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

[MattComix]

Interesting comments here. I've had people rec' Ong Bak to me but I've yet to take a look at the first one or the sequels. I now aim to correct this..

Offhand I would say that while I can enjoy having a wall to wall action-fest as much as the next guy, I think there's room for the more drama driven and thoughtful martial arts films but it all comes down to how the distribution between action and drama is balanced (or talky bits and fighty bits if you want) plus also both have to be interesting. I felt Jet Li's Fearless did that rather well and IMO better Hero or CTHD.

 

[ForeverRed]

I do not understand why Ong Bak 2/Ong Bak 3 has nothing to do with the first Ong Bak. I loved the first movie.

So, the second and third film.... they took place in... like... 1800s something like that. That doesn't make sense.

 

[MattComix]

I do not understand why Ong Bak 2/Ong Bak 3 has nothing to do with the first Ong Bak. I loved the first movie.

So, the second and third film.... they took place in... like... 1800s something like that. That doesn't make sense.

Aren't they supposed to be a prequel type thing where the history is relevant to the first movie?

 

[Inui Takumi]

Interesting comments here. I've had people rec' Ong Bak to me but I've yet to take a look at the first one or the sequels. I now aim to correct this..

Offhand I would say that while I can enjoy having a wall to wall action-fest as much as the next guy, I think there's room for the more drama driven and thoughtful martial arts films but it all comes down to how the distribution between action and drama is balanced (or talky bits and fighty bits if you want) plus also both have to be interesting. I felt Jet Li's Fearless did that rather well and IMO better Hero or CTHD.

Fearless definitely used the right blend of engaging story and amazing action. Another movie that does it well is Ip Man. When movies like that come around, it makes you glad to be a fan of this genre of film since not many can do it well. But, there is absolutely nothing wrong with movies that are all action and little story. Most early HK martial arts movies are like that. Well not most, that may be an exaggeration. But directors back then did tend to want movies to have like 80-90% action and 10% story. I still love those kind of movies as well. Especially small budget ones like Drive or Broken Path.

I do not understand why Ong Bak 2/Ong Bak 3 has nothing to do with the first Ong Bak. I loved the first movie.

So, the second and third film.... they took place in... like... 1800s something like that. That doesn't make sense.

I believe its like Mattcomix said. It's supposed to be a prequel to the Ong Bak story.

I watched Ong Bak 1 again last night at a friend's place and it still wowed me after all these years. It definitely still holds up in my eyes. Now to watch Ong Bak 2 and see if I get it more this time.

 

[MattComix]

Fearless definitely used the right blend of engaging story and amazing action. Another movie that does it well is Ip Man. When movies like that come around, it makes you glad to be a fan of this genre of film since not many can do it well. But, there is absolutely nothing wrong with movies that are all action and little story. Most early HK martial arts movies are like that. Well not most, that may be an exaggeration. But directors back then did tend to want movies to have like 80-90% action and 10% story. I still love those kind of movies as well. Especially small budget ones like Drive or Broken Path.

There's an extent to which I still need to be able to give a damn about the characters and why they are fighting. Seeing two "badasses" bash each others head in doesn't really impress me at all. Take the Jet-Li movie Tai-Chi Master. It's not the most original story in the world by a long shot but the characters are likable enough for me to give a damn while all the crazy action is going on and there's a clearly defined protag and antag with actual character arcs.

So I mean it's a case of where the story is obviously there to string the fights together but it's still entertaining even in the downtime when the characters aren't fighting.