Jaa is King! (Warrior King (DVD))

Member Name: shaneo632

Product:	Warrior King (DVD)
Date:	03/07/09 (2 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great action

Disadvantages: Plot is horrible

Tony Jaa shot to fame with his martial arts flick Ong Bak in 2003, wowing audiences with his promise of "no wires, no CGI" - it was all him, and it was all utterly magnificent. Still, the plot was incredibly scant, and with his next outing, he's not able to fully retain the charm that was there previously, and again, the plot is utterly shambolic. That said, who honestly watches these films for their thematic complexity? This is a smash mouth, visually impressive, stunningly performed action film, even if the plot and script are diabolical.

The set up, which does take far too long, involves Jaa's elephant being stolen, and him then going on a huge quest, involving lots of fighting and action, to get it back. Some things have been improved from Ong Bak - the action isn't as rustic as it was - there's now cars that chase after Jaa, and one astounding scene where he ingeniously escapes a car driving towards him at great speed. There's also another superb, one-take scene where he ascends a spiral building that must've taken numerous tries to get right.

Tony Jaa's sophomore action film (following his great Ong Bak) delivers stunning fight scenes, yet The Protector is simply too bloated and buffed out with far too much expository plot content, when quite frankly, who watches these films for their story?

Summary: Poorly plotted but fun