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