Ong Bak 2

[kungfusamurai]

Sorry if I'm starting a new thread, I did the search both for Ong Bak 2 and Ong Bak, but the search said no results.

I just watched it and I found it entertaining. It wasn't the best movie, but it was miles better than The Protector and better than the first Ong Bak. I'm not even sure why they called it '2', when it doesn't have anything to do with the first.

What I really enjoyed about it was the fact it took place in ancient times. I had enough of the modern actioners, and I was intrigued by the period costumes, fighting styles and weapons. It looked like some of those pirates and the training were references to Chinese and Japanese styles, though. I didn't quite get the Hung Gar and Iado japanese sword fighting styles in the middle of a Thai jungle, but I figure since they're pirates, maybe these guys were recruited somewhere out in the ocean.

My beef with the movie and the previous Jaa movies is the way some scenes are shot. There were a number of fight scenes where the action looked jerky and choppy, almost like the digital equivalent of frame removing. I thought it could have been an artifact of the authoring process, but the same jerkiness was in other films by the same director.

SPOILER

The one plot point that bothered me was how come after all that time, he never found out that his adoptive father was in cahoots with that general guy who was responsible for his father's death? I mean, if Jaa's character was supposed to be the new leader of this group of pirates, wouldn't he have been formally introduced to that general and his men a lot earlier?

Otherwise, I found it a thoroughly entertaining film. I liked seeing the ancient costumes, and seeing some of the similarities between the Thai warrior costumes and how they are similar to those of India. Back in the day, I don't think there were border guards preventing people from entering each other's countries, so it's obvious that India, China and all the other surrounding lands helped shape the Thai culture.

KFS

[BaronK]

http://kungfucinema.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6260&page=34

[Chinatown Kid]

I liked Ong Bak 2 and appreciated it for what was, but the more modern and hardhitting style of Ong Bak and The Protector excites me more than watching the more traditional style used in this film.

[HyperDrive]

Otherwise, I found it a thoroughly entertaining film. I liked seeing the ancient costumes, and seeing some of the similarities between the Thai warrior costumes and how they are similar to those of India. Back in the day, I don't think there were border guards preventing people from entering each other's countries, so it's obvious that India, China and all the other surrounding lands helped shape the Thai culture.

It is rather interesting isn't it? At one point in time, almost all of SE Asia was Hindu. Some remnants of that in modern Thai culture include the Erawan Shrine, Garuda symbol, and the Ramakien, which is the Thai version of the Ramayana epic.