Spider-Man: The Dragon's Challenge

Spider-Man: The Dragon's Challenge
United Kingdom theatrical release poster.
Directed by	Ron Satlof
Written by	Lionel E. Siegel
Screenplay by	Lionel E. Siegel
Starring	Nicholas Hammond Rosalind Chao Robert F. Simon Benson Fong Ellen Bry
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures Television
Release date	May 9, 1981 (1981-05-09)
Running time	90 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$6 million

Spider-Man: The Dragon's Challenge is a 1981 American live-action made-for-television superhero film that had a theatrical release abroad, a composite of the 1979 two-parter episode "The Chinese Web" of the contemporary television show The Amazing Spider-Man, released, theatrically, on 9 May 1981. It was directed by Ron Satlof, written by Robert Janes and stars Nicholas Hammond as the titular character, Rosalind Chao, Robert F. Simon, Benson Fong, and Ellen Bry. The film was preceded by the 1977 film Spider-Man and Spider-Man Strikes Back.

Plot

Min Lo Chan, the Chinese Minister of Industrial Development, who happens to be an old college friend of J. Jonah Jameson, flees China and comes to the United States to locate three men who during the war approached him and offered him money for secrets about Mao Zedong, which he refused at the time. He stays with his daughter, Emily Chan who lives in New York City. But now it appears the incident is being investigated and he needs to find one of them quickly in order to verify his innocence.

He asks Mr. Jameson to help him find them, but he wants it done quietly because it seems that there are elements who want him convicted, so Jameson asks Peter Parker to talk to three ex-Marines on his behalf, but also to find them discreetly. However, it seems one of those elements is an industrialist, Zeider, who is among the ones being considered to build a power plant for the Chinese Government that is worth one billion dollars, and the industrialist knows that the official is considering another company but if he's convicted he knows that his successor will award the contract to him. So he sends Clyde Evans to make sure he doesn't find his witnesses or make sure he doesn't return to China alive.

As Spider-Man, Peter saves Min's life several times. Then Peter gets a line of the last of the Marines needed to clear Min's name, Professor Dent, who agrees to help. Along with Min, Peter and his own niece Emily, he flies to Hong Kong to testify. However, Zeider has Dent kidnapped to ensure his silence. With Emily's help, Spider-Man traces the kidnappers to Zeider. He captures Zeider, ensuring the safety of Dent's life. He then proceeds to prove Min's innocence.

Cast

• Nicholas Hammond – Spider-Man / Peter Parker
• Robert F. Simon – J. Jonah Jameson
• Rosalind Chao – Emily Chan
• Benson Fong – Min Lo Chan
• Richard Erdman – Zeider
• Ellen Bry – Julie Masters
• Chip Fields – Rita Conway
• John Milford – Professor Dent
• Hagan Beggs – Clyde Evans
• George Cheung – Doctor Pai
• Ted Danson – Major Collings
• Myron Healey – Lieutenant Olson
• Anthony Charnota – Quinn
• Tony Clark – Joe

Release and reception

The film was theatrically released in European territories on 3 February 1981 and in Australia where it screened at the Pix theatre among others, distributed by Hoyts. It received a VHS release in 1982.

External links

• Spider-Man at IMDb