Review of Ong Bak 2 (2008) by Jake R — 08 Nov 2009

I do understand the collective "wtf" expressed by fans of the original--Ong Bak 2 is a prequel to the first movie the same way a cow is a prequel to a block of cheese. It's a stretch. Jaa's behind the wheel on this one, and sometimes the film feels glaringly amateur.

Flimsy character motivation, tedious pacing, melodrama--the movie has its problems. What I loved about it was the sense of cultural identity he was clearly shooting for. The way he introduces the audience to muy thai starting from the basics, the constant elephant imagery, the sets, the costumes--there is a wealth of fantastic history on show that differentiates this film from the first, but the head-splitting action is still there and we all know that's why you paid the price of admission anyway.