Running out of free streaming horror films to watch via Netflix Instant Streaming on my blu-ray player, I went looking through other genres to find films to alleviate the boredom.
I've never heard of the director of this film or knew about his earlier masterpiece Ong-Bak. What caught my eye was, oddly, the title of the film as a martial arts movie. I looked deeper and saw the description was something about an austic female martial arts hero, and I just had to see what this was all about.
It is very difficult to have any kind of TRULY original idea anymore, but that doesn't mean you can't be original! The general "revenge, gangsters, romance, family" devices of Chocolate's plot are of course simply a variation/amalgamation of all kinds of Kung Fu movie standard plot templates, but that is not what is important.
When I started this film it ended up being the most beautifully planned and executed martial arts film I have ever seen, period! After it got me hooked on the plight of our autistic hero, struggling mother, and loving dumpy friend... the action started.
I sat, edge of my seat, mouth agape, staring with gleeful awe at the screen as the director, choreographer, and a petite yet fantastically athletic female star created the coolest, most beautiful, and POWERFUL display of human grace and martial arts technique I have ever seen in my freaking life! It action starts simple and subdued as it begins, fight after fight, to crescendo into increasingly complex martial arts and acrobatics in some of the most incredible environments until it peaks and you think you can stop to catch you're breath because, my god, how could they get ANY more amazing and cooler, when suddenly they do just that by slamming you into a climactic battle that swill blow you away.
And RESPECT! I realized that this action is REAL, visceral, HARD-EDGED, primal power with no wires through 98% of every stunt! This girl can float like a butterfly and sting like a freaking F-22 raptor! I've never seen such a cute petite woman smash more faces with elbows, knees, shins, and any other hard unforgiving part of the human body before. This style of fighting is truly face-smashing at its finest. These are NOT nice moves, and this is not some graceful hong kong kung fu flick dancing in the trees! This is kind of what it would look like if you wanted to, oh, jump 4 feet across the floor only feet above it and slam your hard high-velocity knee into the side of your opponents face as he struggles, dazed, to get to his feet. OUCH! Finally... originality at its finest. We care for this heroine, shes so adorable and sweet and "special!" We love this character, and her dumpy friend, and her mother who used to be a mobster but has those kind eyes and the heart to take in a bullied boy. The fact we love Zen only serves to make us thrill for her when she is in danger, and cheer for her when she breaks the various appendages of the types of people who would actually try to physically harm a sweet little innocent petite autistic girl who wouldn't hurt a soul, no way, so harmless! After that I can't express my emotions and feelings with words anymore. I'm soooo glad I'm human, cuz we have the coolest bodies and minds. Too bad I couldn't do even 2% of the moves in this movie without years upon years of endless disciplines training... if only I was autistic and could just learn by watching martial arts movies! Ooooooh that would be cooooool! You owe it to yourself to see this movie and love it.
Pranakhan
I've never heard of the director of this film or knew about his earlier masterpiece Ong-Bak. What caught my eye was, oddly, the title of the film as a martial arts movie. I looked deeper and saw the description was something about an austic female martial arts hero, and I just had to see what this was all about.
It is very difficult to have any kind of TRULY original idea anymore, but that doesn't mean you can't be original! The general "revenge, gangsters, romance, family" devices of Chocolate's plot are of course simply a variation/amalgamation of all kinds of Kung Fu movie standard plot templates, but that is not what is important.
When I started this film it ended up being the most beautifully planned and executed martial arts film I have ever seen, period! After it got me hooked on the plight of our autistic hero, struggling mother, and loving dumpy friend... the action started.
I sat, edge of my seat, mouth agape, staring with gleeful awe at the screen as the director, choreographer, and a petite yet fantastically athletic female star created the coolest, most beautiful, and POWERFUL display of human grace and martial arts technique I have ever seen in my freaking life! It action starts simple and subdued as it begins, fight after fight, to crescendo into increasingly complex martial arts and acrobatics in some of the most incredible environments until it peaks and you think you can stop to catch you're breath because, my god, how could they get ANY more amazing and cooler, when suddenly they do just that by slamming you into a climactic battle that swill blow you away.
And RESPECT! I realized that this action is REAL, visceral, HARD-EDGED, primal power with no wires through 98% of every stunt! This girl can float like a butterfly and sting like a freaking F-22 raptor! I've never seen such a cute petite woman smash more faces with elbows, knees, shins, and any other hard unforgiving part of the human body before. This style of fighting is truly face-smashing at its finest. These are NOT nice moves, and this is not some graceful hong kong kung fu flick dancing in the trees! This is kind of what it would look like if you wanted to, oh, jump 4 feet across the floor only feet above it and slam your hard high-velocity knee into the side of your opponents face as he struggles, dazed, to get to his feet. OUCH! Finally... originality at its finest. We care for this heroine, shes so adorable and sweet and "special!" We love this character, and her dumpy friend, and her mother who used to be a mobster but has those kind eyes and the heart to take in a bullied boy. The fact we love Zen only serves to make us thrill for her when she is in danger, and cheer for her when she breaks the various appendages of the types of people who would actually try to physically harm a sweet little innocent petite autistic girl who wouldn't hurt a soul, no way, so harmless! After that I can't express my emotions and feelings with words anymore. I'm soooo glad I'm human, cuz we have the coolest bodies and minds. Too bad I couldn't do even 2% of the moves in this movie without years upon years of endless disciplines training... if only I was autistic and could just learn by watching martial arts movies! Ooooooh that would be cooooool! You owe it to yourself to see this movie and love it.
Pranakhan