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With: Jackie Chan, Disha Patani, Aarif Rahman, Zhang Yixing, Sonu Sood, Miya Muqi, Amyra Dastur
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Written by: Stanley Tong
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Directed by: Stanley Tong
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MPAA Rating: NR
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Language: Mandarin, Hindi, English, with English subtitles
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Running Time: 107
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Date: 01/27/2017
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Treasure and Chan
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
"I love Indiana Jones," says Jackie Chan in Kung Fu Yoga, and definitely this lighthearted adventure romp could easily be the lost sequel to Chan's Jones-inspired comedies Armour of God (1986) and Armour of God II: Operation Condor (1991, but edited, dubbed, and released by the Weinsteins in American theaters in 1997). Of course, Chan is a little older and a little slower, but director Stanley Tong -- re-teaming with Chan for the first time since their work on Supercop (1992, released here in 1996), Rumble in the Bronx, and First Strike (both 1996) -- matches the film's pace to the star's pace.
He plays an archeologist who receives a visit from a beautiful Indian woman, Ashmita (Disha Patani), asking for his help with an ancient map, which hopefully leads to an untold cache of riches. From there, it's off to some ice caves, to Dubai, and then to India, to find more pieces of the puzzle. Chan is surrounded by a cast of younger, good-looking actors, from both India and China, some of whom come with some minor-league kung-fu skills, most of them probably better known internationally than in the States, though Chan is still the superstar.
Director Tong has become a veteran, but his filmmaking skills never quite sharpened. (His one foray into Hollywood resulted in Mr. Magoo.) The film opens with an awkward, computer-animated sequence, as well as using several cheap-looking computer-animated effects (mostly animals), a car chase, and plenty of clumsy expositional dialogue to get from sequence to sequence. The "Yoga" of the title barely even fits into the plot; it comes in handy in only one scene. The acting is a little less than adequate, though this can be blamed partly on the dialogue, and partly on the many languages spoken. But the pace is snappy, the sets and colors are always eye-popping, and the whole thing has a good, fun spirit. Plus, it ends with Chan turning to the camera, winking, and starting an impromptu, Bollywood-style dance sequence. How can you not love that?
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