Los Angeles, January 21 (UPI) – At 70 years old, Jackie Chan continues to revel in new cinematic modes while delivering action with his logo. In Legend, on DVD, Blu-ray and virtual video on call for January 21, is not a success, but it is an atypical film for Chan who ends up paying.
The historical action scenes more closely resemble Braveheart battles than the comical action of Chan’s usual, and best fare. They still prove more exciting than some of his dour action dramas like The Foreigner or 1911.
In the flashbacks, computer effects make Chan appear younger as Zhao Zhan. The effect is as convincing as Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny or Robert De Niro in The Irishman — which is to say, it is not.
Zhao Zhan does not look like the young Master Ivre, or even the average-aged actor in his fight in the Bronx era. Rather, it looks like a video game edition of Chan that would be fun to play.
The problem is, even if Chan is performing the scenes, it no longer has to actually be him if they can put his face on anyone. Chan’s legend has always been performing his own stunts, which was never 100% true in the first place, as he would use doubles to make filming elaborate fight scenes more efficient.
But you watch a Jackie Chan movie and you see him move. When he’s another face, at best, it obscures his still-impressive feats, and at worst, makes audiences wonder if it’s still him.
The story of the fashion archaeologist is paying in a series of more classic and comical Jackie Chan fights in an ice cove. Unfortunately, there is no waterfall excursion that the final credits went wrong.
A Legend’s plot is reminiscent of another Chan/Tong collaboration, 2005’s The Myth, which also included flashbacks to historical legend. In that film, Chan was the same age in modern day scenes and in flashback, and it had more of his comedic action.
In more than two hours, A Legend has too many subplots. A cute romance between Fang’s assistants slows down an already divided plot.
Fans of Chan and Tong’s collaborations will get enough action from a legend. It’s as relentless as Supercop and Rumble in the Bronx, or even its most recent avant-garde, but if its new efforts fall short, it still delivers some of its signature thrills.