At first glance, this feels like just so much Chuck Norris-style trash. There's no great plot, acting, or effects.
But... watch this for about 20 or 30 minutes and you begin to realise where it's coming from.
For me the moment I started to enjoy myself was just after lots of inexplicable fights and flying magicians with lampshades on their heads have entered the scene. Kurt Russell sits down in the kitchen of an urban chinese mystic who explains the over-complicated plot to him in full detail, as if for the benefit of the audience. Kurt's got his mouth full of food and still looks totally baffled, managing an oafish 'hughsghuughhhhh???' in total empathy with the people in the cinema stuffing their faces with popcorn and uttering a similar question. For me, in terms of cinematic cheek, that moment was up there with Indiana Jones shooting the swordsman in 'Raiders'.
There's no pretence that the storyline matters, it's more of a case of 'that's that out of the way, now lets get out there and shoot the b**trds!'.
Great fun, doesn't insult the intelligence.
But... watch this for about 20 or 30 minutes and you begin to realise where it's coming from.
For me the moment I started to enjoy myself was just after lots of inexplicable fights and flying magicians with lampshades on their heads have entered the scene. Kurt Russell sits down in the kitchen of an urban chinese mystic who explains the over-complicated plot to him in full detail, as if for the benefit of the audience. Kurt's got his mouth full of food and still looks totally baffled, managing an oafish 'hughsghuughhhhh???' in total empathy with the people in the cinema stuffing their faces with popcorn and uttering a similar question. For me, in terms of cinematic cheek, that moment was up there with Indiana Jones shooting the swordsman in 'Raiders'.
There's no pretence that the storyline matters, it's more of a case of 'that's that out of the way, now lets get out there and shoot the b**trds!'.
Great fun, doesn't insult the intelligence.