Sorraditep Supachanya:
“Greed is a vice: “Ong-Bak 3” preaches love, not war; forgiveness, not revenge.”
Maybe it's the current political mood. Maybe that was implied in the original script. Unlike its predecessors, which focused on non-stop combat, blood and violence, “Ong-Bak 3” proves to viewers that violence cannot solve anything, that revenge breeds even greater hatred, and that peace begins with forgiveness. Some will view this move as a “fresh” take on genre stereotypes, loaded with valid messages. But for others, this film may be a big disappointment.
“Ong-Bak 3” tries to take martial arts films to the next level. Fight scenes are sacrificed for dialogue on Buddhist karmic philosophy and the life cycle. The fighting style of Muay Thai, invented by Tony Jaa, the film's protagonist, reflects these subdued, calm tones. As a result, the fights in Ong-Bak 3 are less brutal and less grandiose than Jaa's other works. But they focus the viewer's attention on the true beauty of the human body and graceful movements. The waterfall scene, for example, is Jaa's bodily monologue, part ballet, part meditative poses, and part Thai traditional palace dances. It's definitely different from anything that's come before.
With far fewer fights and death-defying stunts, the film risks being rejected by its target audience of action fans who just want two hours of pure gladiatorial entertainment rather than a belief in non-violence. Filling the screen time with unnecessary slowdowns and unimportant plot branches, a weak storyline marred by holes, and characters that are not fully developed also do not contribute to the “victory” over the audience.
“Ong-Bak 3” begins where the second part ended. Tien (Tony Jaa), an orphan after the rebellion, was captured by his parents' killer after attempting to attack the palace to avenge their deaths. Rescued by a nameless hero, he regains his strength in a small village, where he finds love and enlightenment. Meanwhile, his parents' killer himself faces a palace coup in the form of his best bodyguard (played by Dan Chupong, another martial arts star), and now the new King is determined to eliminate all threats, including Tien.
Unfortunately, the final fight is too quiet, too anti-climactic for this kind of film. But in general, everything that happens subtly leads the viewer back to Buddhist philosophy and the symbolic statue of Buddha, subsequently stolen in the first Ong-Bak several centuries later (Tien is perhaps the main character of Ong-Bak, who survived several reincarnations). Again, such an idea may or may not have been the original idea of the trilogy's writers, but the attempt to create something unusual and not beyond the genre is worthy of applause.
Author: Sorraditep Supachanyya
Source: thaicinema.org
Translation: EvilDollaR
but I don’t care if the review is so sour. ED, I support, the trend is simply killing. oh well, there will be something to think about.
As it was once sung in a song: “First of all, first of all, there are fights. And philosophers? Philosophers then...”
I will also be very upset if there are fewer fights than in the second part. I'll be very upset. If only there was no ending, like the one that the Chinese loved in the latest films (T and U, MBS, 14 Blades, Goenmon, Feud, etc.), otherwise I will be completely upset. :(
I totally agree.
Hmm, well, someone is smoking choice weed - either the reviewer or the filmmakers. It's strange for a film to promote forgiveness and mercy through the abundance of brutal, bloody scenes in the trailer. If it is indeed true that the film is more reminiscent of a philosophical epic than an action film, then this is very sad. Love and forgiveness are of course good, but this is not what fans of Tony and Ong Bak expect. I, too, will watch the film solely for the action and will be very disappointed if there is less of it than in the second part. And, frankly, I doubt that the Thais will be able to combine philosophy and action in one bottle. Well, we'll see...
Of course, but apparently the author doesn’t know about it. ;)
So Tony didn't create it himself.
Since when did Tony Jaa invent Muay Thai? O_o, what was the reviewer smoking?
He probably meant Nattayut.