Member David Rees Posted January 18, 2014 Member Share Posted January 18, 2014 I have watched Tom Yum Goong 2 and all i can say is that it is truly awful. This was one of the films i was most looking forward too this year and it dissapoints in so many ways. Firstly plot. While story is not as important in these type of films at least they could try a little bit and get a decent script. They stole his Elephant yet again? The plot makes little sense and just leads from one action scene to another. The acting is sub par, why cant they hire at least some western actors who can actually act?.. The dialogue is stilted and as for Rza, he is awful, why he was brought into this is anybodys guess. What about the action? Well even that is repetitive and a lot of the action is shot and edited so you cant see at times what is happening, the over use of CGI is striking and its bad CGI at that. Tony Jaa certainly still has the skills but after a while a knee strike is a knee strike and an elbow an elbow and there a very few wow moments unlike the first film. Character developement is zero so you really dont care about any of them (well maybe the elephant!). While Tom Yum Goong 1 was lacking in story etc at least it made up for it in the great action scenes, in this film you dont even have that apart from Jaa's first encounter with Maurice Crump who is the only person to come out of this film with some credit and he does show great potential. Jeeja Yanin is wasted, she has a couple of fight scenes but nothing special. One can only hope that Tony Jaa's next few films are better otherwise i think his time has well and truly gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member D1 Ma Posted January 18, 2014 Member Share Posted January 18, 2014 TYG 2 will be the second Jaa movie I'm not gonna buy on DVD ( the first one being OB3) As some mentioned, it's a very weird movie. I mean, it looks weird with many fights and stunts shot against a green screen and poorly done CGI, totally unfit for this kind of movie( almost like a Jackie Chan movie with lots of FX); it runs weird with quite bad editing at times... I always say that in MA movie the script is not that important as long as action is great., but in the case of TYG3 the lack of a decent and coherent plot really damages the movie. I actually got bored by the end of the movie and didn't care about anything that was going on on the screen As for the action it was a mixed bag. Some stunts and some moves looked great, but for the most part it was nothing special. The only fight that got me excited was the first fight between Jaa and Crump but it didn't last long. I really hated the fact that they spiced up some of the fights with stupid gimmicks (e.g. fiery walls or sparky feet) instead of good choreo.. Plus, after the first Jaa/Crump fights it all goes downhill with the final underwhelming battle being "the good guys against RZA"... RZA! The ultimate fighting machine... At the end, in the fights/stunts department it was better than Special ID, but much worse than Ninja2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member VenomsFan Posted January 18, 2014 Member Share Posted January 18, 2014 Alot of complaints about the CGI, the motorbike fight had like 5 seconds that was noticeable. Some inserts here or there but nothing more 1 MINUTE IN TOTAL. Hardly a reason to write off the movie altogether. I agree, the 4 minute firewall CGI was over the top. The feet on fire while kicking in the face and performing the stunts were real though. And it was an impressive 3 on one fight. People are forgetting how long it was since Jaa was last onscreen. He had like 4 years before seeing him onscreen again and he made quite a comeback. He did it in a fresh way that was hard hitting and entertaining to say the least. It's like he never missed a beat. Like the 4 years never passed. I really think we should contribute to DiP's thread about what we look for in action scenes. To each their own, but is saying Ninja 2 is a better movie because of story a fair comparison? Jaa nor Atkins wrote the script, nor were responsible for the screenplay. But I'll say this. The opening scene where Jaa is teaching the kids - he uses those same techniques to defeat Crump in 2 of their 3 battles. And JeeJa Yanin was awesome. Not only did she take some real hard hits, but she's 100% ready for Chocolate 2! That 3 on 1 parkour fight she had on the multilevel garage (both alongside Jaa and solo vs. Crump and 2 others) was executed wonderfully! Again credit should be given - and is deserved - as we haven't seen her onscreen in more than 2 years. It was the first collab with Jaa and they compliment each other well. It's EXACTLY how I pictured the Chocolate/Raging Phoenix and Ong Bak/TYG characters fighting together. I'll take RZA's fights over the Yen vs. Ken Lo fighting on Mahjong chips any day. He's no Atkins but he already proved in Man with the Iron Fists that he is a very capable Martial Arts actor AND Director. They shot a good fight scene together and there's no real reason to knock him. As for the story, there WAS one. Especially how the elephant was used to bring peace between the warring countries. It is sprinkled throughout in the TV reports and opening credits and is enough to move the story along without making it ridiculous. The scene with the old man in the village links Kham's adventure with the political turmoil in the region. One more thing about Crump. He IS awesome, but remember the choreography was not his, but Jaa's. Remember, in TYG1 Jaa showed us Capoeira onscreen as effective as any other form of Martial Arts defense. In TYG2, we see Crump using 52 blocks REAL effectively onscreen vs. Muy Thai (Jaturongkabaat). This has never been done before. It's funny though, Twitch, for example did not flat out say Special ID was bad. But rather they gave excuses as to why it was not that good. Now their TYG2 review goes on and on about how disappointing it is even stretching the truth that Jaa is slow at times but nothing about his hiatus or how inventive the choreography was. But I digress... There were few Martial Arts movies to wet our appetite in 2013. Tom Yum Goong 2 is without question one of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member D1 Ma Posted January 18, 2014 Member Share Posted January 18, 2014 One of the things that made Ong Bak so special was the fact that no wires or CGI were used for the most of the action. It was a display of raw human physical abilities. Knowing that makes you understand the danger involved, root for the performers and and feel some kind of emotional connection with people risking their health and life for your entertainment. When I see BAD FX in TYG3, something turns me off. I don't feel cheated, no, it's just I look at the screen without awe. It's hard to explain, but it's not the same. Plus when you mind constantly get distracted noticing bad CGI shots, it pulls you out of the action. 9And those electric sparks between Jaa and Crumps looked really ridiculous!) Jaa was in a good shape, but he didn't look any better than your average MA fighter. Almost nothing he did in TYG3 left me breathless, nonetheless I don't have any gripe against him and still consider myself a Jaa's fan I wasn't too happy about the choreo, that's true. I know that Panna Rittikrai was a MA supervisior and one of the producers, but some other guys were credited as choreographers and action directors. Maybe, it's one of the reason the action wasn't that great. I don't know anything about Jaa choreographing his fight with Crump, but if it's true, kudos to the guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted January 19, 2014 Moderator Share Posted January 19, 2014 in the case of TYG3 the lack of a decent and coherent plot really damages the movie. When I see BAD FX in TYG3, something turns me off. Almost nothing he did in TYG3 left me breathless TYG2! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member OpiumKungFuCracker Posted January 19, 2014 Author Member Share Posted January 19, 2014 Have you guys seen Bangkok Revenge? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member D1 Ma Posted January 19, 2014 Member Share Posted January 19, 2014 TYG2! Touche! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member ShaOW!linDude Posted January 19, 2014 Member Share Posted January 19, 2014 Have you guys seen Bangkok Revenge? Awesome movie! I love that flick! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member OpiumKungFuCracker Posted January 19, 2014 Author Member Share Posted January 19, 2014 Awesome movie! I love that flick! Hahhahahah, ShawOw!!lindude, you are such a jokester!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Lionclaw Posted January 19, 2014 Member Share Posted January 19, 2014 A lot of martial arts movies have been getting lot of hate lately. I actually really enjoyed this movie and find it great to see Tony using his signature style again. The fights were not out of this world but they were many and very solid. I even enjoyed RZA's fights and I'm highly against that man in films. This was better than Ong Bak 3 in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member OpiumKungFuCracker Posted January 19, 2014 Author Member Share Posted January 19, 2014 A lot of martial arts movies have been getting lot of hate lately. I actually really enjoyed this movie and find it great to see Tony using his signature style again. The fights were not out of this world but they were many and very solid. I even enjoyed RZA's fights and I'm highly against that man in films. This was better than Ong Bak 3 in my opinion. Better than OB3, now I really need to see this movie! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member AlbertV Posted January 19, 2014 Member Share Posted January 19, 2014 I just finished watching this and I don't get the big deal...I think the problem is that people came in expecting to see the usual Tony Jaa. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, but it does annoy me sometimes when people feel that the same action stars have to do the same thing. I think they should be allowed to try something new and that was the intention of TYG2. So Jaa tried out wire stunts and while some of the CGI was atrocious, I do respect Jaa for trying something different. I have to admit, I actually was quite surprised by the RZA as the main villain. It seems compared to the action with Man with the Iron Fists, he really did a better job here with the action sequences. And all I have to say is Marrese Crump is a f'n beast!!! His fight scenes were truly the best fights of the whole movie...I hope this gets Formless off the ground because he definitely impressed the hell out of me. Going to have my full review today... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Drunken Monk Posted January 19, 2014 Member Share Posted January 19, 2014 "Tom Yum Goong 2" is badly plotted, poorly acted but a WHOLE lot of fun. I don't know why people are being such strong naysayers. It's such a playful film. It's the filmmakers saying, "I wonder what would happen if we took the first TYG and Ong Bak and then added CGI, wires etc." The whole thing feels like a "What if...?" showreel and it's really enjoyable! Yes, I have qualms. It is poorly edited in places and, if you can't tolerate cheesiness or bad CGI, you are definitely going to have a problem with it. But, if you can go in with an open mind, you'll have fun with this one. Hell, during the "electrified limbs" fight sequence, they practically use light saber sound effects! It's just that type of film. RZA should never open his mouth but he pulls off the fight scenes well here. I also liked Jeeja Yanin. Though she's underused, she seems really scrappy here. A real fighter. Great stuff. All in all, it's not the best martial arts film ever. Nowhere near, in fact. It's not an "A" grade film by any stretch of the imagination but it feels like the entire cast knows that. The film is a ride but a ride you need to be committed to. It should have a warning stating, "No nitpickers allowed." It's loud, dumb and in-your-face and I thoroughly enjoyed it for exactly that reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member TheGrimReaper Posted January 19, 2014 Member Share Posted January 19, 2014 About that moment with the electricity - it was simply hillarious, they even managed to do the sound effects just like a lightsaber duel from Star Wars Darth Crump vs. Tony Jaawalker :xd: It could've been a lot worse as an overall movie - maybe next time Jaa will get rid of CGI and return to a more ground-breaking sequences Greetings Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member OpiumKungFuCracker Posted January 19, 2014 Author Member Share Posted January 19, 2014 I just finished watching this and I don't get the big deal...I think the problem is that people came in expecting to see the usual Tony Jaa. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, but it does annoy me sometimes when people feel that the same action stars have to do the same thing. I think they should be allowed to try something new and that was the intention of TYG2. So Jaa tried out wire stunts and while some of the CGI was atrocious, I do respect Jaa for trying something different. I have to admit, I actually was quite surprised by the RZA as the main villain. It seems compared to the action with Man with the Iron Fists, he really did a better job here with the action sequences. And all I have to say is Marrese Crump is a f'n beast!!! His fight scenes were truly the best fights of the whole movie...I hope this gets Formless off the ground because he definitely impressed the hell out of me. Going to have my full review today... "Tom Yum Goong 2" is badly plotted, poorly acted but a WHOLE lot of fun. I don't know why people are being such strong naysayers. It's such a playful film. It's the filmmakers saying, "I wonder what would happen if we took the first TYG and Ong Bak and then added CGI, wires etc." The whole thing feels like a "What if...?" showreel and it's really enjoyable! Yes, I have qualms. It is poorly edited in places and, if you can't tolerate cheesiness or bad CGI, you are definitely going to have a problem with it. But, if you can go in with an open mind, you'll have fun with this one. Hell, during the "electrified limbs" fight sequence, they practically use light saber sound effects! It's just that type of film. RZA should never open his mouth but he pulls off the fight scenes well here. I also liked Jeeja Yanin. Though she's underused, she seems really scrappy here. A real fighter. Great stuff. All in all, it's not the best martial arts film ever. Nowhere near, in fact. It's not an "A" grade film by any stretch of the imagination but it feels like the entire cast knows that. The film is a ride but a ride you need to be committed to. It should have a warning stating, "No nitpickers allowed." It's loud, dumb and in-your-face and I thoroughly enjoyed it for exactly that reason. SUCK IT HATERS, YEAH now what??? Oh god please let this be better than Bangkok Revenge and Raging Phoenix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Lionclaw Posted January 19, 2014 Member Share Posted January 19, 2014 AlbertV said exactly how I feel about this movie. And those lightsaber sounds did annoy me at first but this is a definite buy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member TheGrimReaper Posted January 19, 2014 Member Share Posted January 19, 2014 For me this movie is a solid 5/10 - where the story gets flat on its back the fight scenes delivers some redemption, despite the wires and CGI crap. Not all of them were quite impressive, but the sheer number is truly enormous. I'll give it another go after some time, I may found something in it which was invisible the previous time Greetings Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member FrankBolte Posted January 20, 2014 Member Share Posted January 20, 2014 it was like watching a 90s HK movie..i totally liked it although at some points it was almost too much... anyway,great afternoon fun yesterday! Defo will get the dvd or blu-ray when it comes out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Drunken Monk Posted January 20, 2014 Member Share Posted January 20, 2014 In case anybody wants a taster, here's the Marrese Crump/Tony Jaa electrified limbs fight... Oh and the last few seconds of the clip is just the uploader making fun of it. The film doesn't actually contain the "Star Wars" them. 5GVchcqHxKk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member makone Posted January 20, 2014 Member Share Posted January 20, 2014 I liked the film, i figured the bad cgi was part of the 3D effects. I actually heard that music in my head when i was watching it.lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member thehangman Posted January 20, 2014 Member Share Posted January 20, 2014 Crump was best thing in this,cgi was awful Nothing blew me away really and fight scenes didnt seem to be shot the best Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member trueth Posted January 20, 2014 Member Share Posted January 20, 2014 Much more enjoyable MA film than Special ID. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Secret Executioner Posted January 20, 2014 Member Share Posted January 20, 2014 In case anybody wants a taster, here's the Marrese Crump/Tony Jaa electrified limbs fight... Oh and the last few seconds of the clip is just the uploader making fun of it. The film doesn't actually contain the "Star Wars" them. 5GVchcqHxKk That was fun to watch. Guess I'll try and get that one. Like thehangman, I don't think it's really spectacular, but just for that scene (guess there must be some other nice gems in that film), it seems worth getting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member popsjnr Posted January 21, 2014 Member Share Posted January 21, 2014 one word review,,,, UGHHHH!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member BaronK Posted January 21, 2014 Member Share Posted January 21, 2014 That was not good. First 40 mins go by with pretty much set pieces. Not really about anything as a movie. The action was not really memorable although there is a lot. Motorcycle was too long and didn't really make sense to the viewer as it just appears and here you are. Wait, why is this, who are they? Crump stuff was the highlight but I could have done without the resurrections in the movie. Jija was in this why? Got her butt handed to her the entire picture, although for once, it actually made sense in terms of believability. When the pic was announced, it was played like it was even billing between the 2 but she really was about 68- billed in terms of screen time. Maybe had 3 lines of dialogue. Made that 'eh' sound she always makes. Cgi was bad. green screen stuff was bad. None of the new things that introduced was a step up from what they've already done(OB, the great ideas they had for TYG and the incredible action in Bangkok Knockout and that Chocolate ending). This was a huge step down trying to use wires and technology where it didn't belong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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