Ong Bak 2 (2008) Reviews

• 95 minutes of terrific action

  rajeshnaidu_tony2009-04-05

  The movie is wonderful, to the point and did not mess-up up with too much story and dialogs. The movie shows tony ja's wish to cover the major martial art skills such as Chinese kung fu, Japanese Samurai, Ninja, Muay Thai, Drunken kungfu etc., The fight sequences are brilliant, rough and the art of Drunken fighting is shown perfectly as you will see the real essence unlike that of older movies which have portrayed it as a funny martial art. tony ja's love for elephants is obvious(Thailand's national animal). overall 9/10 (-1 if there is no sequel) one can obviously see that even though the movie is tony ja's first direction it is very maturely taken and it's sure that it makes you feel like there should be some more at the end but The movie is unfinished as tony and the producers had some unknown clashes behind the scenes. Yet the movie is full of brilliant fights and you will surely be satisfied while expecting for a sequel.

• gut wrenching intensity, tight editing and entertaining to the last detail

  san_iom2009-03-28

  This followup to the hit Ong Bak has nothing to do with the original Ong Bak, and it seems like the producers were simply trying to cash in on the name, but boy- why did they have to? This movie stands upto itself on its own. Tight editing, lots of superb fight sequences, lots of innovative battle techniques, minimal storyline meaning minimal time wasted on anything but the raw action that we are there to see; all makes it a great movie impossible to miss. You get glued to your seat and wont even blink. Somebody wrote he was bored, which I tried hard to understand- but couldn't. Man, action movies don't get bigger or better than this. Its like Gladiator meets Apocalypto meets Rambo, only better. Raw gut wrenching intensity makes it a pleasure to watch. Don't miss this.

• Epic Martial Arts

  swampfoxx-12008-12-06

  With a storyline reminiscent of Japanese video games and Samurai classics, it is nice to see this genre back on the big screens. The action sequences muscle out the storyline a bit, but they remain quite spectacular to watch. Tony Jaa clearly left a piece of his soul on the celluloid for the next generation to remember him by. The scenes are beautifully framed, full of color and contrast. All I felt that was missing was a control pad between my fingers and the freedom to take the character around the village to search for hidden treasure. If the movie leaves you scratching your head a little at the end, you are not alone. However I suspect that it implies that a sequel is in the works and I am in favor for that. It is great seeing the epic martial art films back on the big screen, with a devoted cast ensuring the audience that they will get their money's worth. It is the best film in this genre that I have seen in a good long while.

• A Nutshell Review: Ong Bak 2

  DICK STEEL2009-01-03

  There's no doubt I've been a fan of movies starring Tony Jaa with the likes of Ong Bak and Tom Yum Goong being showcases for the Muay Thai brand of martial arts, and I fondly remember those hard hitting action sequences that left me gaping, as well as the numerous replays just to drum it through to you that it's all Jaa and it's all as incredible as can be. And who can forget the latter film with that amazing single take where Jaa had to pound his way from the bottom of a building right to the top? Ong Bak 2 is a film fans like myself have been waiting for, despite it being marred by some really strange controversy, which also included Jaa walking off the set and disappearing from production. But everything's been sorted I guess, for the film to be completed and finally released. While it's rocking the box office in Thailand, I wonder whether it's because of the controversies that had piqued everyone's interest, or it's because the long break of 3 years had made everyone salivate at Jaa's long awaited return to the big screen. I wonder because while there are numerous moments in the film that I thoroughly enjoyed, I felt that it fell short too on other areas that had left me shifting in my seat, especially during the first hour. And the biggest culprit of it all, would be the ending. Tony Jaa wrote this story, and credit to him too in trying to weave together some semblance of a worthy story instead of the more obvious and easier whack-fest end to end. But the ending was somewhat of a cop out, and a disappointment, as it leads potentially and very directly to a third movie to resolve the issues the storyline had left hanging. It could have easily stretched it to say, 20 minutes more to get everything settled, but I guess there were grander plans to the tale that needed another movie to tell. One only wishes that it does get made sooner rather than later, and without the production woes that plagued this one. So Ong Bak 2 is actually half a movie, and given that it's a totally new story to begin with, I thought it would make better sense in retitling it, rather than to have a misnomer that it's a sequel. After all, the setting is now back in 15th century Thailand with totally new characters, with Jaa playing Tien, a man of royal lineage who's trying to avenge the death of his parents and entire household under the hands of rival warlords, and a masked man who delivered the killing blow to his dad. The first half of the movie had him learn from a band of bandits called the Garuda Wing Cliff, where a number of highly skilled exponents teach him all there is to know about their respective fields. I remembered having read somewhere that there's supposed to be some fusion of dance and martial arts, which didn't transpire in this film as far as I can tell (the dance/action sequence here doesn't make the cut), so it might be left for the next movie instead. Compared to the other Tony Jaa movies, you can see that the production values here have been ramped up tremendously.Techniques have also matured, and gone are the repetitive playbacks. But that doesn't mean you're going to lose out, because like any self-respecting martial arts film, the camera stays still when it should be and at a sane distance away to capture all the action comfortably, and the editing doesn't cut in and mess up the sequence. While the filmmaker in Tony Jaa would have matured with this outing (he co-directed this), his maturity as a martial artist on film is now without a doubt. We only get flashes of his Muay Thai when it calls for some close combat involving elbows and knees right smack in the kisser, otherwise we see Jaa as a more complete martial arts practitioner with the employment of a vast array of weapons, from swords to three-section-staffs, and a host of recognizable kung-fu moves, one which also pays homage to the Drunken Fists, and I applaud Jaa's rendition of it too. As for the revered elephant, you know it's never far behind, and there's one thrilling battle atop the large mammal, with Dan(ce) Chupong no less, albeit hidden behind a mask. Ong Bak 2 picked up very slowly, and spent significant time developing the back story of Jaa's Tien. And unfortunately, I do admit unabashedly that I was waiting for action sequence one after another, and those in the same boat will have to be patient. For action junkies, your appetite will only be satiated in the last act of the film, where it's vintage Jaa as he dishes out punishment, and receives much of the same in return. I detested the ending which wrapped everything up so conveniently (I don't buy the Karma bit), or left subplots such as the romantic angle as something to be dwelled upon later (though I believe romance never really was an issue at all in Jaa's movies), leaving doors wide open for another film. Perhaps I should reserve my judgement of it until the next movie completes the story? So at this moment, we can still enjoy what Tony Jaa has prepared for action fans worldwide – a showcase that he's not just all about Muay Thai, but a bona fide action hero who's the real deal, crafting a myriad of incredible fight sequences that would still leave your mouth gaping wide open.

• Magnificent Choreography of Fights and Art Direction

  claudio_carvalho2010-01-20

  In 1431, the Kingdom of Ayutthayan conquers the territory of Sukhothai expanding their lands to East. The noble Lord Siha Decho is betrayed by his Captain Rajasena and is murdered together with his wife. However their son Tien is saved by one loyal soldier and left alone in the woods. Later he is captured by slave traders but he is rescued by Chernang, the leader of a group of thieves from Garuda Wing. He learns martial arts and arms and becomes a leader of the thieves, but he leaves the gang seeking revenge against Rajasena. "Ong Bak 2" is a good epic, with a non-original storyline but a magnificent choreography of fights and art direction. The plot is predictable but very entertaining, supported by the ability of Tony Jaa in martial arts, and the conclusion seems to be the beginning of an unnecessary sequel. My vote is eight. Title (Brazil): "Ong-Bak 2"