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Ong Bak 2
Ong
Bak 2 stars Tony Jaa, martial artist extraordinaire and even though it
almost plays like an Asian film made for the West, it actually delivers
in some areas and fails at others. A sequel to the original film, Ong
Bak 2 is set in ancient Thailand, more specifically during the early
1400's
and opens with a great scene of a man and a young boy fleeing from an
inevitable evil.
This evil is unfortunately the monarchy of the
day and age and
for some reason, they wish to have Tien, the young boy enslaved.
Eventually Tien enrages his captors and in an almost comedic scene, he is
thrown into a pit of crocodiles where he must fight for his.
Thankfully
he is saved by Chernang, an outlaw who seems more Robin Hood than Ned
Kelly and over the years, he trains Tien to become a powerful warrior
which is where Tony Jaa comes into the picture. This of course leads Tien on a mission of revenge through some wonderful choreographed fight
scenes and amazing cinematography.
In terms of story, Ong Bak
2 is a little convoluted at times and some plot lines and scenes are not
fully explored which is a shame because the action is definitely up
there with the best of them.
You
might be thinking where does this fit with the original movie? Ong Bak 2
is basically a prequel. Although not as good as the original
(slightly), the fighting and spectacular stunts is thoroughly
impressive, especially the scene where Tien is running across the backs of Elephants. The martial arts choreography is also quite
unparalleled and
this is what martial art movies should be about, not CGI but real-life
action.
With
decent video and audio quality, Ong Bak 2 is definitely a cinematic
movie experience and if you're after a martial art film that you can sit
back, relax and watch with a bucket of popcorn, than Ong Bak 2 is for
you. However if you are after a more story driven tale that makes sense,
than unfortunately Ong Bak 2 is a little misguided in this aspect which
is a shame.
I
still enjoyed it and I fear most others will as well!
DVD Special Features
Behind The Scenes
Cast and crew interviews
Original theatrical trailers |
