Jackie Chan - The Myth (2007) Reviews

• 30 great minutes crammed into an hour and a half

  
  By AEVDN809UQJHU on 2007-11-15
  Jackie Chan's The Myth has two great action sequences and a couple of super-hot chicks...and that's about it. I've seen the original Chinese cut and I've seen the shorter US version, and my opinion of both is about the same--the longer version just has more dull stuff in between the sequences of cool stuff.
  However, this movie has major story problems that have nothing to do with editing. The biggest story problem is that the most interesting, most fun character in the movie, an incredibly gorgeous kung fu fighting Hindu chick, well-played by Mallika Sherawat, is only on screen for about 12 minutes in both versions! The sequence she's featured in really works, as her natural comic style fits in with Jackie's slapstick action sequences very, very well. His character should have met her much earlier in the story and then she should have stayed with him throughout the rest of the adventure, adding more fun, a touch or romance, better story development, and some sex appeal.
  A secondary story problem is that the "ancient China" sequences are slow and dull. I wish the US version had cut those parts down even more and given us a 1 hour 20 minute movie.
  A third story problem is that the sci-fi/mystical elements of the story are, to be blunt about it, idiotic, resulting in dialog like "Science has proven that spinning an object extremely fast makes it lighter." Wha? I read Science Digest, and that's never been mentioned.
  
  So, I think there is about 30 minutes total entertainment in this mess, but it is worth the time for the true Chan fan.
  
  

• One my favorite Jackie Chen films

  
  By A3K7RB00I60LBJ on 2007-12-21
  I really enjoyed this film and so did my kids. I heard about this film through a friend of mine and I must say that I was pleasantly suprised. The acting was pretty good and so were the action scenes. I would love to have seen this movie at the theaters.
  
  

• Indi-"Chan"-a Jones style martial arts film

  
  By A3AVJCB1ZD6ZY5 on 2008-05-07
  How could I resist the baaad pun? "Myth" is actually a renamed Chinese film from 2005 called "San Wa."
  
  Briefly, Jack (Chan) is an archaeologist who dreams of a past life as a General (Meng Yi) in Ancient China.
  
  When he's asked by a colleague, William (Tony Leung Ka Fai) to help find a scientfic discovery relating to defying gravity, Jack returns to China and faces his dream princess Ok-soo (Hee-seon Kim) and his own past failure as the General to protect her.
  
  The story's a bit of Indiana Jones and a bit of the fallen Samurai myth. I very rarely watch subtitled films, but "Myth" was easy enough to follow and provided enough amusement to make the rental worthwhile.
  
  
  
  

• One of Jackie Chan's better recent efforts

  
  By A220FJEQNGMSRN on 2007-12-28
  The Myth initially feels like Jackie Chan is reinventing his Armour of God movies just as he reinvented the Police Story series, with a slightly darker tone. The two plot strands aren't always as complimentary as they could be, with the historical backstory of Chan's general falling in love with the Emperor's latest concubine far more interesting than the modern-day Chan's efforts to uncover their secret. It's not always successful, not least because of some poorly time CGI, but it does offer an enjoyable fight on a glue factory assembly line that plays out like a demented version of twister and a spectacular battle scene (Stanley Tong is clearly a fan of Anthony Mann, copying several set-ups from The Fall of the Roman Empire) en route to the finale. And the last half hour is impressive stuff, be it a surprisingly bloody (for Chan) one-against-all battle that sees him fighting atop a mountain of corpses or the scenes in a giant weightless mausoleum that make imaginative use of superior wire work and which do carry a sense of wonder to them.
  
  Surprisingly, the extras on the Asian 2-disc set are all subtitled in English, including the audio commentary, so for fans that might be a better bet than Sony's US release.
  
  

• Jackie What Happen ?

  
  By A3PAWIPIGMQUOB on 2007-12-28
  The Myth 2.5/5
  Cast: Jackie Chan
  When I saw this movie for the first time I was very disappointed. It is not bad, but at the same time it is in no way in shape or form good. I am a big fan of Jackie Chan and loved his next work Rob b Hood. However this film lacks in ten different places. It's almost laughable how unprofessional this movie is. I saw clip art and a preview before I saw this movie and it looked pretty good.
  
  It's three things you will notice when you watch this movie. One - they need a bigger budget ,two- they need a different director and three -they need a different screen writer. The only good thing about this movie is Jackie Chan and some of the fight sequences. I found this movie very cheap looking. It's kind of like a very low budget Hero. If Jackie would have got Tsui Hark to write it and Yuen Woo Ping to direct it. This movie could be much better. One thing I really like about this movie is the commentary Jackie Chan does. I always look forward to listening to commentary by Jackie Chan. One thing he reveals is that there was not a big budget. That make me wonder why would he even try to make a movie like this with such a small budget. The reason why I sound so disconcerted is because I keep thinking about The Myth that could have been a classic.
  
  
  
• Jackie Chan fan
  By A26A4FVLANURG5 on 2008-01-07
  if you like jackie chan movies you should like this movie
  i like most of his movies and this one didn't disappoint
  
  
• Awesome story of lost love spanned through time.
  By ANXZRDS111KZB on 2008-04-24
  I just finished watching this movie and I totally loved it. Well written with a cool plot. The action sequence is superb. The costumes are all awesome. Love the whole lost love angle. Even better, the girls are hot! H-O-T! HOT!
  
  They should had made the princess a fighter too, but then that would be asking too much. The ending when Ok Soo stayed behind was really sad. Such a tear-jerker. All in all, it was money and time well spent! :D
  
  
• World class family viewing
  By AXV1ICWP9KMD1 on 2008-06-23
  Jackie Chan's action choreography only keeps getting better and I have to keep asking how does he do it as he keeps getting older?
  
  That aside, the action is amazingly slick and not CGI'ed to death.
  
  The film as a whole is an enjoyable family-viewing action movie. Recommended for father's of young boys.
  
  
  
• One of Jackie Chan's Better Releases, of Late.
  By A3T5NSG7LMRY0A on 2008-07-28
  Lately I'm on a martial arts kick (no pun intended). Very much enjoyed the visual artistry of fare such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Curse of the Golden Flower, Hero, Iron Monkey and House of Flying Daggers. But, I've always been a fan of Jackie Chan's "modern" work. Can't wait to pick up The Forbidden Kingdom, too...
  
  I think this movie does a beautiful job blending the old-school and the modern, the "art house" style and the "Jackie Chan over-the-top martial arts" style.
  
  The "Jackie Chan" modern stuff takes place more-or-less in the present day, where "Jack" has strange dreams of ancient China and a beautiful princess. The "art house" stuff is packaged in flashbacks and visual exegesis about the "actual" events Jack is remembering from a past life. Eventually, the two worlds / times collide at the end of the movie.
  
  Quite an enjoyable piece of work. I didn't even realize it existed until my roommate bought a copy at Hollywood Video. I decided I needed my own copy (being both a Jackie Chan fan and an asian "art house" cinema fan).
  
  I'd certainly give this a recommend to anyone who like either Jackie Chan or the "art house" style of the movies I mentioned previously.
  
  
• not worth
  By A33PNAQ33DGBJG on 2007-12-18
  the rental. It was just boring and terrible. The acting stank and the dialogue won't keep you glued to the screen. I don't recommend this movie to anyone.
  
  

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