Review of Chinese Zodiac (2012) by Gary F — 29 Dec 2012

With the year coming to an end, it is only fitting that one action star goes out with a bang! A bang that takes a while to get it going but a bang non the less...

So with that said here is Chinese Zodiac 2012 or CZ12 in some countries, Jackie's Magnum Opus. The movie stars Jackie Chan as the treasure hunter from the Armour of God series. Yes this is indeed a sequel to Operation Condor. If you have seen that film, you will probably get a few of the references in this film.

So how is the story in this film, well its okay for what its worth. I mean it is no Shinjuku Incident but I bought the whole adventure setting. However one major flaw of the film that really wanted me to give this film a lower rating was the way the actors spoke different languages in the film. And yes I know they had to speak in different languages to encompass all the characters interacting with one another. But when a Chinese woman tries to speak french and a french woman tries to speak English. Their accents just hit the ears wrong. I am not saying that thy are bad actors, I am saying that they could have probably found a way to make the dialogue sound better. And that brings me to my next point, which is the writing. Many times througout the film I found that the only funny scenes were the fight scenes. The dialogue that was supposed to be funny sounded more forced than natural, which left a look on my face that said that the joke fell flat...

But then again, the action more than makes up for the dialogue. All of what we know of Jackie Chan is once again shown that even at his age, he still got it. Even though some parts you can clearly tell its a wire, the fact that he still does his own stunts still shows that he is the man. There is a pretty slow start with the movie as the dialogue just plods along letting the audience know what is actually going on. Directing wise, it is not anything new we have seen from Jackie as he combines the intricate camera work, with his own stunts. With guest appearances by Shu Qi, Daniel Wu and Jackie Chan's Wife. Even though this is far from his best, it is definitely a must watch for any Jackie Chan fan and martial arts enthusiaths. I just hope he comes back for more...