Opens theatrically in the U.S. May 2nd
No theaters are listed this early in the game, but here's the link to the dedicated Magnet site where they will likely post theater info later.
Nice connect, Zenshiite. Now that costume makes a little more sense. Thanks!
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The Protector 2 (Tom Yum Goong 2)
I found this sequel to be far inferior to the first movie. There are some difficult stunts, but there is also a LOT of CGI and wire work, and it's obvious it was made as a 3D film. The effects are cartoonish. Once again, Kham (Tony Jaa) must come to the rescue of his elephant Khon, now grown up and abducted by another criminal group run by RZA. RZA plays an arms dealer who controls a group of fighters, the best of whom is played by Marrese Crump. Jeeja Yanin plays one of two sisters out to avenge their uncle, who they believe was killed by Kham.
Tony Jaa, while still doing some great stunts, simply does not look as sharp as he did in the past. And Jeeja Yanin has yet to be able to return to the screen fighting form she had achieved in Chocolate and Raging Phoenix. Her character's level is very much below that of Tony's. Certainly, the best scenes in this movie are the fights involving Marrese Crump. His character is a near-invincible bas@ss, and I was starting to wonder if he's supposed to be a cyborg or something.
RZA's character is not only an arms dealer, but he turns out to be the baddest fighter as well. And here is the biggest problem. I truly respect RZA's love for the MA movie genre. But to play the toughest fighting villain in a Tony Jaa movie requires something truly unique and outstanding in the physical skills department, and RZA is clearly not up to the task.
There are the inevitable comparisons to the films of Gareth Evans and Iko Uwais. The films of Evans/Uwais have always been story and character-driven. Merantau was a quiet beginning, and some felt that Iko was a 'Tony Jaa Lite'. But with each successive film (only 3 so far) he and his team have developed into the biggest action movie force out of Asia now.
In comparison, the Thai action films seem to have hit a wall and become stale. Their strength is definitely NOT in their storylines or acting. Tony Jaa's career took off in the West with a well-deserved bang, but The Protector 2 shows that the years he took off haven't done him any favors performance-wise. And until the Thai MA movies can begin to have good, character-driven stories (the best so far being Chocolate), I believe they will continue to fall further behind.
Our winners are announced