El Poder Del Talismán

If you like the type of movies like National Treasure and Tomb Raider, but you want a lot more action inserted into the plot, you'll probably really enjoy The Medallion, starring Jackie Chan. It's a fantasy story about a magical ancient medallion that gets sent down through the generations and gives the owner some magic.

Jackie teams up with Claire Forlani, who has some seriously hidden talents. It's really fun to watch her kick and punch like a regular Charlie's Angel. Together, they fight against bad guy Julian Sands (why are we not surprised?) while trying to protect an innocent child, Alex Bao, the rightful owner of the medallion. Along for the ride and for comic relief is Lee Evans, who will probably be the favorite of those who are bored in the audience. If you don't like the fantasy element and just went to see Jackie Chan, you might not like this one. Inane comments and incompetence from Lee might be the only bits that bring a smile to your face.

For die-hard Jackie fans, though, every movie is a treat. This fellow has to risk broken bones, speak in a foreign language, work with children, and manage to not look in the camera. Isn't that entertainment enough?

They had $35 million or so dollars to make this movie! If you've seen plenty of Hong Kong movies like I have, you know they are able to stretch a dollar to incredible levels. So you might think that this would be the Hong Kong movie to rule over all others.

Think again! The first and obvious mistake they made was having Jackie using wirework and other special effects. Huh? Did they somehow forget that Jackie made a name for himself by NOT using wirework and special effects? Plus, you could see that he was taking real risks by not using that stuff, so his antics were more thrilling and entertaining as a result. Also, ANYONE could have easily done what Jackie did in this movie because of all the special effects work - so what was the point of hiring Jackie?

Even with all the money and time put into these action sequences, they are a mess. The editing gives us a different shot every millisecond or so, making it hard to get a handle on the action. (Also, the camera was a lot closer to the action than in Jackie's other movies, so much so that even seeing the movie in widescreen still makes it confusing at times.) Look at Jackie's other movies - the camera stays back, and the editing is kept to a minimum. We see everything of the action in those movies, and the minimum editing prevents any breaks in building excitement.

Speaking of editing, the American editors did a TERRIBLE job altering it for North American audiences. The story makes no sense, with even a lot of the minor details not being explained. (For example, the surprise revelation of Watson's wife.) The DVD contains a number of deleted scenes, though watching them clears up very little of the confusion - in fact, the deleted scenes just reveal new murky details that add MORE confusion! I suspect there were a number of other scenes cut that did explain things better, but that were left out by Sony in perhaps embarrassing realization their American editors did a terrible job.

But even with a story that would make no sense, this would still be tough going, not just with the mishandled action scenes but also because of the movie's incredibly bad sense of humor. Particularly with Lee Evans' character, who is unbelievably annoying - at least the editors showed SOME sense by cutting out some of his painful scenes. So even if you have a region-free DVD machine and are a die-hard fan of Jackie, I strongly suggest you don't even pick up the Asian DVD release of this movie when it comes out!

"The Medallion" has a pretty good first half: there are enough scenes to prove that Jackie Chan's still got it, from a fight aboard a ship (where he ties a guy's arm to his leg using his own shoelaces and a piece of clothing!) to a fun freewheeling foot chase, and other minor stunts. But after Jackie "dies" and comes back equipped with superpowers, there are no more real fight scenes for him: they are all special effects - enhanced and wired. From a pure martial arts perspective, Claire Forlani's close-quarters fights near the end are the best that the second half of this film has to offer (more proof that Sammo Hung can make anyone look like a genuine martial artist!). The story is basically a rehash of Eddie Murphy's "The Golden Child", and it has a rushed feel to it (it's probably no coincidence that the DVD contains about 15 deleted scenes). But the cast is likable: Forlani is utterly lovely, Julian Sands is ideally cast as the immortality-seeking villain, and Jackie is always Jackie. "The Medallion" will probably disappoint most martial arts fans, but those who like the main actors will definitely get some enjoyment out of it. (**)

Despite going on 50, Jackie Chan is still up to his antics in this action and special effects filled fantasy.

What could have been a fantastic film ends up a complete mess what appears due to studio interference. Silly music cues, unfunny 'comedic' moments and sloppy editing (and blatant continuity mistakes) has resulted in a mish-mash of various sequences thrown together to resemble what looks like a plot.

Good points - the special effects. However, I must admit to being biased. Claire Forlani, Jackie Chan and Lee Evans. Good cast - but not put to good use at all. There are very few laughs in this film (but at least there are some!). The fine action work by Jackie and the stunt team. You can't fault that.

Bad points - just about everything else.

This is a film you'd probably best off renting when drunk or when there really isn't much else on the TV.

On DVD, you get a decent enough audio commentary from the producer and editor and some deleted scenes.

It has taken Jackie Chan about 27 years, a good 60 movies or so, and a few near death experiences for him to decide that he can start making movies that don't regularly involve certain death, thanks to CGI. The results are not so good. In fact, I'll just say it: 'The Medallion' is a terrible action movie.

Jackie plays Eddie Yang, a Hong Kong detective chasing a villain named Snakehead (those villains and their crazy names). Snakehead, like all Hong Kong villains is actually English, so when he kidnaps a boy with the power to control The Medallion, Yang follows him to Ireland to reclaim the Medallion and find the child (who just goes to prove, that even if you live in a Buddhist temple in a sewer below Hong Kong, you can still learn to speak perfect English with an English accent).

Seems like 'The Golden Child'? Why yes, yes it does. Its a fun fantasy movie for kids, but anyone wanting to watch an action movie should watch this up until a short cameo appearance by Sammo Hung and then turn it off very quickly. Now I'm not a fan of CGI action, but I assumed that with Jackie Chan starring and Sammo Hung directing the action - two action masters - could still pull of some entertaining action scenes. Apparently not, as 'The Medallion' is only marginally better than, oh, say 'Charlie's Angels 2'.

Fun for kids, but action fans should avoid entirely. I'm being generous when I give this 5/10.