Movies : CZ12 (Chinese Zodiac)

Introduction

Movie involving Jackie Chan will always be linked directly to action genre. In fact not that long ago, there was this other movie about chinese history, that still had its token moment of action. In CZ12, Jackie does not try to do any excess story telling or documenting but really goes out to be creative in the action genre.

To that end, you could actually even ask if the 12 Zodiacs are necessary, and to be honest, it is really has hardly anything to do with the story.

Probably the link that Jackie is trying to bring is that the most expensive zodiac character which is Long (Dragon) is also part of his chinese name. And as classic Jackie fashion, he says that this is going to be the last movie he directs and acts... of course reading it completely means that if we see him again next time, he might just be directing, or acting.. separately. But thats not what this review about.. this review is on the movie, so lets get started.


Storyline 3/5

The storyline is pretty ordinary, a bunch of people out to get some Zodiac statues for some big company that is trying to play the system. Its similar to spy flick, but i guess the aim of the whole show is just to provide all the opportunities for Jackie to look cool, in terms of his moves and his technology.

The show adds a few other little story lines in the picture but to be honest, none of them are fleshed out enough to actually add value to the show. They all seemed very half baked and random.There are also some background relationships that are not really elaborated on and just suddenly introduced.

As far as things go, this leans more towards a true blue action flick with the storyline being more of a medium to allow all these actions to take place

Character 3.5/5

The number of characters are actually pretty massive in the show. There are many introductions of new people to keep the story going on. Its just like in every major new location of the show, they will introduce a couple of new characters. Given the short time budget however, none are really fleshed out and even Jackie himself does have a background but it is not really elaborated on. Hence you probably will not feel much for all the characters even with their crying and all that.

The only plus point and characteristic that keeps it all together is that all characters are there to entertain. Yep, this is some kinda strange action comedy flick that keeps every thing cordial except the action.

Cinematography 4/5

Interestingly, the action in this movie is pretty well supported by the shots. There are also many different places that this movie brings you to and the action itself is at the very least, pretty impressive.

Hence if you wanna see how interestingly a person can fight in today's world, this could be a show for you. There is many innovative styles that JC employs to keep the fights fresh and non repetitive in that aspects.

Also the cinematography tries to keep the show entertaining and comedic and for that, it deserves its better then average score. Only qualm is that it is still not superb to those hardcore action flicks but these usually require a darker tone to the whole show.

Music 3.5/5

The music in this show is forgettable, but it is very visible in the shows. Only problem is the songs are not unique enough that people would want the soundtrack upon movie conclusion. But during the moments when you hear the movie, it does add to the overall immersion of the movie and this is pretty advantages in keeping the audience entertained.

Spectacle 4/5

This movie does well for an action flick and the comedic touch gives it quite a good entertainment value. However, if you are looking for a strong storyline full of twists or meaning in this show, this movie offers little of that.

Overall
Storyline               :3 (Average storyline, usually the type you see in action flicks)
Character             :3.5 (Too many characters, but at least they entertain)
Cinematography  :4 (Impressive shots all around that increase entertainment value)
Music                   :3.5 (Its there and it helps, but its not fantastic scores)
Spectacle             :4 (There is action, with some comedic spliced on top. Its fine and does the entertaining job pretty well)

Overall : 3.6 (This is an entertaining movie, able to keep you impressed and happy throughout the duration of the movie. Pity they didn't focus on a better storyline but they did take the safest route to appeal to the biggest market share. Its a good movie to past the time but its not something that you would be sad or regret if you let it pass over.)

Here we go, another review of a chinese movie. Add your comments if any below

Movies: Hobbit

Introduction

Finally, the next "installment" to the Lord of the Rings Franchise is here. Focus is no longer on the tall humans and pointy eared elfs, but rather on the cutsy hobbit and his dwarven friends.

None the less this show of the many vertically challenged people gives a different angle into the world of the Lord of the Rings. So should lovers of the LOTR franchise find 169 minutes to see the entire show? And if you see it, would you really get what you want? Read on to find out.

Storyline 3/5

Storyline... to be honest, it is really really similar to the LOTR. Basically the whole purpose of everything is revealed at the beginning, the whole gang wants to take back their castle. LOTR was, the whole gang wanted to get rid of ring. So on that aspect there is little room for twists and turns. Probably not a show for that either considering the books that have been out for a long time.

With that fact out in the open, the Hobbits is merely a show that documents the path that this gang takes all the way to meet their goal, and the many many things that they meet along the way. Considering that this is going to be a trilogy and the aim is already revealed, it would be pretty safe to say that they are going to meet with many many many many many things till they reach their goal.

Problem that is faced by the Hobbit is that the LOTR world is already so well fleshed out and shown previously, that there is little to really bring this show apart.. Yea they do go into big mountains where things happen but besides that there is not really a lot of new introduction to keep things fresh.

Actions scenes are relatively little and they tend to be really cluttered with nothing particularly unique happening unlike the previous LOTR that had the benefit of having giant epic war scenes to cater to the action fans. But storyline wise, these battles are expected and nothing really unique or with twists given the clear cut good vs bad battles.

At times, I would even go as far to say the storyline dived into being draggy with little extra entertainment value. Perhaps there are many aspects of the book that i missed out...

Characters 3.5/5

As compared to the previous fellowship of the ring with the 4 hobbits 1 wizard 1 dwarf 1 elf and 2 humans, this movie just uses 12 dwarfs 1 wizard and 1 hobbit. 9 vs 12 people means that for the 12 people there is a lot less time to flesh them out.

Other characters do make a nice cameo and play minor parts in the movie but perhaps the only character that really added to the show would be gollum and his strange eccentric ways. The rest didnt leave much impression on me. Its more like a movie with 1 dwarf 1 hobbit 1 wizard and tons of filler dwarfs to put it clearly.

Cinematography 3.5/5

This is supposed to be one of the selling points of this movie, but as far as it seems, there could have been a lot more done to add to its action value. The current movie is just a mish mash of far away shots, and closed in shots, then back to far away shots and back to closed in shots. A bit of a waste given the ability and opportunities of this show to do much more then that. Not forgetting the large budget.


Music 4/5

Music however is still as fantastic as it was. Using original and rehashed tracks that still bring about the charm that we remember in the previous LOTR movies, the music really add to the feeling and atmosphere of the LOTR world.

Spectacle 3/5

Using two aspects to look at this show, action plus story telling, the show seems lacking in both. In honesty, at the end of the show i was thinking to myself, was that it? there was hardly any progress made in the movie. On the other hand, was there any action that made me say oh wow that's impressive... I would only go so far as to say some battles were just not bad but as a whole, pretty forgettable.

I would say that this movie has tough shoes to fill as it comes after the LOTR franchise. Had it been the other way, this movie would have stood out, but now it is nothing more then a simple side story telling with everything else toned down.

Overall
Storyline                : 3 (It's simple but really a bit too little for the time and content given)
Characters             : 3.5 (Too many dwarfs, but we have no clue who they really are)
Cinematography    : 3.5 (Expected LOTR shots, but could have really done more spectacularly)
Music                     : 4 (Good music as expected of a movie of this budget)
Spectacle               : 3 (Sadly, it feels really lacking and unsatisfying for me at the end although there still were many people that were full of praises for the movie. I guess I might have expected a bit too much from this)

Overall : 3.4 ( I would say that this score is pretty accurate. For LOTR real fans, this would be a good show to see even for the reason of passing the time because you can be assured u have 2 more installments in the movie to see. For those who do not care about the LOTR franchise, it might be a bit harder for you to enjoy this movie. For action fans, you could be moderately appeased but if you liked LOTR action, then this show might be a bit of a downer. Don't set your expectations too high and you probably still could enjoy this movie.)

Do you guys feel the same way? Share your comments ya :)