bluepotato Reviews

The Animal (2001)

Leave your brain at home, but bring your sense of humor

[11 August 2001]

I went to see this movie with my sister, when both of us felt like seeing a dumb, fun movie. We got exactly what we expected, and had a good time at it.

There were quite a few parts which were just very funny, some gross, some that left me scratching my head. Overall, I think the best way to describe my feelings about it is to say that it was worth the price of a matinee ticket, but possibly not an evening show.

You have to be in the right mood to see this one, but if you are, it's great. 1/10 as a cinematic creation, 10/10 for what it is.

Rumble in the Bronx (1995)

great action, but it's missing something

[11 August 2001]

Jackie Chan is, without a doubt, one of the greatest action stars of our time - but that is not all he does, by far. He is the only actor I can think of who has so seamlessly blended heartstopping action with rolling-on-the-floor comedy. However, having seen some of his later work, I must say that in certain respects this movie did not live up to the expectations I had set for Jackie Chan.

While the action sequences were excellent, they were a bit sparse, and there was too much plot between them. Normally that wouldn't be something to complain about too much, but in this case the plot was almost nonexistent. I've decided that the movie was basically an excuse for two big scenes: the kung-fu battle with the gang, and the hovercraft scene.

There were several scenes in the movie which had me laughing out loud - the kind of clever humor and subtlety that has become Jackie Chan's trademark. But during a great portion of the movie, I was scratching my head wondering where that refreshing humor had gone. Some scenes were just too serious for a Jackie Chan movie.

All that said, I really did enjoy the movie, and would give it 6 stars out of 10. The action sequences did have me on the edge of my seat, and the funny parts did have me laughing. I won't say that it was Jackie Chan's best work, but it was certainly enough to get him onto the American radar, and I'm very glad that that's where he is now. So I would recommend seeing this movie, but if someone were seeing their first Jackie Chan movie, I would recommend something else, possibly starting with a newer, non-dubbed American film first.