The Hero of Tai Chi marks the conclusion of the Tai Chi duology from Chen Kuofu and Stephen Fung, except that the franchise is intended to be a trilogy, and unlike the first two films, which were released within weeks of each other, the third film won't appear until at least 2014. Presumably, production will begin in 2013, that's how things stand. Fortunately, "The Hero of Tai Chi" does not end with such an obvious hint of a sequel as was the case with "Tai Chi 0", almost everything fell into place, there is only one pathetic promise of revenge. Unfortunately, The Hero of Taiji lacks a measured narrative, events develop slowly, the ending lacks a climax, and the emotions and tense atmosphere become sluggish in the second half of the film. It can be assumed that in the third film everything will end “on a high note,” but given the underwhelming impressions left by the first two films, the third part in the future is not particularly intriguing. Overall, this whole Tai Chi experiment feels a bit disappointing.
Perhaps the biggest problem with The Hero of Taiji is that the film ends very prematurely. The biggest moment is the raid on the village of Chen, during which Jijing's heavily armed artillery soldiers fight the kungfu heroes Master Chen, Yunyang and Luchan. The action here is okay; Pretentious video game references are dropped in favor of an Ashes of Time (1994)-style blur, but this is offset by the scale and scope of the episode. After which the film just goes downhill. From the raid to the meeting with Master Li (Yuen Biao!) the characters have to go through a lot, but there is no trace of intrigue left in the plot. First there is a cut of Lucian's fights with various masters in a game style a la "Scott Pilgrim vs. Everyone", which at the end of the film looks as if someone is trying to fill in the gaps with a comic scene. The final battle with Master Li somehow corrects the situation. It seemed that it was finally the turn of Sammo Hungg's choreography to appear in all its glory, but the result is more strange philosophizing than a breathtaking spectacle. As a result, there was little at stake, and if there was, the filmmakers failed to convince the viewer of it.
In general, there is nothing particularly terrible in the Tai Chi duology, but both films present disappointing moments with such regularity that it is very difficult to experience delight as such. Despite writer/producer Chen Kuofu's extensive mythology, Steven Fung fails to engage the viewer in any emotional or suspenseful way. In Tai Chi films, unlike, for example, in Kung Fu Showdown, which clearly served as inspiration for the creators, there had to be spectacular moments that could surprise, delight or reward the audience with at least something for the time they spent watching. But Fung, apparently, relegates emotional moments to the background, giving them only a superficial function. This is a story about a man who got out “from rags to riches,” and in order to fully convey it, Lucian must be plunged headlong into this very mud, and only then will he have something to get out of. To become a winner and earn redemption, one must go through humiliation and failure, but we witness only minor difficulties and easy victory. With so much money, the filmmakers needed to deliver a much more polished final product. Chen Kuofu and Stephen Fung have successfully dealt with how to get out of rags, but what about how to get to riches? But they haven’t reached the “princes” yet...
Author: Kozo
Source: lovehkfilm.com
Translation: EvilDollaR
Notes:
- Part of the review with boring details and plot spoilers was cut out.
- “From rags to riches” --> “from Zero to Hero.” There is a “play on words” from the creators: “Tai Chi Zero” --> “Tai Chi Hero”.
I am waiting. I hope there will be something exciting.
I would like to mention Pasha as a person who has been an active participant in this project since…
Sad ending, albeit with a joke...
Added a video from the filming of "Twilight of the Warriors".