A man of God becomes a new unexpected type of hero in this amazingly instant cult classic.
Pastor Doug Jones finds himself in the biggest shock of his life when he watched his parents killed in an explosion. Asking why God took his parents away, he decides to go on a spiritual quest and finds himself in China. After witnessing the death of a young woman, upon her dying breath, Doug is cut from the tooth of a mythical creature known as the Dragon Warrior. Upon returning home, Doug finds himself slowly transforming one night and when he confronts a criminal about to assault a prostitute, Doug fully transforms into a dinosaur and kills the criminal.
Awakening back to normal the next day, Doug has learned that nightmare is actually a reality. Carol, the prostitute he saved, attempts to convince Doug to use his new power to fight crime. At first, Doug is unsure. That is until, he learns the identity of his parents’ murderers and after killing the murderer, decides to use his newfound powers for the good of man. However, a band of ninjas are responsible for all the crime that has occurred in the city as they collect the money. When they learn of the Dragon Warrior’s presence, they decide to hatch a plan to stop Doug and to keep the cash going. Meanwhile, Doug finds himself conflicted between good and evil. Will he be able to overcome his own issues and become a new type of hero?
This film has quite an interesting history. While in film school, writer and director Brendan Steere came up with the concept of a priest who turns into a dinosaur-like creature and uses his powers to kill criminals. Sounds like an insane concept one would expect from perhaps the Troma factory. However, Steere’s short film “trailer” went viral and Steere finally has decided to make his concept into a feature and adds another insane trend to the B-movie: ninjas! When all else fails, add ninjas!
Gregory James Cohan is great as the titular VelociPastor, Doug Jones. A follower of God, Cohan plays Doug as a man questioning God at first after the death of his parents and what his destiny will be when he is endowed with new powers, one that turns him into a dinosaur. At first, he is scared about his powers, thinking that it was just a nightmare. However, we see Cohan give Doug a sense of confidence as he uses his powers to fight off criminals.
Alyssa Kempinski brings excellent support in the role of Carol, a prostitute who finds redemption in herself by convincing Doug to use his new powers for the greater good. Yes, Doug may be breaking the “Thou Shalt Not Kill” commandment, but it’s because according to him, some people are beyond help. The film has some insane twists and turns especially when towards the ends, Steere must have been totally influenced by another cult classic, Miami Connection with replacing the taekwondo band with the titular character.
The VelociPastor is an instant cult classic that has to be seen for fans of the insane. A great idea that has its influences from other cult classics. The 70-minute running time is totally worth it.
WFG RATING: B+
Wild Eye Releasing presents a Hollow Tree Pictures production. Director: Brendan Steere. Producers: Brendan Steere, Jesse Gouldsbury, and Brendan Tayloer. Writer: Brendan Steere. Cinematography: Jesse Gouldsbury. Editing: Brendan Steere.
Cast: Gregory James Cohan, Alyssa Kempinski, Daniel Steere, Yang Jiechang, Aurelio Voltaire, Jesse Turits, George Schewnzer, Janice Young, Fernando Pacheco de Castro.
Wild Eye Releasing is unleashing the film on DVD and Digital on August 13.
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