Chinese Zodiac

I watched this movie without seeing the reviews and enjoyed it very very much. Which is why I'm quite surprised of the low reviews it's been getting from critics.

Sure, many dialogues were corny and the plot is borderline ridiculous. But do you really go to a Jackie Chan movie for its story?

The stunts and fight scenes in this movie are simply amazing. I don't want to spoil anything for those who haven't watched it yet, but if you grew up watching Jackie's earlier films (80s and 90s), you're gonna be pleasantly reminded of his golden days. He's not as fast or as nimble, but it is still light years better than the typical 'hollywood' action scenes.

As mentioned, story and dialogue: meh. Think of it as a vehicle for the action that ensues. You'll get a few trademark comedy reminiscent of Jackie's earlier works, and overall it's a very good family film. But action is the hook of this movie. It's seriously so good that you'll come in with expectations of great action, and still come out thinking that was better than expected.

If you're a fan of Jackie, this is a no-brainer must-watch. If you're not a fan, give it a chance as it is still an extremely solid action movie.

This movie could of been good. The story was so thin. There's too much happening and you lose track watching this.

For a Jackie Chan movie, then he really went all out this time, putting on an adventure unlike anything he has done before. That being said, I am not saying that his previous work has been less than this movie, it is just that this movie takes Jackie Chan's breathtaking stunts and combines it with an adventure much in the likes of "Indiana Jones", and it actually works out for a nice combination, and a nice change of scenery for Jackie Chan.

As with all Jackie Chan movies, there is a hefty amount of action, martial arts, jaw-dropping stunts and comedy in this movie. And yes, it delivers on all these accounts. And he proves that despite being up in age, then he still is the undisputed master of stunts and this particular style of movies.

There is nothing much to say about this movie actually, as it is fairly what you'd expect from a Jackie Chan movie, and any fans of him will not be disappointed while watching this movie.

Jackie Chan does it again and even gives Indiana Jones a run for his money this time.

I was really surprised when I saw Shu Qi and Daniel Wu make a short cameo appearance at the end of the movie. That really was a nice touch to the movie.

The international thief JC (Jackie Chan) and his team are hired to steal two bronze heads of the Chinese Zodiac by the MP Corporation that is specialized in supply stolen relics to auctions. After many incidents, JC befriends the women Coco (Helen Yao) and Catherine (Laura Weissbecker) and together with his crew, they live intense adventures and betrayals.

"Sap ji sang ciu", a.k.a. "Chinese Zodiac", is a typical Jackie Chan Film, with a naive and funny full of action story. The beginning is breathtaking, with JC rolling and passing by an army and makes the movie worthwhile watching. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Operação Zodíaco" ("Zodiac Operation")

This is a classic late-period style Jackie Chan Chinese action-adventure. Not quite as good as the Operation Condor/Armour of God movies it's supposed to be a sequel to (nor as good as Supercop/Police Story films) but every bit as good as The Accidental Spy, Who Am I?, and The Myth. And I thought all of those were quite enjoyable.

This movie shares all the great features and all of the flaws of Chan's self produced and/or directed films. They have a great sense of humor and the stunt/action sequences are quite inventive. But they are also quite cartoony--the acting is VERY broad--and there's quite a bit in it that defies any common sense. But who really cares, right? This is Chan unfiltered.

The only REAL flaw to the film is the clumsy way Chan keeps inserting his moral messages. He has characters tell us what's right and wrong in very stilted dialog instead of creating situations that demonstrate his points. (not to mention that a few of his morals seem to have been government imposed--"we are not to interfere with the social structure in any way" a protest leader incongruously says as Chan nods wisely and says "That's right!") But I think this will make a fine home video release for the US audience, once they edit out some of the more China-centric chit chat, re-dub the dialog (or at least all the English, which is horribly spoken by the international cast) and replace a couple of oddly inappropriate pop tunes).

I'll be buying it for my JC collection!