Jackie Chan and director Stanley Tong team up for another raucous adventure in Kung Fu Yoga. Their previous film together, The Myth, is coincidentally one of the few Jackie movies I have yet to see. Kung Fu Yoga has Jackie playing a history professor who is also a noble treasure hunter. Noble in as far as he, like Indy, believes that artifacts belong in museums or should otherwise be retrieved for good purposes. Similarities to and references of Indiana Jones are readily available in Kung Fu Yoga, but it certainly doesn’t have that powerful replay value of the Indy series.
What you do get with Kung Fu Yoga is a fairly typical modern Jackie movie, with some great fight choreography and some bits of humor. It’s worthwhile once over anyway, but the trouble I had with this particular Jackie outing was that everything felt so superficial. From the characters to the over-used CG, everything about Kung Fu Yoga just seemed so pristine and modern, but not in a good way. I realize that might not make a lot of sense, but from the attractive supporting cast to the sports cars and all the conveniences of plot points (most predictable), Kung Fu Yoga just did not leave much for me to really invest in and care about. There are some good action set pieces, and yes the scene with Jackie in the car with the CG lion is worth a smirk or chuckle, but I found it a lot harder to care about the characters or story than most of his other films.
Speaking of story, it centers around a long-lost artifact that is wanted by the nations of China and India. Aarif Rahman plays the 79th descendant of the missing piece, and he will go to great and illegal lengths to recover it. Meanwhile, Jackie and two of his best students, a rogue treasure-hunting nephew, and Disha Patani’s character are also pursuing, but with more pure intentions. The two sides clash underground, on the streets of Dubai, and inside a hidden temple. The ending is pretty shocking, not in a violent or sad kind of way, but suffice it to say there is a lot of dancing and coming together for both sides of the conflict. It’s neat, but again, just sort of flimsy and anti-climatic.
The Blu-ray release comes from Well Go and features a strong video and audio presentation. Technically, the film really pops off the screen and from your speakers with a really impressive punch, they did a AAA job in this regard. Several extra features are also included:
-Trailer
-Bloopers, lasting about three and a half minutes; you gotta have these in a Jackie film!)
-Jackie Chan Featurette – A quick three minute feature on the international superstar
-Dynamic Duo – A nearly three minute feature about Jackie Chan and Stanley Tong
-Best of Both Worlds – Nearly four minute take on the Chinese and Indian cultures featured in the film
-Making Of – Topping twenty minutes with your typical production footage and interviews
Kung Fu Yoga is worth a watch, and Well Go did an excellent job on the Blu-ray release, but it’s just not a particularly entertaining film, or certainly not one I would care to watch again anytime soon.
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