B


Well, this is actually Tom yum goong, the new movie from the Ong Bak makers and its star Tony Jaa. With this film Jaa should finally elevate himself to the heights of the biggest martial arts stars ever. As for the film itself, I found it overall to be on par with Ong Bak. It is just as much fun. The story is MUCH sillier this time around. The whole plot with the elephants and those "flashbacks" to the warriors protecting them are just laughable and the dialague is even cheesier than in Ong Bak (believe it!). I wish they'd have dropped most of the "plot" whatsoever, it just hurt the film.

Now on to the real attraction: The fights are better refined and more fun than in Ong Bak! Tony Jaa's "knees 'n elbows" Muay Thai fighting style is still the same, but more complictaed this time around. What I really liked is that the film had more brutal fighting than Ong Bak and Tony Jaa actually had some formidable foes who he couldn't defeat right away. The showdown at the end is just amazing. I don't think I have ever seen so many broken limbs in any film at the same time...ever.

Switch the brain off, try to ignore the annoying story and the location change to Australia (which does not benefit the film) and enjoy the amazing fight sequences!

Yeah it's all about the fight scenes. They're some of the most impressive ones I've ever seen. Tony Jaa is an amazing acrobat, he just needs to work with a better director then the guy that made this and Ong Bak.

For anyone who complained about a lack of action in last week's Crank -- have I got a film for you!

The Protector is pretty much non-stop action -- unfortunately, that is so true that storyline and characterization have been altogether sacrificed on the altar of action. And this is coming from the guy who absolutely loved Ong Bak (review from the Ong Bak thread copied below**...).

However, if you're in the mood for a virtuoso clinic in limb-breaking, don't miss the final act of The Protector.

And I had such high hopes, what with the Thai royal elephant idea and all. Oh well -- time to watch Ong Bak again...

2 out of 5.



(**Original Ong Bak review: Hey, you guys are pretty tough reviewers of this excellent movie. I'm hardly what you'd call a fan of martial arts movies, but this one was action packed from beginning to end. The main character had awesome skills and the supporting characters of his cousin and cousin's girlfriend were very funny. The story was simple, as it needs to be in this kind of action driven film, and I loved the very Thai specific setting of the movie, especially the Tuk Tuk chase. Perhaps the best part of all was the director's sense of kinetic style and the ace editing he used to acheive this. This is a great movie!

5 out of 5.)

Good action scenes, silly plot with elephants and wot not.

B-

A movie everyone can relate to. How far will you go to rescue your kidnapped pet? Would you go as far as to break everyones bone and kill someone? The answer for me is yes especially if they try to turn them into soup or an aphrodisiac. In this case Tony Jaa goes to France to recover his elephant and breaks as many people's bones as possible to do it. Very heartwarming although I did laugh when the three muscleheads were able to toss a 1000lb elephant in the air

B+

Well I checked out the movie yesterday and watch it today and what can one say except that it's boring. One of the most boring action films I've ever viewed. It's nothing but hand to hand action sequence one after the other with a spittering of dialogue and a dab of thai history with elephants. Whoopie. I don't think I can watch another Tony Jaa film again until maybe he turns into a Jackie Chan type actor. Action films can be a great pleasure but when it's one fight after another and no one has guns and reality is thrown at the window....I can only take so much fiction.

Grade - D