Jackie Chan finally teams up with Jet Li, a match made in heaven… 15 years ago!!!!
Unfortunately as is always the case in real life what should happen only happens when it is too late and not when it was blindingly obvious. Neither Jackie or Jet Li have made a classic film in many years, so in a desperate grab at remaining in the spotlight (let’s be honest) they finally realise that putting their respective egos aside and making a film might be a good idea.
As neither can probably carry a film by themselves anymore (reality check again!) Hollywood decides to team them with a nice clean young white boy named Jason. Jason loves Kung Fu movies and after one of his apparently regular trips to the local Asian DVD store he runs into some local bad boys who force him into helping them into the shop late at night so they can rob the joint. During the robbery Jason ends up with a “Magic staff” that he accidentally activates when he falls off a building after the robbery.
Upon waking Jason finds he is in ancient China, where long story short he comes across Jackie as Loo-Yeung, a drunken martial arts expert who luckily speaks English, Jet Li as a monk whose life’s work has been to find the staff in order to free the Monkey King (what else would you use it for?) and a young chick there to give Jason a hard-on.
Basically Jason must give the staff to the Monkey King in order to get home, but of course every man and his dog, namely a white witch lady and a nasty guy played by Donnie Yen are trying like mad to stop him.
There are the inevitable Jackie Chan and Jet Li training sequences, altogether too much wire work and I kept feeling like this was better than it should be somehow, even though it still isn’t a patch on Jackie or Jet’s best work.
We waited a couple of decades, and although the Jet/Jackie fight was well choreographed and actually pretty entertaining, and ditto for the interaction near the end with Donnie Yen), neither guy is capable at their age of the death defying stuff that they once were without wire work and (I swear) body doubles, both of which are evident here.
1/ Are there any “WOW!” fights?
Not unless wire-work and body doubles count (they DO NOT!)
2/ Are there any “WOW!” stunts?
No.
3/ Which Jackie is it? Serious / Whimsical / Cocky…
Drunken (& unfortunately just hanging on).
4/ Does he get to use Jackie-exclusive toys?
No.
5/ Do stolen relics come up?
I’d say a missing staff over a thousand years old counts as a relic.
6/ Are there hot chicks (that usually can’t act)?
Yep, but only for the young white guy.
7/ Is there a blooper reel over the credits?
No.
8/ Were there injuries on the shoot? Severity?
More than likely nothing. Maybe Jackie or Jet broke a hip walking up stairs?
9/ Has he still got it?
Sorry, but no.
10/ Is it a “Jackie Chan” film, or just one he is in?
Once upon a time Jackie used powder and reflexes to show he was hitting the other guys at great pace, now they use wires and bodydoubles. Boo-Hoo-Hoo.
Final Rating – 6.5 / 10. Again better than it had any right to be, but not something Jackie or Jet would put in their greatest hits.
