![]() ![]() In a period piece it is vital that the details not take you out of the movie, and in that regard the film looks great. (Seriously, it’s more than twenty minutes long.). There is a scene where Jaa runs on top of a herd of elephants that is reminiscent of the car surfing scenes in Teen Wolf, and the climactic battle is exactly what fans of this genre want. It turns out that Jaa is just as adept with a sword as he is with his elbows, knees, and fists. It also features something else the first film didn’t, weapons. The filmmakers want to embody all of the martial forms in one person, Tien. While Muay Thai takes center stage in Ong Bak, Ong Bak 2 features a wide variety of martial arts. The fight scenes are intricately choreographed, and are sure to please fans of the first movie. While the story leaves something to be desired, the action is top notch. This overall lack of focus detracts from the film and drags it down. There are a number of possibilities, but no one steps forward and takes over. The filmmakers try to do too much in a 98-minute movie, and instead accomplish too little. Again, it seems like he could go in a number of ways, but he never goes anywhere. Another is that Tien never has a concrete goal or story arc. Perhaps this is due to my woeful lack of knowledge about the history of Thailand, perhaps not. I’m not sure who is on who’s side, who is betraying who, and where alliances lie. It would flow much smoother in the story was simply told in a linear fashion from the first events to the last.Īs it is, the plot is jumbled and difficult to follow at times. Much of the story is told through flashbacks, you jump into Tien’s memories at random, and the structure feels forced. ![]() An hour into the film there is still no discernable path. Is this going to be a revenge story, a story of redemption, or is he going to reconnect with his lost love, Pim (Primorata Dejudom)? There are a number of directions the narrative could go, but it never really goes anywhere. The trouble lies in the way the story is told. ONG BAK 4 FULL MOVIE MOVIEThe story itself is fine, though you’ve seen it many times before in every single Kung Fu movie ever made. Which is really too bad, since that is where problems arise. Whereas Ong Bak was pretty much a hey-world-look-at-me stunt reel for Jaa, Ong Bak 2 focuses more on the story. After passing a number of physical and mental tests, Tien replaces his mentor, Chernung, as head outlaw. ![]() Of course when young Tien grows up he turns out to be none other than Tony Jaa, who on this particular feature film is credited at star, co-director, martial arts choreographer, and action director, among others. There is even a scene that tips its cap to Jackie Chan’s turn in the Drunken Master series. Over a period of years the boy trains in a wide variety of weapons and martial arts, including Muay Thai, Karate, Kung Fu, Silat, and a little Jiu Jitsu thrown in for good measure. The leader of the new outlaws, Chernung (Sorapong Chatree), takes a liking to the plucky underdog, Tien, and takes him under his wing. While he is locked in a life and death struggle with the aforementioned angry reptile, the slave traders are taken out by another band of outlaw raiders. Tien is feisty for a boy from a privileged family, especially one who was taught to dance instead of fight, and he kills the croc. Instead of waiting passively to be sold, Tien clubs the main bad guy in the face with a rock, and his captors decide to soak him in blood and toss him into a mud pit to fight an angry crocodile for sport. When he is a young boy his parents are betrayed and murdered, and he is captured by tough looking slave traders with facial tattoos. This is the story of Tien, the son of a high-ranking member of the military. There are mystics, treachery, royal courts, and all of the fun stuff that goes accompanies a feudal society. ![]() The countryside is full of warlords, bands of outlaws, and political upheaval. The real Ong Bak 2 begins in the year 1431 AD, a time of strife and siege in the history of Thailand. Ong Bak 2: The Beginning should not be confused with Tom yum goong, which was released theatrically in the US as The Protector, but has appeared in a number of questionably legal places mislabeled as Ong Bak 2. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |