The Film (3/5)

World famous Chinese archaeology professor Jack Chan (Jackie Chan) is called upon to aid in the search for the lost treasure of Magadha in Tibet.  The head Archaeologist in charge is Ashmita (Disha Patani), a stunning beauty with a fondness for Yoga and its powers.  While journeying to the last known site of the treasure due to a recently found map, the team encounter the power-hungry Randall (Sonu Sood), who believes that the treasure is his birth right.

KUNG FU YOGA (2017) is a bizarre co-production between China and India, with an Indiana Jones style story that aims at the broadest possible audience. The film also marks a return for Chan and Director Stanley Tong, who’s partnership has spawned many hit films. While the movie doesn’t quite hold up as a good movie, it’s an entertaining failed experiment with Hong Kong style stunt work with Bollywood flavor.

For better or worse, Jackie Chan’s last few movies have been a strange mix of juvenile comedies, serious character studies, layered action dramas, and returns to past glories. YOGA is a mix of past glory and juvenile comedy. Taking a queue from ARMOUR OF GOD (1986), Chan is yet again a type of treasure hunter, but this time he gets to push the levels of outrageous humor. There is three major set pieces in the film that involve CGI animals. One is wolves being pushed away by Chan and company having a snow ball fight. The second is the longest, and the actual funny one, With Chan stuck in a car during a lengthy chase with a tiger. The last and most pointless is three of Chan’s sidekicks being chased by hyenas.

Speaking of CGI, the film uses a lot of it. Some of it works and builds up scenes. But overall most of it is both wasteful and cheap looking. The opening segment of the film is an embarrassing history lesson with every character animated like a cut scene from a Call of Duty game. The scene becomes even more wasteful when it’s not referenced again in the story. The film’s other big CGI disasters are the underwater scenes and the stand out car chase. As for the positive use of the technology, landscapes are brought to a brighter light with lavish detail. The film’s use of Indian fashion and culture gives the film a unique charm to match some of the better action bits.

Stanley Tong brings his A game in the form of action set pieces. Tong became better known for directing Jackie Chan in the Third POLICE STORY film, which was released in the States simply as SUPERCOP (1993). But the real tour de force was the sneak hit of RUMBLE IN THE BRONX (1995), which became one of the most popular Hong Kong films in the States and lead to Chan getting bigger Western movie deals such as RUSH HOUR (1998). With YOGA, Tong is yet again able to bring out some of Chan’s best creative energy. He is handles the large-scale production of this film with ace style. The bigger than life Bollywood influence is felt, with the awe-inspiring camera work that soaks up all the details of the locations. The film also ends with a classic Bollywood flavored Dance number. It’s truly a thing of beauty to see Jackie Chan perform such a number.

Asides from Chan, the film has a well-rounded cast. Disha Patani (LOAFER) has great comic timing with Chan and the running gag about all the uses for Yoga, got a giggle out of me. Amyra Dastur (MR. X) is cute as a button and has some good action chops. Aarif Rahman (COLD WAR) is likeable as the pretty bad boy Jones, and Yixing Zhang (FOUNDING OF AN ARMY) is a likable new talent. As the enjoyable villain, we have Sonu Sood (DABANGG), who not only handles the fight scenes well, but can deliver a dry joke. Rounding out the cast is hilarious cameo by Eric Tsang (INFERNAL AFFAIRS) as the oil drilling manager.

Audio/Video (4.5/5)

The movie comes with two main audio tracks, the original Mandarin and English. The Mandarin is the way to go. Both come with 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and the results are fantastic. The sound mixes are spotless with no issues. No hiss or pops. The effects and sound track sound amazing. English and Chinese subtitles are included.

The 1080p HD transfer has a couple minor issues with motion blur around the 45-minute mark. Asides from that and a couple of soft focused frames, the movie looks stunning. The color correction and photography stand out like great Hindi paintings. The picture is sharp focused and the black levels are bold and defined.

Extras (4/5)

Best of Both Worlds is a small featurette talking about the mix of Bollywood and Chinese cultures coming together in this film. Dynamic Duo discusses Stanley Tong and Jackie Chan’s films together. The Making of is a 20-minute look at the film’s production. Jackie Chan gets his own featurette, where the cast and crew share some of their favorite stories about the action legend. Next up is Blooper reel and a whole featurette on the making of the ending Bollywood dance number. Rounding out the disc is a trailer gallery with trailers for KUNG FU YOGA, THIS IS NOT WHAT I EXPECTED, RAILROAD TIGERS, and GREATER.

Overall (3.5/5)

KUNG FU YOGA is a delightful mess. Not a good movie per say but a highly entertaining experiment. Stanley Tong and Jackie Chan making a movie together is an event, even if the movie is borderline bad. For fans of Jackie Chan this is worth a viewing for at least the novelty of him tangling a Bollywood centered film. Well Go USA give the film a handsome release. Recommended.