Howdy all! I know it's been awhile since my last post, but I've finally had some free time to sit down and watch a movie for you all! Today, I'll be reviewing Super Cop. If there's one thing Jackie Chan likes doing, it's doing cop movies with action. Let's get to the review!
Super Cop!
This is the third Police Story movie, but I guess Jackie Chan wanted even more ridiculous plots and stories going on in this movie. It's good, and the action's intense as usual, but unfortunately, this movie does have its flaws.
The Plot:
Kevin Chan or Ka-Kui (in the Cantonese version) is volunteered to join the Interpol in stopping a crime boss/ drug lord. He's sent undercover to gain the trust of Panther, said crime boss, and stop whatever Panther and his older brother are planning. His partner, Jessica Yang (played by Michelle Yeoh) joins Kevin and helps him on his mission. However, their cover is blown and the game plan has changed. Will Chan and Yang make it out alive, or will they fail? Find out on the next episode of Dragon Ball Z!!! Kidding.
Since there are two martial artists....Michelle Yeoh.
The Good: The action. Obviously. Jackie Chan movies always impress with the stunts and action sequences. Even Michelle Yeoh delivers quite a punch with her screen time. And, since it's a Police Story movie, there are parts that are quite humorous.The scene above for example, when Jessica tosses the chop sticks, then Kevin does the same except, he yells, "Die!" while pointlessly throwing the chop sticks. The story's not too bad, it's got some good dialogue and some parts of said story give you an adrenaline rush. The end action scene is pretty wicked awesome too. It involves a train, a helicopter and a motorcycle. You'll have to see the movie for more details though. Oh, and Jessica Yang. She's strong, useful and very independent. Heck, most of her ideas actually help out the mission more than Kevin's do. Jessica Yang is awesome and props to Michelle Yeoh.
The Bad: Now, this isn't for all of the movie, but Kevin (who has a girlfriend as stated in this movie and the last two Police Stories) is a bit of a chauvinistic jerk. When Kevin first meets Jessica, he starts hitting on her! What the hell? Dude, you have a girlfriend! I know Jessica is pretty, but sheesh. Thankfully, Jessica doesn't fall for this and treats him like a kid. The drug plot (again). I swear, every time I watch a 90's movie with Jackie Chan in it, there's always drugs involved or some mustache twirling villain with a stereotypical evil occupation. Don't get me wrong, but come up with some new material man! Kevin's girlfriend. Oh, look, May is back and she's being silly again! I've already said my thoughts on May in Police Story, and I'll say them again. May is immature, stupid and surprise, surprise, ruining whatever job Kevin is on. Spoiler: She does something to ruin this job.
Conclusion:
With that being said, Supercop is a decent film. Sure, there are flaws, but the movie makes up for that with action and cool stunts. Jackie Chan and Michelle Yeoh work off of each other really well, and it's always nice to see a girl who can kick ass and take names. I'd recommend this movie to anyone who likes the Police Story movies and Jackie Chan. Fun for the whole family!
Gambei and greetings! It's certainly been awhile since I reviewed a movie, and apologies for keeping those who read this blog waiting! I did watch a kung fu movie called The Iceman, but it was so bad I didn't want anyone to suffer as much as I did. So, I watched another one, The Forbidden Kingdom. It's more of a westerny movie, but it has kung fu, so let's take on the Jade Empire together and review!
The FORBIDDEN KINGDOM:
Despite the title, this movie has no forbidden kingdoms in it. Or, I didn't notice any. Anyways, let's check out the plot. The Plot:
Long ago, the Monkey King (legendary figure that supposedly came up with Monkey Style) disobeyed the Jade Empire and angered the Jade Warlord. The Jade Warlord (played by Collin Chou) spars the Monkey King (Jet Li) but turns him into a statue. Before the M.K. is 100% statue, he sends his magical staff away in hopes of a hero to return it to him. In the present, Jason Tripitikas (Micheal Angarano) finds the staff and is sent back to return it to it's owner. Joined by a drunk, a monk, and a girl (sounds like a set up to a bad joke) they set off on a journey to free the Monkey King. Will this band of misfits succeed or will the Jade Emperor continue his reign of terror?
The Good:
Some of the fight scenes are pretty decent. Jet Li vs. Jackie Chan was all people could talk about before the movie even came out and that was pretty awesome. Chan and Li had never been in a movie together, so this was a pretty big deal. The overlying story is pretty decent, and some of the roles were well filled. The diversity of kung fu styles was also pretty interesting. For example, there's drunken fist, praying mantis, monkey, even a few Bruce Lee blips. It's also interesting to see a westerner's point of view on the Monkey King and how the story is told.
The Bad:
Plot holes. So many plot holes. How does a jade hair pin kill an immortal? Why doesn't the Jade Emperor come back from his 500 year meditation to put an end to the tyranny of the Jade Warlord? Why does Golden Sparrow speak in 3rd person? There are too many questions asked and not enough answers. Most of the story is told like how an adult would tell a child a bedtime story (fun fact: this was a bedtime story). It's one thing to tell it to a kid, but it's another thing to tell an audience and not answer every question that's asked. There are some parts in the movie that seem pointless and redundant. Jason spends alot of time sitting around campfires flirting with Sparrow, or Jet Li and Jackie Chan are doing things to amuse the audience. It feels like there's no sense of urgency to return the staff to the Monkey King at all. I have a feeling if that our heroes sat around long enough, the Jade Emperor would return and set things right. But seriously, 500 years? Obviously, the dude wasn't meant to rule. Giving power to your oh so obviously evil lackey is just bad leadership. Let's talk about Jason for a bit. He's a flat character. He's supposed to learn about kung fu and whatnot, but doesn't seem that he learns anything. And then there's the mystical sayings, like "A student who honors his teacher honors himself." or "Master and student walk the path together until their paths go separate ways." Look, I understand that there's supposed to wisdom in these sayings, but the movie uses them way to much.
Conclusion:
The Forbidden Kingdom is pretty decent movie. There's some decent fight scenes, and the story's not too bad. Jason is a flat character and there should have been some sort of urgency during the plot. Sparrow speaking in 3rd person gets annoying, while Li and Chan keep the movie funny and light hearted. The diversity of different styles of Kung fu is always a good thing. Just watching this movie once will impress and hopefully open doors to more kung fu movies for the beginner. Side note: Don't watch Iceman. It's bad.
Kamehameha and hello! It's been awhile since I posted a review and I figured I'd give you all a break from the mass wave of movie reviews for awhile. Hopefully, you're all caught up and ready for more! Today will be a double feature review, so sit back and get ready to rumble!!
Shaolin Mantis:
Alrighty, let's talk about Shaolin Mantis first. This movie was produced by the famous Shaw Brothers, creators of 36th Chamber of Shaolin, Five Deadly Venoms, and many others. Shaolin Mantis is overall a pretty decent flick and I enjoyed watching it. Let's go to the story!
The Story:
A scholar, Wei Fung (played by David Chiang) is recruited by the Emperor to spy on a potential rebel, who might be plotting to kill said Emperor. Wei goes to the Tien manor under the guise of a teacher to tutor the Grand Master's unruly granddaughter, Chi Chi (played by Wong Hang Sau). Things become more complicated and Wei's life may be in danger. Will he be victorious, or will the Master of the Shadow style end Wei once and for all?
The Good:
I'll admit, this is a pretty cheesy kung fu movie, but it's cheesy good. The action sequences aren't all too bad for an old kung fu flick. Towards the end, it gets better because there's much more action.
The Bad:
The sound effects. I understand that this was made in the 70s and things weren't as high tech as there are now, but the amount of hitting noises were a bit overboard. There are a few fights were Wei and generic master of <insert style> lock hands and there has to be hitting noises even though the actors aren't even hitting each other. As for the sword/ metal weapons sound, they used the same pattern of ping, ping, chuang!!! over and over. <sigh> It got old fast. The story was pretty slow paced as well. Wei doesn't even do Mantis style until the last 15 minutes of the movie, which is alright, I suppose. However, he just kind of smiles and acts goofy. Chi-Chi. Why does almost every kung fu movie have to have an annoying girl? She likes kung fu, I'll give her that, but she's also too much of a show off. There should have been a scene were Wei shows her his kung fu and maybe have embarrassed her or something. I don't like Chi-Chi.
Conclusion:
Shaolin Mantis is a fun Shaw Brothers flick and I recommend that you should at least see it once. As said before, the action's not too shabby, so it's fun to watch.
3.5 mantis strikes out of 5.
13 Assassins:
This time we travel even further east to the mystical land of Japan. And instead of kung fu masters we are introduced to samurai. Now, 13 Assassins is a great movie. The story's amazing, the action is spine chilling good, and the acting is superb. All in all, 13 Assassins is probably one of my favorite samurai movies. Let's give it a look see, shall we?
The Story:
In the 1840s, a sadistic evil man, Lord Naritsugu, the Shogun's half-brother, is causing trouble and must be stopped. Sir Doi, the Shogun's Justice Minster, realizes something must be done and seeks out an ex samurai, Shinzaemon. Shinzaemon is tasked to assassinate Lord Naritsugu by any means necessary. Shinzaemon and 12 others plot a way to kill Lord Naritsugu en route to Edo before the Lord joins the Shogun's council. Will they succeed and kill this evil man? Or will their plan be all for naught and peace in Japan might end?
Above: TOTAL MASSCRE
The Good:
The whole movie. Seriously. I love everything about it. The story's compelling, the action is well done and well choreographed. The actors are convincing and make the story believable. Even the pacing of the story is well done, making you wait patiently until BAM! Action! Lots of glorious action! This movie is just...wow. It's awesome.
The Bad:
Honestly, I can't find anything bad about this movie. It's well done. Since I have to find bad things, I will nitpick. There are some dumb things these ronin (samurai no longer bound to a master) do that would make Sun Tzu facepalm. In the scene above, it's clear that these men have the tactical advantage and they could easily wipe out a few more men before running out of arrows. But no....they have to do the stupid thing and fight 130 men (even though they do this pretty successfully) with sword play. C'mon! Just whittle down the bad guys until you have the advantage! I know there's supposed to be honor and whatnot, but at least do it with less enemies! Other than that, great movie.
Conclusion:
Just see above. This movie rocks. Watch it. Seriously.
Yeah, two movie reviews in one day. And yes, this is another Tony Jaa movie. I promise to pace him out a bit more. I think this might be Tony Jaa month or something. Anyways, The Protector. Overall, a fun movie to watch, a little lacking on story and story telling, but still decent.
The Plot:
Legend tells us that back in the good ol' days, if a King had an awesome warrior elephant, he'd be unstoppable in battle. Awesome elephants did have weaknesses though, and it was the job of the Protectors to help them. These protectors were masters of Muay Thai, and they also raised the elephants for the king. Years later, Kham and his father are elephant raisers. Young Kham helps his dad raise an elephant, Por Yai. Por Yai and Kham are inseparable. One day, Por Yai, finds a mate and the two have a calf. 10 years later, Kham meets the calf, Kohrn. Kham's father take Por Yai to the elephant inspector for the King so that he may be approved for royal living. Unfortunately, this turns out to be a ruse and Kham's dad is killed. Kham chases after the men who tried to capture Por Yai, and little Korhn is captured. Kham interrogates one of the men posing as the inspector and is told the elephants have been taken to Sydney. Kham travels to Australia, looking for a man named Johnny. After many fights and searching, Kham finds Johnny, only to be beaten by his thugs. Meanwhile, the police seem to think Kham is a drug dealer and a killer (I have no idea why they thought this) and search after him. Eventually, Kham finds Johnny and defeats him. It is revealed Johnny works for a Lady Rose who runs an illegal business of selling exotic animals as food. Kham is worried Kohrn is killed, but it turns out Korhn is unharmed. Kham and Korhn seek shelter in a Buddhist temple with the help of an officer, who is also blamed for killing and drug running. (I guess Australia doesn't bother with facts and evidence, just dumb hunches) Kham fights some other guys and eventually finds Lady Rose. Lady Rose has killed Por Yai and "uses" his power to make her the ultimate leader, but Kham and his knees of awesomeness defeat Rose. Kham and Korhn head home after a hard days work.
The Good:
Tony Jaa. He kicks some much butt in this movie. It's awesome. This movie shows off his skills and stunts in all the right ways. Kohrn, the cute little elephant. That's right, that baby elephant is freakin' cute.
The Bad:
The story. I mean, I get the gist of it, but there are so many unexplained things too. Why does Lady Rose need an elephant? Why does Kham instantly get in the cops radar as soon as he enters Sydney? How come the cops are so incompetent? Is Tony Jaa a superhuman? The acting's not all that great either. Tony Jaa doesn't say much in this movie, which I would feel closer to him if he wasn't beating everything up. Dude, show some emotions, give me a reason to feel for you. Plot holes, oh so many plot holes. How did Kham find the fake inspector? How did he find Lady Rose? So many things left unexplained. I like Tony Jaa, I really do. But, if you're going to bother with a story, try to actually show it. Don't skip around and expect me to follow what's going on.
Conclusion:
This movie's good. Just not compelling story good. Tony Jaa is impressive to watch, but he needs to show more emotion and maybe talk. Don't use the martial arts as an excuse to tell a story. The fight scenes are awesome, and it wasn't a let down like Ong Bak 3. I'd suggest watching this on Netflix for a fun 90 minutes. Other than that, it's one long fight scene basically, but at least it's a awesome fight scene.
Another Jackie Chan movie? Why, yes. Besides, I'm sure you all want to see something besides Tony Jaa movies. So, today, I'll be reviewing Rumble in the Bronx. Most of Jackie Chan's movies are entertaining and fun to watch. Rumble in the Bronx is fun and one of Chan's better movies.
The Plot:
Keung (played by Chan) is a young man visiting his uncle in New York, or more accurately, the Bronx. Keung's uncle is getting married and Keung is attending, however, his uncle is also selling his grocery store to Elaine (played by Anita Mui). Keung offers to help Elaine out for a week while his uncle is on his honeymoon. One day, a local gang enters the store and one of the members is caught shoplifting. Instead of admitting of shoplifting, the member, Angelo, tries to bully Elaine. Keung defends Elaine by beating up some of the members and telling them to leave the store alone. Later that night, Keung is on his way to his uncle's apartment (Uncle Bill let Keung live there) he witnesses a mugging. Keung breaks it up, but it turns out to be a trap. While running/fighting his way through thugs, Keung becomes cornered. It turns out Angelo, and the gang leader, Tony (played by Marc Akerstream) set up the trap to beat up Keung. The gang members attack Keung by hitting glass bottles at him, injuring Keung severely. Keung manages to go to the nearest place which happens to be the girlfriend of Tony. Nancy aka Tony's girl, (played by Francoise Yip) tends to Keung's wounds because her little brother recognized Keung. Keung awakens and heads over to the store, but is attacked by Tony's gang once again. Keung escapes and heads over to Danny's (Nancy's little brother.) Danny and Keung go out, and witness a car crash. Angelo and other member arrive to the crash and find out there are diamonds. Angelo goes AWOL and the evil thugs of White Tiger search for him. Nancy eventually falls for Keung and the two begin a relationship. Angered by this, Tony and his gang tear the grocery store apart. Elaine tells Keung who did it, but she shouldn't have relied on him. Keung and Nancy go to Tony's where Keung tells the gang to change their ways. They find Angelo, and uncover the diamonds sending Keung into a spiral of undercover missions and an epic showdown between a hovercraft and a Lamborghini.
The Good:
The action. Jackie Chan movies always have entertaining fight scenes. Chan's stunts are always mind blowing and impressive to watch. I also enjoy Nancy. Yes, she's good looking, but she grows as a character and the movie shows that she's not really into the bad things that Tony does. Chan does a decent job as Keung. The movie shows us that Keung isn't some super amazing fighter who never loses, but shows us that he's vulnerable and can't always win. He's also a nice guy who stands up for what is right even if it's a little naive at times.
The Bad:
The story. Why did the movie decide to reveal to us who the real bad guys were so late in the movie? White Tiger and his goons don't come in until around the halfway mark, and it seems a little forced. I guess it's nice not to have a drug dealer, but the bad guys aren't all that imposing. Tony's gang. Bravo for Tony and his gang for not backing down, but eventually it comes to the point where Tony is trying to commit murder. The sad thing is, nobody bothers to call the cops until it's too late or they just avoid it. Is the Bronx really that bad of a place to live in? White Tiger's men. Man, these guys are dumb. For a bunch of professionals, they sure do a lot of rookie stuff. White Tiger even has to tell them how to do their job. There's two parts in the movie that show their incompetence. First, they call White Tiger up while Keung is doing undercover work for the cops. The man has to ask White Tiger what to do, since Keung mentioned Tiger. Tiger says to check for a wire. Second part, (still while Keung is undercover) they "look" for White Tiger's boat house by trying all the doors until one opens. That's literally a red flag right there. These goons are so inept, they didn't bother to check the place before Keung came? Idiots. Also, Danny's a tad bit creepy. He tells Keung how pretty his sister is several times. It's like a pimp trying to push a girl onto Keung or something. Danny's a nice kid, but the pushing your sister by acting creepy is creepy.
Conclusion:
Overall, Rumble in the Bronx is a good movie. If you like Jackie Chan movies and haven't seen this, check it out.
Hey all! Today, I'll be reviewing Ong Bak 3. Personally, I didn't like this movie much. It was a weak ending to a fairly decent trilogy. The story was bland and the action wasn't as good as the previous movie. It did answer some questions from the previous movie, however, more questions were left unanswered.
The Story:
Previously on Ong Bak: Tien, a son of a noble, was trained by a group of outlaws to become the ultimate warrior. Once his training was complete, Tien went to seek revenge on Lord Rajasena but failed due to his bad karma. Rajasena captures Tien and has his soldiers nearly beat Tien to death. Rajasena proclaims Tien to be executed, however, a messenger from the King (yeah, apparently ol Raja isn't the king) announces Tien a free man. Tien is taken to a village to be healed, but assassins attempt to take his life once more. Tien is saved, and continues on his healing process. Father Bua, a monk, says that Tien is cursed from his bad karma and will always have a short life. The villagers, and Tien's friend/ love interest, Pim (played by Primorata Dejudom) pray for his bad karma to go away so Tien may be curse free. Meanwhile, Lord Rajasena begins to experience hallucinations and insanity due the fact he has been cursed. A crow, Bhuti, says that he can remove the curse if Rajasena comes to his temple. Bhuti's true intentions are shown when Raja arrives and the crow decapitates Rajasena. Bhuti becomes the new lord and ruler. Back at the village, Tien begins to meditate and remove his bad karma, but he is attacked by Bhuti's men. Tien defeats them, but finds out that the village had been burned down and the villagers have become slaves. Tien goes off to defeat Bhuti and free the villagers.
Tien and Prim dancing together.
The Good:
Honestly? Not much. There's too many things going on at once at it's hard to keep up most of the time. The action's okay for the most part.
The Bad:
The story. The characters. Even the fight scenes are dull. I don't understand why Bhuti the crow needs to kill Rajasena, nor do I see his motivation for going after Tien. Tony Jaa barley says 12 lines in this movie. They had to get dependent of the comedic relief again, but it was over the top and predictable. As for character development, there is none. Most of the fights rely too much on slow motion and I really hate that. The only movie that pulled slo-mo was The Matrix. Slow motion never makes martial art movies look good. Never. Why did they decide to show a cursed Rajasena in the last movie? It made no sense. Overall, this movie was garbage compared to Ong Bak 2.
Conclusion:
Tony Jaa's a great martial artist, but this movie rarely showed off his skills. The plot moves slow, the story is going in too many directions, and nobody has told me what Tien did to gain bad karma. Ong Bak 3 is a flop. It's a improper send off to end a trilogy. I suggest those who want to watch the Ong Bak movies, just watch the first two. The third will leave you disappointed.
Greetings hustlers of Kung fu! Hope you had an amazing Halloween! On this day of November first, I will be reviewing Man of Tai Chi. This movie was directed by Keanu Reeves, and personally, he did a pretty acceptable job over all. This movie is a decent kung fu flick all around and I enjoyed it. Let's get to the story shall we?
Man of Tai Chi is about a man who does tai chi. End credits! Just kidding, actually, there's more to it than that. Tiger Chen is a tai chi student who is trying to control his actions, but he's quick to anger and uses force to solve his conflicts instead of being peaceful. His master warns him of the consequences he makes because of this. Donaka Mark, played by Keanu Reeves, is a millionaire who runs an illegal underground fight club. Donaka's attention is grabbed by Tiger in a kung fu tournament. Donaka takes Tiger into this under ground fighting club and pushes Tiger to his limits, trying to make innocent Tiger into a cold blooded killer. The Hong Kong Police are trying to stop Donaka's illegal fight club, but always seem to be there too late. Sung-Jing, played by Karen Mok, refuses to give up and gets to Tiger before Donaka kills again.
The Good:
Overall, the story's actually pretty decent. It's much more than a simple learn kung fu/ know kung fu revenge story. It's questioning the fact can an innocent man become a killer if he's pushed too far? Will he kill because he doesn't have control over his actions? These questions are asked in the film and I like it. The fight scenes are visually stunning and amazing to watch. Even though Tiger doesn't necessarily use Tai Chi, it's still pretty good. In some parts of the film, Keanu Reeves can be a believable bad guy, and he does a good job as the film's villain. Tiger Chen, played by Tiger Chen, does well also, playing a man who slowly becomes headed in the direction of becoming a killer until he realizes killing is well, bad. Even the scenery is pretty to look at. And the use of sexy cars like a Bugatti, Lamborghini, and Bentley, make me like this film. Seriously, look at the Bugatti:
Sexy.
The Bad:
Keanu Reeves' acting. <sigh> There are some parts where Keanu over acts and is very unconvincing which is sad because Reeves' is a decent actor. There's one scene where Tiger tells Donaka that he's done and doesn't wish to kill. Donaka laughs an evil laugh....more like forced evil laugh and it's not good. CGI car wreck. Look, I don't mind CGI. I really don't. But if it's crappy CGI, well, it just tells me "lazy worker who didn't care". If the wreck had been shorter, I wouldn't have minded, but they made the scene long enough to where you knew that it wasn't real. Also, asian mullet.
Conclusion:
Man of Tai Chi is a good film. The story's compelling, the fights are wonderful, and I like the message in the story. It's not perfect, but it's enjoyable. Check out Man of Tai Chi. Hopefully, you'll enjoy it too.
What's up fellow kung fu movie goers? Oh, and happy Halloween too. Today, I'll be reviewing Ong Bak and Ong Bak 2. I realize that these aren't kung fu movies, but they do involve martial arts, and they're definitely fun to watch. These movies star Tony Jaa, an exceptional martial artist, and all around bad ass. Let's get started shall we?
Ong Bak. Overall, this movie is fairly decent. It's got action sequences, rom- I mean, more action sequences and even more action sequences. Don't get me wrong, but this movie should have been titled, "Obstacles and people thrown at Tony Jaa and See what Happens." I like how muay thai is incorporated into this flick, but the story's sort of just lurking in the back ground. Speaking of the story, in the remote village of Ban Nong Pradu, some thugs steal the head of the Buddah statue in hopes it will make them rich. Ting, a local boy who is a master of elbows and knees (aka, Muay Thai) goes after the thieves to get the head back. On the way, he uncovers an evil scheme and brings an end to it. Oh, did I mention there were lots of action scenes? Because, 98% of the movie is Tony Jaa running around, beating people up and doing Thai boxing parkour. Not that I have a problem with this, it just feels like the story should have been more...thought out. For example, when Ong Bak's head is stolen, Ting's grandmother says the village is doomed unless the head is back. The only scene of the "doomed" village is short and pointless. Apparently, Ong Bak brings rain to the village, and if he's headless there's no rain? That's like when Scar in the Lion King took over the lion pride. Scar is so evil, apparently he causes a lush land to become a dead and lifeless because weather forgets how to work when evil is taking over. I don't recall Buddha having the power of calling forth the rain, but I digress. There should have been more scenes depicting the village going through trouble since Ong Bak isn't there. Ting does get the head back and the village is saved.
The Good:
Obviously, the action. Tony Jaa is incredible to watch, and the stuff the movie throws at him is like riding a roller coaster. Lots of excitement. Seeing Muay Thai in a movie makes it different, and also, let me tell you, Thai boxing is violent. I mean, the stuff you see in this movie makes you cringe, but at the same time, you're thinking "Man, that looks awesome, I wish I could do that." The comic relief, Mum Jokemok, plays George, a con man with bad luck, is funny and makes a few laughs along the way.
The Bad:
The story. If Ong Bak is not present in the village, no rain comes....for how long? A few weeks? Maybe a few months? I don't know. The story doesn't explain that to me. The bad guy is flat and not in the least threatening. Ting, is one dimensional, and doesn't grow or develop. In the beginning of the movie, his teacher tells him not to use Muay Thai to fight, but he ends up using it to fight. At least have him try to avoid conflicts peacefully before kneeing the baddies in the gut! Ting does the opposite of what his master and uncle tell him to, so maybe Ting's a rebel? Sticking it to the man? I don't know. There should have been more character development for Ting. And the ending is confusing. I can't tell if everyone's happy that the head's back or if there some sort of funeral parade going on.
Conclusion:
Overall, Ong Bak: Muay Thai Warrior is a fun movie. If you don't care much for a compelling story, this movie takes the cake. If you're into different types of martial arts, Ong Bak provides. Chances are, I'll keep watching this movie, just because it's fun to watch.
3.5 drunken boxers out of 5.
Ong Bak 2:
So, now we move onto the second movie of the trilogy. In this movie, we're sent back in time to the 15th century and watch the previous incarnate of Ting, Tien. Tien is the son of a noble. His parents are murdered by the power-craving Lord Rajasena. Tien barely escapes and is captured by slavers. His anger and power attract the attention of a thief who raises the boy into the ultimate warrior. Tien seeks his revenge on Rajasena, but due to his bad karma, he fails and his fate is unknown. This movie's story is much better than the first one. The action fits with the story and the characters are written better. Tony Jaa does a much better job as Tien, and no not this Tien.
Hahaha, anyways. Jaa does a better job in this role than his previous one. He's a bit more realistic and you can relate to him better. For the action, Jaa shows the audience a wider variety of martial arts than just Thai boxing. The variety includes: Silat, Kungfu, and kenjustu. He even uses a numerous amount of different weapons such as: the 3 section staff, ninjato, spear, and staff. The variety of different styles and weapons is astounding. There are bits of the movie that leave you confused, and asking questions, and if there are mystical elements to it. Let's talk about the good and bad.
The Good:
Parts of the story are decent and these parts explain the motives for Tien. You understand why he seeks revenge on Rajasena. The action is just stunning and fits in with the story, unlike the first film. The bad guy is actually a -bad- guy, not some meh dude. I also like the variety of styles incorporated into this movie as well. It gives the movie more fluidity and life into the story.
The Bad:
There's not a whole lot of bad things I can say about this movie. I guess, I'd call this nitpicking. The parts of the movie that leave you with questions instead of answers sort of bothered me. For example, Tien fails at his revenge because of his bad karma. What bad karma? From what the movie shows me, he saved a bunch of slaves, and raided some guys. Of course, those guys he raided might have been good, but I don't know that. Next up, is the final fight scene. The movie can't decide what kind of assassins need to kill Tien. First it's random baddies, then ninjas, more ninjas, a few ronin, a ring wraith (yes, I'm not kidding, I saw a honest to God ring wraith as an assassin.) and an evil samurai. Don't get me wrong, this scene is awesome, but where did all these ninja and samurai come from? The plot "twist". Now, I'll be honest, I didn't see this coming from a mile away, but when the "twist" was revealed, I wasn't surprised. It left me with more questions instead of answers.
Conclusion:
Ong Bak 2 is by far a better movie than Ong Bak. Story's good, action's still stunning, and I was left satisfied for the most part. However, this movie left me with more questions than answers. Hopefully, Ong Bak 3 will answer them.
Today, I'll be reviewing Jackie Chan's Police Story. I love watching Jackie Chan movies, because they're usually fun to watch and full of amazing stunts and fight scenes. For those who haven't seen this movie, I'll give you a brief synopsis. Jackie Chan plays as Chan Ka Kui, a Hong Kong police officer. He and an uncover team attempt to capture a drug lord in a bust, but fail. During the bust, they manage to capture the drug lord's assistant, Selina Fong (played by Brigitte Lin) in hopes of accusing him of foul play. Selina has other plans however, and embarrasses Chan in front of his superiors and the court accusing the drug lord. When a dirty cop is hired to kill Chan and fails, Chan is blamed for the murder and must protect his dignity and clearing his name.
So, that's the skinny. Let's talk about the movie now. This movie was so good and so popular, several American movies stole scenes from Police Story. One movie, Bad Boys II, pretty much stole the beginning of Police Story. Another movie, that starred Sylvester Stallone (sorry, I couldn't find the name of the movie) also stole a scene. But enough about who stole what and all that. Let's get on with the movie. Overall, Police Story is one of the best Jackie Chan movies in my opinion. There are a ton of crazy stunts in that movie and the fight scenes are fun to watch. The story is riveting and keeps you on the edge of your seat, and rooting for Officer Chan the whole time. And the end scene of the movie...well, probably one of my all time favorite kung fu movie scenes. Even the craziest of stunts is in the scene and, I'll show you. It's a long scene, and contains spoilers, (Don't watch this if you dont' want to see spoilers!) but it's awesome and fun all at once!
Pros and Cons:
Sadly, every movie, yes even kung fu movies have good and bad parts to them. No movie is perfect and this movie has it's flaws as well. Let's go over the good first. Overall, the story is well written and keeps the pace going, so there's no boring in between scenes. Even the scenes without action are entertaining and have several laughs. The stunts are well, freaking awesome! Jackie Chan knows how to please the audience and this movie is no exception. The fight scenes, pretty much the same as the stunts, vicious at times, but makes you wish you be along side Officer Chan trading blows with the baddies. Some of the characters are believable, while others are meh. You feel bad for Chan when he's betrayed and cheer him on when he's taking on the bad guys. The drug lord however, is a bit too over dramatic and you don't see how he could get away with some of the stuff that he does. Even Chan's girl friend is over the top at times, and you wonder why Chan even bothers dating her, or heck, trying to save his relationship with her. (At times, I'd would have said "Screw it, I'll get a more mature girlfriend.) The funny parts are mostly funny and the serious parts can be serious most of the time.
Now, let's go over the bad stuff. As mentioned before, Chan's girlfriend is flat out annoying. She's immature and stupid. She doesn't even support her boyfriend or listen to what he has to say. I don't like her. Now for Chan. Overall, he's a pretty cool dude. He kicks ass when needed and don't piss him off. That being said, he's an immature jerk as well. He treats his girlfriend like a little girl (and at times she is.) and doesn't bother sucking up and apologizing to her. He lies and acts like he's the bigger, more important guy, which makes him come off like an ass at times. The drug lord. Whew, he's over the top. His lawyer is even over the top. But, this drug lord comes off as a cheesy Bond villain at best. He could have been written better, or the actor could have toned him down at bit. I don't understand his motivation at times and I definitely thought his outcome was well deserved.
Closing thoughts:
Police Story is one of the best, if not best Jackie Chan movie. I consider this movie to be Chan's masterpiece, I could watch it a thousand times and never get sick of it. As I mentioned before, the stunts and fight scenes are simply stunning to watch. And you can't help but sing along to the ending credits with Jackie. Police Story is a kung fu masterpiece and everyone should at least watch it once.
Comments? Criticism? Feel free to post 'em. Just stay civilized and keep the cursing to a minimum. I don't want to turn off the comments just because someone couldn't be nice. Just remember, treat those the way you want to be treated and everyone will be happy. Thanks for reading!
Hey all,
This blog is a dedication to all things Kung Fu. Well, mostly Kung fu movies. In this blog, I'll pick a movie, review it, and let you know if it's good, bad, or so bad it's actually good. I'll try to update this blog as much as I can. Hopefully, those who read this will enjoy it and hopefully like some of the movies I've reviewed or at least watch them.
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