: The Dragon's Challenge was the last Spider-Man movie released in theaters internationally for a long time. No new Spider-Man films came out until Sony Pictures got the rights in 1999. Then, a new Spider-Man movie was released in 2002.
The Dragon's Challenge Story
The story begins with Min Lo Chan, an important official from China. He is an old friend of J. Jonah Jameson, Peter Parker's boss. Min Lo Chan travels to the United States because he needs to find three men. These men had tried to get secret information from him during a past conflict, but he refused. Now, Min Lo Chan needs to find one of them quickly to prove he did nothing wrong.
Min Lo Chan stays with his niece, Emily Chan, in New York City. He asks Mr. Jameson for help to find these men quietly. This is because some people want to make Min Lo Chan look bad. So, Jameson asks Peter Parker to find the three former soldiers and talk to them carefully.
Meanwhile, in Hong Kong, a rich businessman named Charles Zeider wants to build a huge power plant for the Chinese government. Min Lo Chan is considering another company for this big project. Zeider knows that if Min Lo Chan is discredited, he might lose the contract. Because of this, Zeider sends a man named Clyde Evans to stop Min Lo Chan from returning to China and testifying.
Spider-Man, who is secretly Peter Parker, steps in to help. He saves Min Lo Chan from dangerous situations several times. During one of these risky moments, Min Lo Chan becomes ill and needs to stay in the hospital. To trick Clyde Evans, the Daily Bugle newspaper prints a false story saying that Min Lo Chan has passed away.
Peter finally finds the last person needed to help Min Lo Chan, a man named Professor Dent. Professor Dent agrees to help clear Min Lo Chan's name, and his own. Peter, Emily, and Professor Dent fly to Hong Kong so Dent can share what he knows. But Zeider has Professor Dent taken away to prevent him from speaking.
While chasing the people who took Professor Dent, Emily accidentally discovers that Peter Parker is actually Spider-Man! With Emily's help, Spider-Man tracks Professor Dent to Zeider's secret office. It is located high up in a building. Spider-Man fights Zeider's helpers, captures Zeider, and rescues Professor Dent. After everything is resolved, Peter Parker returns to the United States. Emily decides to stay in China and promises Peter she will keep his secret identity safe.
Meet the Characters
Here are the main actors and the characters they play in Spider-Man: The Dragon's Challenge:
- Nicholas Hammond as Spider-Man / Peter Parker
- Robert F. Simon as J. Jonah Jameson
- Rosalind Chao as Emily Chan
- Benson Fong as Min Lo Chan
- Richard Erdman as Charles Zeider
- Ellen Bry as Julie Masters
- Chip Fields as Rita Conway
- John Milford as Professor Dent
- Hagan Beggs as Clyde Evans
- George Cheung as Doctor Pai
- Ted Danson as Major Collings
- Myron Healey as Lieutenant Olson
- Anthony Charnota as Quinn
- Tony Clark as Joe
When the Movie Came Out
Spider-Man: The Dragon's Challenge first appeared in movie theaters in Europe on February 3, 1981. It also played in Australia, for example, at the Pix theatre. The company Hoyts helped distribute the film there. Later, in 1982, the movie was released on VHS tapes for people to watch at home.
