Super Cop: The Cop that Can't be Stopped!

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!

4 flying chopsticks out of 5. 

The Forbidden Kingdom

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.

3.75 wasted cups of tea out of 5.