Member gorhama Posted March 19, 2010 Member Share Posted March 19, 2010 I wasn't aware that you had to have a ton posts to state an opinion on a film. Everyone's new on some board at some point and not every newb writes an essay for their first post. When I said the action was generic that means it's nothing new or groundbreaking. The techniques showcased are like something you can find in a power rangers episode or something. It's not like it showcased much stylistic silat techniques in the movie. Let's put it this way this dude in this movie doesn't do for Silat what Tony Jaa did for Muay Thai. Basically this is your basic B movie that goes straight to video. Thanks for the more detailed info......and welcome to the boards!! I was hoping this movie did for Silat what Jaa did for Muay Thai. Maybe if they make another movie it will be focused on Silat. I mean the fight scenes won't be very long but they will be brutal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member mrnicejai Posted March 20, 2010 Member Share Posted March 20, 2010 Silat actually would be a very good and stylistic art for the screen with it's many low stances smooth locking techniques. What's needed in this movie is less quantity of fights and more time for the choreographers of this movie to give more quality fight scenes using Silat methods. If anything Silat can potentially make for more interesting action than Muay Thai which is mostly kickboxing with some elbows and knee's. I'm wondering if that's one reason why Tony Jaa decided to use lots of Kung Fu in Ong Bak 2? Anyway what's needed for this film is better thought out choreography and a more sophisticated use of camera angles to accentuate the style.. maybe one day.. but right now I don't think indonesian film fighting choreographers are mature enough for the big time world audience yet. If they really want to promote Silat they should maybe hire a choreographer from HK to help with their next effort showcase Silat. I still remember this scene from Operation Scorpio.. I wonder if this is Silat or Kun Tao? heheh http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxZzZ0sod-w Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member The Running Man Posted March 20, 2010 Member Share Posted March 20, 2010 Does anyone know if the Director's Cut is available at all? The international cut is 107 minutes while the Director's Cut is around 134 minutes or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member kingofkungfu2002 Posted April 8, 2010 Member Share Posted April 8, 2010 Looks like the UK dvd has been pushed back to June http://www.play.com/DVD/DVD/4-/13571972/Merantau-Warrior/Product.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member David Rees Posted April 8, 2010 Member Share Posted April 8, 2010 Got a preview copy of the UK dvd. First the film...Its ok, the story is basic, boy goes off to big city, meets girl, girl gets kidnapped by crooks etc...the fights are good, it does show some Silat, a lot of elbows etc also the fights towards the end have a lot of painful falls from the stuntmen. The lead actor doesnt really have any on-screen charisma and the details of the charactors involved are vague so you dont care much for what happens to them. Is it worth a watch?...Certainly, a bit over hyped but a decent film for the low budget involved. The dvd copy i got sent was ok...anamorphic, fine if soft picture...no extra's on my review copy. Shaw Brothers Official All Region DVDs Here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member blue_skies Posted April 8, 2010 Member Share Posted April 8, 2010 Looks like the UK dvd has been pushed back to June http://www.play.com/DVD/DVD/4-/13571972/Merantau-Warrior/Product.html amazon uk has apr.... still I'd be pissed off if it's pushed back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member kingofkungfu2002 Posted April 9, 2010 Member Share Posted April 9, 2010 HMV has it listed for June now too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member blue_skies Posted April 9, 2010 Member Share Posted April 9, 2010 HMV has it listed for June now too. awwwww crap! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member wizard12220 Posted April 12, 2010 Member Share Posted April 12, 2010 Does anyone know if the Director's Cut is available at all? The international cut is 107 minutes while the Director's Cut is around 134 minutes or so. The Director's cut is available in Indonesia, but unfortunately without English sub. I saw both version, but I think I prefer the Director's cut. The international version was screening at the Jakarta Film Festival, and Iko Uwais & the guy who he fought in the elevator were showing the fight again after the screening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member wizard12220 Posted April 12, 2010 Member Share Posted April 12, 2010 About mrnicejai saying that "Silat actually would be a very good and stylistic art for the screen with it's many low stances smooth locking techniques. What's needed in this movie is less quantity of fights and more time for the choreographers of this movie to give more quality fight scenes using Silat methods", I remembered watching the fight choreographer (in the Indonesian DVD extras) saying that sometimes certain choreography was changing, because the director (Gareth Evans) prefer more practically move. And the fight choreographer is a real Pencak Silat GURU. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member ben Posted April 13, 2010 Member Share Posted April 13, 2010 I got a subtitled version off the Internet and I enjoyed it, so I'll be looking out for the DVD release Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member mrnicejai Posted April 13, 2010 Member Share Posted April 13, 2010 About mrnicejai saying that "Silat actually would be a very good and stylistic art for the screen with it's many low stances smooth locking techniques. What's needed in this movie is less quantity of fights and more time for the choreographers of this movie to give more quality fight scenes using Silat methods", I remembered watching the fight choreographer (in the Indonesian DVD extras) saying that sometimes certain choreography was changing, because the director (Gareth Evans) prefer more practically move. And the fight choreographer is a real Pencak Silat GURU. If true then Mr. Evans just neutered the movie by getting rid of what's special about INDONESIAN martial arts vs. your standard kick and punch kickboxing styles that you can see everywhere else. That's akin to advertising a new HK movie called Drunken Master 4 and having the choreography consisting of a dude doing Taekwondo with a drunk look on the face. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member wizard12220 Posted April 13, 2010 Member Share Posted April 13, 2010 The basic move is still the Pencak Silat. But usually not every move looks good on screen, that's why they need a fight choreographer to make it good on screen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member The Running Man Posted April 14, 2010 Member Share Posted April 14, 2010 wizard12220, Thanks for the info on the Director's Cut. I hope Magnolia will put out both versions of the film as they have done in the past. I enjoyed Marantau quite a bit and am interested in seeing the Director's Cut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member TheGrimReaper Posted April 15, 2010 Member Share Posted April 15, 2010 I saw the movie 2 days ago and I was impressed. It does have a resemblance to Tony Jaa's Ong Bak, however the tone in Merantau was a bit on dramatic side and the fights were conveniently fit in the story to ephasise the personal involvment of the main character. I think it's nicely done with some patricular vision, well borowed from couple of flicks too, but which film recently has a completely original story and setting (martial arts movies speaking) I like this Indonesian display of style and hard-hitting stunts (I almost felt sorry for the poor guys falling from the container) and I will buy it definitely for my collection Simple and entertaining - for me it was a pleasure watching it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member AlbertV Posted April 15, 2010 Member Share Posted April 15, 2010 I watched half of the film so far and I like what I see. Uko Iwais has a resemblance to Tony Jaa at certain angles and I do like the bar fight, where he seems to combine Silat with what looks like Rittikrai-style action and taekwondo. I know there have been complaints about the whole Silat true form thing, but don't forget, we're watching a movie here so sometimes, they have to make the choreography look like a "dance" to make the film work as a whole. Can't wait to see the rest of it today before giving my official thoughts overall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member BLfan Posted May 9, 2010 Member Share Posted May 9, 2010 Anyone know if the Blu ray version of this movie is being release in the UK as the DVD is the only one that is advertised with a release date (even though it is delayed until June 7th) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member VenomsFan Posted May 9, 2010 Member Share Posted May 9, 2010 Got a preview copy of the UK dvd. First the film...Its ok, the story is basic, boy goes off to big city, meets girl, girl gets kidnapped by crooks etc...the fights are good, it does show some Silat, a lot of elbows etc also the fights towards the end have a lot of painful falls from the stuntmen. The lead actor doesnt really have any on-screen charisma and the details of the charactors involved are vague so you dont care much for what happens to them. Is it worth a watch?...Certainly, a bit over hyped but a decent film for the low budget involved. The dvd copy i got sent was ok...anamorphic, fine if soft picture...no extra's on my review copy. Shaw Brothers Official All Region DVDs Here Is the scene with the street fights in the underground garage in this cut? There was extensive behind the scenes about the technicalities of this shoot. Specifically the revolving tracking shot one take. Did they ever complete this scene? Check out my video movie review of Merantau here Thanks in advance, VenomsFan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member wizard12220 Posted May 10, 2010 Member Share Posted May 10, 2010 Is the scene with the street fights in the underground garage in this cut? There was extensive behind the scenes about the technicalities of this shoot. Specifically the revolving tracking shot one take. Did they ever complete this scene? Check out my video movie review of Merantau here Thanks in advance, VenomsFan The street fights in the underground garage is only appeared at the Director's cut (longer version). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member cultlabs Posted May 12, 2010 Member Share Posted May 12, 2010 Here's the UK pack shot and press details for the upcoming release (June 7th)... As a Cardiff resident, I'm delighted that the director is from Wales and studied film in my adopted home town. MERANTAU WARRIOR “BLOODY, BRUTAL, BRILLIANT.” – COMBAT MAGAZINE Asia’s newest martial arts action star, Iko Uwais, blasts on to the screen in Merantau Warrior, a rousing action-thriller that introduces Western audiences to the rarely-seen on screen Indonesian martial art of Silat, an incredible combination of strikes, joint manipulation, bladed weapons, throws and animal-derived fighting techniques that take hand-to-hand combat into a whole new realm. Echoing the visceral thrills of recent martial arts hits such as ‘Ong Bak’ and ‘Chocolate’, Merantau Warrior unleashes a fresh new wave of Asian filmmaking that has been hailed by Harry Knowles at AintItCoolNews.com as “non-stop AWESOME’ and by John Mosby of Impact Magazine as “jaw-droppingly good… on a par with Bourne.” Written and directed by Welsh-born Gareth Evans (Footsteps), Merantau Warrior stars Iko Uwais as Yuda, a young farmer and skilled Silat practitioner from Minangkabau in West Sumatera. Following a centuries old tradition, Yuda is about to embark on his ‘merantau’, a rite of passage that requires him to leave his home and family to make a name for himself in the wider world. He heads for the bustling city of Jakarta, where he immediately finds himself homeless, jobless and alone. A chance run-in with a juvenile street thief, Adit, leads Yuda to an encounter in which he is compelled to defend Adit’s elder sister, Astri, from a violent situation involving her abusive employer, Johni, and his henchmen. Unknown to Yuda, Johni is a major supplier of local girls to a human trafficking ring led by a volatile psychopath, Ratger, and his right-hand man, Luc, and he needs Astri to make up the numbers in his latest delivery. Johni kidnaps the girl and, once again, Yuda comes to her aid, this time rescuing her from the traffickers’ clutches in a striking one-man assault on their headquarters. Injured in the confrontation, Ratger determines to seek bloody retribution and to recover his ‘merchandise’ in the process. Yuda, Astri and Adit are forced to go on the run in the unforgiving city with a swarm of pimps and gangsters dogging their every step. With escape seemingly beyond their grasp, Yuda realises he has no choice but to face their foes head-on in a no-holds-barred showdown. Building to an adrenaline-charged, jaw-dropping finale, “Merantau’s mix of muscle, melancholy and mighty martial arts impresses” (Impact Magazine) and will no doubt leave audiences desperate to see just what director Evans and star Uwais will come up with next. Merantau Warrior (cert. 18) will be released on DVD (£12.99) by E1 Entertainment on 7th June 2010. Special Features include: Making of Feature; Behind the Scenes; Deleted Scenes; Theatrical Trailer; UK Promo; Easter Eggs. TRAILER Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member blue_skies Posted May 14, 2010 Member Share Posted May 14, 2010 I notice the extras say Easter eggs. I thought DVD extras were passed that novelty? Personally I'd rather have all the extras easily accessible instead of having to mess around trying to locate the ruddy things... And usually they aren't even worth the effort of finding. Out of curiosity are all of the online extras included on the DVD? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member daisho2004 Posted May 16, 2010 Member Share Posted May 16, 2010 OK I just finished watching this movie, and I thought it was very good. It did start off slow and the action really doesn't kick in until about 40minutes into the movie. But when the action starts it was pretty much non-stop. The Actor kinda resembles Tony Jaa, the Silat was good, as everyone said and I have to agree that the elevator fight scene was the best. There was some scenes that looked like it was taken from Ong-Bak. And Tony Jaa has made it hard to beat his fighting and his brutal-ness on screen. IKO UWAIS was a fresh face and I'm looking forward to seeing his next movie. And MERANTAU doesn't mean Warrior so I don't know why they called it that for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member blue_skies Posted May 17, 2010 Member Share Posted May 17, 2010 And MERANTAU doesn't mean Warrior so I don't know why they called it that for. Isn't merantau the name of the journey he goes on kind of like a coming-of-age thing? Mind you that's just an assumption on my part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member daisho2004 Posted May 17, 2010 Member Share Posted May 17, 2010 blue_skies: That is exactly what it means, its the same as in Australia when they go on a walk-about. That is why when they changed the name it didn't make any sense to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member blue_skies Posted May 17, 2010 Member Share Posted May 17, 2010 Since when does it ever make sense to change the name for Western releases? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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