REVIEW: CZ12 – The Curtain Falls, Jackie

To complete the Parisian journey, following the last review on Les Miserables set in Paris in the 1800s, today’s movie review is on CZ12 set in modern day Paris (mostly). Just kidding, it was an unintended coincidence.

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CZ12 is a reawakening of Jackie Chan's wildly popular action series Armor of God (1986 and 1991). In this, JC goes in search of the 12 bronze heads of the Chinese Zodiac and embarks on various adventures along the way.

A classic Jackie Chan film, CZ12 was held together with Jackie’s trademark slapstick humour and action sequences as the main draws of the show. Even though there were numerous hotties such as Korean heartthrob Kwon Sang Woo and French actress Laura Weissbecker (who plays an amusingly bimbotic Duchess), they were limited by their native languages and served merely as unexciting eye-candy for the audience. Still, an enthralling and energetic girl-on-girl fight between Bonnie (JC’s teammate played by Zhang Lan Xin) and Katie (Vulture’s teammate played by Caitlin Dechelle) made for a treat towards the end of the movie.

Save the first sequence in which he rollerblades down a hill in a “Buggy Rollin Suit”, invented by French daredevil and designer Jean Yves “Rollerman” Blondeau, and the final action sequence where he braves a live volcano dive, the rest of the action sequences gave off a been-there-done-that vibe. During these scenes, I found myself awed by how a 58-year old man could still perform those acrobats as JC did, but other times, I worried if he would get up from a particular fall. The behind-the-scenes following the movie served as a reminder that Jackie was but mere human close to retirement.

Coco (Yao Xing Tong), an annoyingly self-righteous student in Paris, constantly reminded the audience and fellow characters about how relics should be returned to their original country. While a Jackie Chan movie is hardly the platform to expect an in-depth discussion this complex issue, it was slightly frustrating to listen to the actors as they extolled the importance of returning pilfered relics to their home countries.

Don’t go into the theatres expecting anything but Jackie’s slapstick humor and classic sequences. This shouldn’t be a problem for the die-hard fans, even as the rest of the audience witness the curtain falling in, what Jackie himself expects to be, his "last major action film.”

Watchable on days when you feel like you need a happy ending or a break from reality.

This film is 123 minutes long.

*All pictures credit to their respective owners.