The Protector

If anyone has the urge to see "The Protector" let me save you some time. If you want to see a movie with Tony Jaa, watch Ong Bak: The Thai Warrior. If you want a movie about an elephant, you're better off watching Operation Dumbo Drop.

One thing I will give this movie is that the fight sequences were done without stunt doubles, wires or any of those CGI effects and with real fighters (well...) and real fighting styles (The movie does have a little computer animation bit in a couple of places it certainly could have done without as it was done with the same technology as that of Lawnmower Man done some 15 years ago and would have been beter served with an anime of the same action.)

There are two scenes thrown into the movie as either jokes or PSA (public service announcements). The first I noticed (with even this lack of plot propulsion was useless and simply a ADD, "look at that fish" moment) when Jaa is going out of the Sidney airport to go look for his elephant (yes, you read that right) he bumps into Jackie Chan and they both have this "Haven't I seen you somewhere before" look before going their separate way. Second time was just around the time Jaa got into the fight with the pack of neon lightbulb weilding hoodlums headed by a guy who went wild with a Bedazzler on his quad (4-wheeler for those not in the lingo and yes, that is how... bad, yeah I'll be nice and just use the word bad, this first hour was.) when a thai girl is bawling out her boyfriend in perfect (not aussie mind you) american english for having bought pirated DVDs. Let's see if I can properly spell s-e-l-f s-e-r-v-i-n-g. Jeez people, you're going to charge the consumer $15 ticket per person, $20 for a soda ($1.50 for a 2 liter outside) popcorn (3 bags in a box for $2 outside) and a box of jujubees($1 outside bringing our outside total to $3.16), AND make them sit through an hour plus of commercials and previews before the movie just to tell them you don't want to lose any money on the back end? If you don't want to lose money to pirated movies... LOWER THE COST OF ENTERTAINMENT.

Nevermind, that's a discussion for my other blog.

Just my opinion and warning to you (about the movie that is... not about me taking on Hollywood).