masonfisk
Ong Bak 2: The Beginning is an exercise in noise & color which leaves the viewer scratching his head & at times his brain. What did I watch? Even the most thematically starved martial arts films will have a fight or two to recommend it but wow, what a paucity of ideas we have here. Although boasting a moving dance number, no amount of story manipulation can invigorate this tired tale of revenge & retribution.
SnoopyStyle
Set in 1431, the Ayutthaya Kingdom is expanding east into the Sukhothai kingdom. Young Tien witnesses the massacre of his family by the vile Lord Rajasena. He is taken by slave traders and eventually saved by Chernang, the leader of the Garuda Wing Cliff who teaches him to fight. Tien (Tony Jaa) would grow up to be a powerful fighter. First he takes revenge on the cruel slave traders. Then he infiltrates Lord Rachasana's ranks as he looks for the opportunity to avenge his family.I love that this is going into the muddy jungle. I love the elephants. I love the look of it. What I don't love is the story or the construction of the story. It is hard to figure out sometimes who the characters are. The movie starts off a little confused. It may be that story is not what one looks for in this franchise. I really don't like the flashbacks where the acting is stiff. Without Tony Jaa, the flashbacks just drag on and on. If fighting is what you crave, Tony Jaa gives the audience that and more. The ending is full of fighting but ends with an unsatisfying cliffhanger that is setup for the 3rd movie.
tedg
I was directed to this because I am interested in cinematic choreography. From a practical perspective, that usually means martial arts.Further, it means Asian films. But gee they sure get tedious after the first few unless there really is a master behind the camera. So I was sent to this. The idea was to skip the original because this one is directed by the performer himself. I am struck by a truth discovered by other means: actors do acting, not filmmaking. They are instruments. A few understand how to act in a way that truly supports the intentions of the filmmaker, but the reality is that they are in different businesses. Often, the last person to understand the dynamics at work are the actors. An example is Harrison Ford in "Blade Runner." It probably is his best work as an actor, and he still today has no idea how he was as manipulated as much as his replicant character.So when you put an actor in charge, you sometimes get interesting stuff, but rarely good films. And this guy is an acrobat, not an actor. What we end up with what you might expect if a brickmason decided he was an architect and made everything including the furniture out of bricks.I was briefly part of a startup which would have been able to extract things like the movements of the Thai martial arts in this film and compare them to the few Hong Kong- produced fight moves. But it all just seemed the same smacking around to me.Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.
BA_Harrison
Ong Bak 2: The Beginning is not a continuation of the first film, neither is it a prequel in the true sense; the story takes place several hundred years ago, and tells of Tien (played as an adult by Tony Jaa), the son of a murdered lord, who becomes a powerful warrior after a clan of outlaws adopt him and teach him their combat skills.This period setting allows for a far more epic feel than the first film, but the broader scope of the plot ultimately means less minutes devoted to pure, bone crunching action, a fact that has understandably disappointed those hoping for another relentless, adrenaline fuelled, juggernaut of a martial arts movie. Add the fact that Jaa's impressive Muay Thai skills are often overlooked in favour of weapons based action, and it's not surprising that this film hasn't been as overwhelmingly well received as its predecessor.On a more positive note, the film looks absolutely fantastic, with beautiful cinematography, sumptuous costumes, and some truly outlandish characters, and when the action does kick into top gear, it is utterly breath-taking, especially during the flawlessly executed, bone-crunching final battle between Tien and a host of enemy warriors, where we finally get to see the star delivering his trademark punishing blows with knee and elbow.In short, Ong Bak 2 is a very enjoyable slice of solid action entertainment—not quite as jaw-dropping as part one, but then what is?7.5 out of 10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.
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