Starring
Jackie Chan, Aarif Rahman, Zhang Yixing, Miya Muqi, Sonu Sood, Disha
Patani, Zhang Guoli, Amyra Dastur. Directed by Stanley Tong. (2017,
107 min).
Near
the beginning of Kung Fu Yoga, there's a brief scene where a
few of our protagonists engage in some tendon-snapping stretches.
Since yoga figures absolutely nowhere in the actual plot and is never
mentioned again, I'm assuming it was included so they could give the
film a funny title.
It's
just as good a title as anything else, since this reteaming of Jackie
Chan and director Stanley Tong (Supercop, Rumble in the Bronx)
is a kitchen-sink collection of action/comedy set pieces assembled
into an Indiana Jones plot filtered through Chuck Jones. The film gives us ancient maps, lost treasure, hidden tombs, angry snakes and booby-trapped lairs as Chan leads an
eclectic batch of archeologists, treasure hunters and yoga experts to
battle an Indian megalomaniac, cannon fodder henchmen, killer hyenas
and a grumpy lion riding shotgun in an SUV. We're whisked to one
exotic location after another, from the glacial caverns of Tibet to
the immaculate palaces of Dubai. And everything culminates in an epic
Bollywood dance number.
 |
| "MY SUNBURN!!!!" |
At
no point does the film approach anything resembling plausibility, nor
does it really try. For example, the extended car chase through the
streets of Dubai is played almost entirely for laughs, such as when
our villain escapes his suddenly airborne vehicle by stepping out at
just the right time, then walks away without a scratch. Speaking of
which, the ample amount of CGI is so terrible that one begins to
suspect it is intentional. In fact, during the opening prologue, my
wife was sure it would be revealed to be a character playing a video
game.
Still,
Kung Fu Yoga is often quite funny. While the humor is mostly
of the slapstick variety, some of the dialogue is priceless, as when
one character, held hostage, begins to cry, "I'm gonna die! I
mean, I know everybody dies, but I'm gonna die right now!"
Jackie Chan is affable and charming as usual. While not as limber as he used to be, he's still a terrific physical performer. Chan also
seems more than happy to share the spotlight with the rest of the
cast, all of whom have their amusing moments (even the bad guys come
across as sort-of congenial).
Kung
Fu Yoga is one of those movies where, if you aren't already
onboard the crazy train, you'll find it insufferable. Nearly a
live-action cartoon, the film never takes itself too seriously and
nor should the viewer. This one is for those looking for nothing more
than colorful, silly, inoffensive entertainment.
EXTRA
KIBBLES
FEATURETTES:
"Best of Both Worlds"; "The Dynamic Duo"; "The
Making Of Kung Fu Yoga"; "Jackie Chan Featurette";
"Bollywood Dance Featurette"
BLOOPER
REEL (needlessly punctuated by "funny" onscreen text)
TRAILER
DVD
COPY
KITTY CONSENSUS:
NOT BAD...LIKE CAT CHOW
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