Chinese Zodiac’s main
marketing push is that this is Jackie Chan’s final action movie and if this is
indeed true, Chan’s action career will go out on a high note. Chinese
Zodiac’s story lacks focus but does it really matter when Chan’s
astonishing stunt work is more than enough to keep the viewer interested?
Treasure hunter JC (Jackie Chan) and his team of thieves
travel the world to hunt down and recover the twelve bronze heads of the
Chinese Zodiac but they soon meet a group of activists fighting for
preservation of Chinese cultural relics which complicates their mission.
The movie is dubbed in English and in some areas it was a
little jarring due to off synch dialogue and mismatched voices. The story is
pretty much your standard adventure flick although it tries to tackle a broader
topic with a deeper message but didn’t hit it off flawlessly because of its
tendency to be preachy. There’s also a bunch of story threads thrown together
and a plethora of unnecessary characters, which makes the movie a little
confusing at times. I also felt that the threat was not fully established so
even if the stake is high it just doesn’t’ feel like there’s imminent danger.
But just like most Jackie Chan action flicks, it’s really all
about the amazing set pieces and jaw dropping stunt work. And as always, Jackie
Chan delivers. Chan is truly a legend and the way he pulls off all those stunts
is simply impressive. The highlights are the sofa showdown and the skydiving
scramble. Chan is just a lovable star as he can make some of the silly jokes
and antics still endearing. The supporting cast is okay and while the movie
tries to give most of them a moment to shine, it’s just a tall order to stand
out if you have someone as charismatic as Chan anchoring the movie.
If there’s one thing that Chinese Zodiac
proves, it is that there’s a strong reason Jackie Chan is so popular and why
many considers him as a pop culture icon. In this movie, he showcases why he
won the hearts of many people worldwide. If this is indeed his final action
movie, his presence in the big screen will surely be missed. Do I wish that his
final action movie had a stronger storyline? Definitely but Chinese Zodiac was
still a good reminder why Jackie Chan will always be one of the most treasured
stars of all time. 7 / 10
No comments:
Post a Comment