The veteran actor-director Jackie Chan, who made his place in the world of cinema with his action flicks and humorous presentations that built an image of China as a country where everyone can walk on tight-ropes, returns with Chinese Zodiac 12, a film that can be seen as a continuation to the Armour of God franchise.
As a stand-alone film, Chinese Zodiac 12 has nothing new per se. It is same old Jackie Chan with the same old stunts that only he could pull off in a fresh setting and for a partially different purpose. This time around, he is a mercenary who is in search for a set of lost mystical artefacts from China.
The 12 bronze heads of animals that form the Chinese Zodiac, that were stolen by the invading British and French colonisers, are now being sought after by the antique collectors from across the globe and Jackie has been hired to retrieve these items by the corporation that auctions them. So, Jackie and his troupe embark on a journey to retrieve all the 12 artefacts, during which he is faced with hounds, pirates and a lot more.
Its typical plot and narrative structure means that the plot points occur at regular intervals just as you expect them. And the USP of the film, which are its action sequences, are nothing but distant reminders of Jackie Chan's previous films. To add to it, the novelty value that Jackie added to his films by doing all the stunts himself, takes a beating with the arrival of high-end graphics. Although most of hand-to-hand combat is still a choreographed routine that he does himself, the more advanced stunts have been visibly done in front of the blue screen.
Chinese Zodiac 12 is mildly entertaining and is recommended for a mindless leisurely activity. But that is all the stimulation one can expect from the film. Jackie Chan is no more the Drunken Master he once was, he is now, albeit a little hungover, a legend.
Rating - 2 out of 5
Published in DNA After Hrs (Pune) on january 5, 2013
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