So...Ong Bak 3......

[Inui Takumi]

So I just finished watching Ong Bak 3. I bought it after being surprised at seeing it on the shelf at Walmart. Actually, its the same with Ong Bak 2, cuz I knew that both were released in Thailand, but wasnt aware of their US releases. Being a fan of Tony Jaa and more specifically, the original Ong Bak which actually had a decent theatrical release and became somewhat of a cult favorite, I was compelled to buy both sequels when they came on DVD despite having not seen them.

Now with the second movie, I knew that it was a period piece but was expecting to be blown away. But, I was rather disappointed. No matter what you say about Ong Bak 1's simple story line, or lack their of, there was a clear objective: someone stole his village's Buddha statue and he was hell-bent to bring it back. With Ong Bak 2, they tried to complicate things with rebellions and betrayals and all that. And frankly, I was confused when i first saw it (mainly cuz I couldnt tell who was who among the supporting cast), but also it seemed the story was all over the place.

In Ong Bak 3, the story picks up where OB2 left off. And for the most part, the story was straight forward. Not as much fighting to start with as I would like. But it seemed to kinda be going somewhere. Then the ending happened, and I was extremely underwhelmed. It got kinda spiritual, which I dont mind, but that made it so that his fighting became less bone crushing and more kinda elegant with a touch of supernatural ability. And the climax of the last battle left me wondering if that was all.

Overall, I was greatly disappointed with the sequels. I understand what they were going for with the period piece. And maybe part of it is my unfamiliarity with Thai culture. But it just didnt feel like a Tony Jaa film. It didnt have as much action as I'd hoped, OB2 had more action.

I just wanted to know if anyone else has seen this movie and OB2 and what your thoughts on it were.

 

[StriderXXX]

Tony Jaa failed at directing as you can see from Ong Bak 2 and Ong Bak 3...

 

[Darkster]

I liked the action in the first one, but I haven't seen the second or third one. The story looks simple. Good guy lives in peace, bad guy disrupts his peace, good guy brutalizes bad guy.

I like Jaa's choreography and his stunts, but Jackie Chan offers more in most of his movies.

Jaa still is at a good age right now. He can learn and improve whatever he decides to do.

 

[Bolt]

Ong Bak 2 is probably the best Thai action film ever made and one of the best martial arts films period, but the confused and often aimless production led to the third film having a less focused narrative and a much weaker sense of purpose. The action is a little less frequent but still features some of Jaa's best work, especially his long-awaited matchup fight Dan Chupong, an impressive action star in his own right. I only found the third Ong Bak film disappointing because I loved the direction that the second took and was anxious to see how the story would conclude, but it mostly felt like a deviation from the setup they had established and wasn't completely satisfying in terms of either storytelling or action design. But it's also important to keep in mind that production of Ong Bak 3 was rushed and made use of a much smaller budget and an emotionally wrecked Jaa, who succumbed to the stress of trying too manage to much on his own with OB2. Taken as it is it's still an impressive and original continuation of the second film's unique premise and not a bad way to finalize the series, although I'll never understand the radical change of style between the original and second entries.

 

[Inui Takumi]

I'll give Ong Bak 2 its credit, its a hell of a lot better than Ong Bak 3. I've only seen it once and was a bit thrown off by it. But, it did have some of the best fights in recent years. But, I still hold Ong Bak 1 at the top. I dont think I have been wowed by a martial arts movie to that extent since probably the first time I saw a Jackie Chan movie. So that is definitely way up there.

I dont know, Ong Bak 3 just straight up bored me. I was interested in his recovery process and everything. But after he started doing the dances with his girl, it all sorta went down hill from there. Maybe Im just shallow and was just looking for flashy fights and total badassery. But for some reason, the ending of that movie left me feeling like it was missing something. But that is just my opinion.

And I agree, I have no clue why the theme changed between Ong Bak 1 and Ong Bak 2. He could have changed the name and it would have made a lot more sense. But of course, marketing proves that sequels to badass movies gets a lot more seats in the theaters.

Also, I heard that Tony Jaa is now a monk. Is that true, Bolt? Any hint as to what happened and if he'll ever come back to filmmaking? I know he had a serious breakdown during the making of OB2. But I didnt think it would push him to quit.

 

[angel_of_chaotix]

I downloaded it to see it. I saw the end of 2 in school, and I loved the Protector (The Thai version) and then I saw chocolate in school and you know Prachya Pinkaew directed chocolate. (Which was an awesome movie did that. So I loved Chocolate every minute it was on.) which led me to believe Prachya Pinkaew did Ong Bak 2 and 3 also. Which disappoints me somewhat. I'll get around to it though. That reminds me, anyone see Legend Of The Fist The Return Of Chen Zhen?

 

[Bolt]

The problem that most people encounter with Jaa's later films is that when he was introduced it was basically as a gimmick--the newest martial arts phenomenon who reintroduced highly physical stuntwork to a wide audience and introduced for the first time the art of muay thai--and his first couple of movies were designed specifically as vehicles to showcase his remarkable athletic abilities. But artists strive to grow and develop in their discipline, and it became obvious as Jaa began to improve and expand his acting range and method of movement that people were reluctant to accept new projects because they aren't the same style as the offerings they were first exposed to. People dislike Ong Bak 2 because it has a story (and a very original and inventive one at that). They deride it for its emphasis on character, narrative and creation of a world that is equal parts fantasy and history, and for its relation of Thai cultural concepts. OB2 was really a very progressive sort of film for Sahamongkol and for Thai cinema, but because its main feature wasn't people getting kicked in the face constantly it was deemed to be somehow inferior to the original film and undeserving of the Ong Bak title. Personally I think a lot of these criticisms are very unfair and show limited understanding of the ideal purpose of the action film genre, which should be to incorporate action scenes that serve to advance or enrich the narrative circumstances themselves and should be memorable because of their relationship to the quality of the film as a composite.

But mainly I just don't understand the negative reaction because almost the entire second half of OB2 was action of an extremely high grade, far better and more developed than anything seen in the first film, fresh as it was at the time. Jaa's choreography in OB2 is more elaborate, more creative, makes use of multiple styles of martial arts instead of degrading the same one-dimensional use of muay thai techniques we'd been shown up to that point and is all captured by some of the best and most exciting action cinematography that's been seen in literal years. What's not to enjoy?

I encourage you to watch the movie again, Takumi, this time in the context of a complete film and not just a loose string of fight sequences. I think you'll notice a lot of the design elements and how well they're put together, and how distinguished the final product becomes as a result.

Also, I heard that Tony Jaa is now a monk. Is that true, Bolt? Any hint as to what happened and if he'll ever come back to filmmaking? I know he had a serious breakdown during the making of OB2. But I didnt think it would push him to quit.

Jaa devoted himself to Buddhism very briefly after completing OB3, though I don't know how much of it owes to his spiritual beliefs and how much was performed as a sort of penance for his earlier conduct. From what I understand he's been emancipated now (sorry Buddhists) and is looking to get back into the filmmaking game in the near future. I just hope he fixes his mental game first in order to start making better project selection choices and to avoid anymore unnecessary stress attacks. God knows martial arts cinema needs him right now.

 

[Inui Takumi]

Im definitely gonna take your advice, Bolt. I think I did watch it previously in the mindset that it would be a bunch of fights stringed together by a thin story. So I guess I kinda just put the story part in the periphery of my mind while watching. Ill definitely watch it again with an more open mind. But I will say the fights were damn good from what I remember.

Well, thats good to hear that he may be coming back to film making. With Jackie Chan and Jet Li too old to produce content like they used to, and with Donnie Yen hanging on as much as he can, Tony Jaa is basically part of the future of martial arts cinema. But I also feel like he's done his deed already, mean that he paved teh way for more movies from Thailand getting spotlights and getting exposure. Movies like Chocolate wouldnt have been seen by nearly as much people if not for him. I still want to see Raging Phoenix as well as another movie that came out last year but I cant remember the name atm.

 

[sadmemories20]

So I just finished watching Ong Bak 3. I bought it after being surprised at seeing it on the shelf at Walmart. Actually, its the same with Ong Bak 2, cuz I knew that both were released in Thailand, but wasnt aware of their US releases. Being a fan of Tony Jaa and more specifically, the original Ong Bak which actually had a decent theatrical release and became somewhat of a cult favorite, I was compelled to buy both sequels when they came on DVD despite having not seen them.

Now with the second movie, I knew that it was a period piece but was expecting to be blown away. But, I was rather disappointed. No matter what you say about Ong Bak 1's simple story line, or lack their of, there was a clear objective: someone stole his village's Buddha statue and he was hell-bent to bring it back. With Ong Bak 2, they tried to complicate things with rebellions and betrayals and all that. And frankly, I was confused when i first saw it (mainly cuz I couldnt tell who was who among the supporting cast), but also it seemed the story was all over the place.

In Ong Bak 3, the story picks up where OB2 left off. And for the most part, the story was straight forward. Not as much fighting to start with as I would like. But it seemed to kinda be going somewhere. Then the ending happened, and I was extremely underwhelmed. It got kinda spiritual, which I dont mind, but that made it so that his fighting became less bone crushing and more kinda elegant with a touch of supernatural ability. And the climax of the last battle left me wondering if that was all.

Overall, I was greatly disappointed with the sequels. I understand what they were going for with the period piece. And maybe part of it is my unfamiliarity with Thai culture. But it just didnt feel like a Tony Jaa film. It didnt have as much action as I'd hoped, OB2 had more action.

I just wanted to know if anyone else has seen this movie and OB2 and what your thoughts on it were.

Well, great work! You have helped me to improve my knowledge about this field. Thank you so much for sharing.

 

[Inui Takumi]

Well, great work! You have helped me to improve my knowledge about this field. Thank you so much for sharing.

hehe, Thanks! But if you really want to expand your knowledge, aside from actually watching the movies and looking up info yourself, get to talking with Bolt. He is like an endless well of knowledge when it comes to this genre. Its amazing.