A_Different_Drummer

One of the strangest movies you will ever see. For the recent "reboot" on TV, they took a story that deserved a movie and turned it into a series. For this outing, they took a story that deserved a series and turned it into a movie. The script looks and feels like it was written by an AI, because all the bits and pieces are there, but the pacing and exposition just feels wrong. On the plus side, Ben Wang has charm to spare, it is a joy to see Jackie Chan back in front of the camera, and Ralph Macchio looks relaxed and comfortable here, something not evident in the Cobra Kai series. That was NOT the 1 inch punch -- the technique is derived from Tai Chi and took Bruce Lee YEARS to master. The actual movement of the body is barely perceptible, but all the moving force perfectly combines with the body's "chi" to deliver a blow which, as Bruce demonstrated in many live forums, could knock a grown man back 10 feet, completely impossible to resist. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

As we know by now, series episodes are not really episodes, and never have been. They are hooks, lures, to keep your attention in the show, which produces looksm and looks produce ad revenue, ad revenue pays salaries, etc. Been this way since the beginning of TV. Literally. A free-floating episode is one the viewer will remember regardless of how the series goes, regardless of whether it is renewed, regardless of how it resolves. I will never forget this episode. It was hypnotizing from beginning to end. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

It is one thing for an individual to make bad life choices but another matter entirely for an entire industry. But these sorts of creators never miss a chance to disappoint. The first 25 minutes of this film feel like they are from another movie. It is a sort of a rom-com, with a meet-cute, that promises some well thought out action scenes later on. And that's the irony. The stars worked it. They sold it. They could have have done THAT film, and audiences would have loved it. Instead the producers simply assumed that their actors were not good enough, would never be good enough, and did a 180-degree turn into a silly B action film that barely holds the attention for more than a minute. So close and yet so far away. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))