Film, Box Office, and Stuff

This is the latest Jackie Chan adventure-comedy, and unlike his other 2017 films, The Foreigner and Kung Fu Yoga , it is an entirely Chinese production (that should be your first cause for worry -- remember the failures  CZ12 and Dragon Blade ?).  This time Chan is directed by the inexperienced egotist, Leo Zhang, and it is the weirdest Chan action film yet.  Firstly, it is trash.  It is again silly comedy coupled with Chan's brand of slapstick action, but this time it is infused with a futuristic, science-fiction plot.  It is a shame, because the first action sequence (which is oddly sandwiched between the title of the film and the opening credits) is decent, and it showed promise with its choreography and gore.  I would have been up for more of that.  However, it capitulates into stupidity soon after as it focuses on Nancy (Ouyang Nana), who is Chan's daughter that has regenerative powers, though they've never met (he must keep his distance for a...

Jackie Chan should be studied in media courses at university.  He is by far the biggest example of a downfall by a global star.  He made action masterpieces in the 80s and 90s. Now he is making absolute rubbish like his latest Spring Festival release, the Chinese-Indian adventure comedy Kung Fu Yoga .  Directed and written by Stanley Tong, a man once admired for action classics like Police Story 3: Supercop and Rumble in the Bronx , the film travels across China, the United Arab Emirates, and India, following Jackie (ingeniously named "Jack") and his group of archaeologist-explorers (including Indian Princesses played by the beauties Amyra Dastur and Disha Patani) to hunt down a jewel that will show them the path to the ancient treasure of Magadha.  Much like Chan's previous explorer flick, Chinese Zodiac (also written by Tong), this film is very, very silly.  And lazy.  So much of the film uses visual effects (the entire pre-opening-credits scene show...