Review
"Jackie! Panda! Kung Fu! It doesn’t get much more Chinese than this.
I wanted a fun, silly action comedy and I got what I was looking for.
As a Jackie fan for about 20 years, I can’t say there were any big surprises. The story is nothing new, the acting and the quirky characters make it fun. I especially liked Shi Ce playing the panda keeper who is afraid of being bitten but goes out of his way to protect the little panda cubs. Some of the CGI looks sketchy, others are really detailed. They put a lot of effort into the panda, making it seem like it’s the main star of the movie.
For me, the appeal of this movie is that you get the good old style but with some new faces and a bit of self-deprecation.
Jackie plays himself, looks tired and the fighting wears him out, even with the hair dye you can tell he’s old. Well, because he's old! He's an old action movie star who keeps working because people like what he does. And he likes it himself, but he also wants to sit down and eat his ice cream sometimes. (One of my favorite scenes.)
But I'd argue that you don't have to be a fan of his to enjoy the movie. You have to enjoy this kind of slapstick comedy.
I'll probably watch it again for the same reason I've watched countless other Jackie movies - for the fun fight scenes and good choreography.
I hope Jackie enjoys his retirement at some point, but until then, I'm happy to see some more action!S
