Jackie Chan stars in this kung fu action comedy as Eddie Yang, a Hong Kong detective who is transformed into an immortal warrior with amazing speed and strength by an ancient medallion that hangs around the neck of a little boy, Jai (Alex Bao), who is the chosen one. The medallion is in two pieces and is brought together every 1,000 years by the chosen one. For anyone to receive the superhuman powers and immortality, an individual must die and be brought back to life by the touch of the medallion while in the hands of the chosen one. Eddie is working with Interpol to catch an international criminal, Snakehead (Julian Sands) who has been spotted at a temple in Hong Kong. Eddie must choose between saving the little boy from a fire in the temple or capturing Snakehead, of course, Snakehead escapes and flees the country. Since Eddie is the only one who saw his face, he must go to Ireland to help Interpol track him down. In Ireland, Eddie is reunited with his old flame Nicole James (Claire Forlani), who is very upset with Eddie for not calling her for months. While working on this case, Eddie and the little boy are locked in a shipping container, which is pushed overboard into the harbor. Eddie dies by drowning, but he was able to save the little boy who brings him back to life with all the powers of the medallion. You think Jackie Chan's martial arts are incredible at regular speed; he is fantastic with these new powers. Snakehead has discovered the powers of the medallion and has kidnapped the little boy to get the powers for himself. Eddie and Snakehead meet for a final battle to determine who will control the power and the fate of the world.
Jackie's latest foray into American theaters is as a Hong Kong cop named Eddie who along with Interpol agent Watson (Lee Evans) is looking for the medallion, a snake and serpent type of necklace which has been stolen by Snakehead (Julian Sands). The medallion has the special power of bringing dead people back to life and making them invincible and immortal. The chase for the medallion takes Eddie from Hong Kong into Ireland where he meets his ex-flame Nicole (Claire Forlani). Throughout the pursuit the medallion repeatedly changes hands giving its bearer special abilities.
The Medallion will not bring Jackie Chan any new admirers; in fact it may do the opposite. This is the first film in Jackie's career that takes his natural Martial Arts skills and digitally alters them. In a day and age when some television shows are completely digitized, and with the public throwing around terms like bullet-time, special effects have to be done right or not at all. Chan's impressive abilities are given a cartoon-like quality which falsifies his motions. Movies today can take any slob off the street and turn them into the latest ninja; look at Keanu Reeves, mere months of training for The Matrix paired with the highest quality digital effects made Reeves appear as a champion Martial Artist. The effects in The Medallion have the reverse outcome, making it look as though Jackie cannot perform his own stunts and that his talent is due to computer rendered images not a lifetime of study.
Without the natural magic of Jackie Chan the other shortcomings of The Medallion become all the more glaring. Two pitfalls that made it past the editing room are Chan's co-stars Claire Forlani and Lee Evans. The only thing more preposterous than Jackie and Forlani's supposed romantic relationship is the fact that this flame is reignited during the course of the film. These two have all the chemistry of Britney Spears and Carrot top; watching them kiss was like watching my Grandpa frenching my Grandma, awkward, gross and something that I don't care to see. Lee Evans who has an impressive body of work, but will only be recognizable to U.S. audiences for his role in Something About Mary as the pizza boy, is extremely out of place as an Interpol agent and he couldn't inject an ounce of humor into his spy persona as Rowan Atkinson did in Johnny English.
It's time for Jackie to realize that his pairings with B-level stars is doing nothing for his career. There is no end in sight, and with the third Rush Hour beginning production it looks as though what has become an overdone formula will continue. After Jennifer Love Hewitt, and Claire Forlani, maybe Jackie's next pairing should be with Beyonce.
Jackie's latest foray into American theaters is as a Hong Kong cop named Eddie who along with Interpol agent Watson (Lee Evans) is looking for the medallion, a snake and serpent type of necklace which has been stolen by Snakehead (Julian Sands). The medallion has the special power of bringing dead people back to life and making them invincible and immortal. The chase for the medallion takes Eddie from Hong Kong into Ireland where he meets his ex-flame Nicole (Claire Forlani). Throughout the pursuit the medallion repeatedly changes hands giving its bearer special abilities.
The Medallion will not bring Jackie Chan any new admirers; in fact it may do the opposite. This is the first film in Jackie's career that takes his natural Martial Arts skills and digitally alters them. In a day and age when some television shows are completely digitized, and with the public throwing around terms like bullet-time, special effects have to be done right or not at all. Chan's impressive abilities are given a cartoon-like quality which falsifies his motions. Movies today can take any slob off the street and turn them into the latest ninja; look at Keanu Reeves, mere months of training for The Matrix paired with the highest quality digital effects made Reeves appear as a champion Martial Artist. The effects in The Medallion have the reverse outcome, making it look as though Jackie cannot perform his own stunts and that his talent is due to computer rendered images not a lifetime of study.
Without the natural magic of Jackie Chan the other shortcomings of The Medallion become all the more glaring. Two pitfalls that made it past the editing room are Chan's co-stars Claire Forlani and Lee Evans. The only thing more preposterous than Jackie and Forlani's supposed romantic relationship is the fact that this flame is reignited during the course of the film. These two have all the chemistry of Britney Spears and Carrot top; watching them kiss was like watching my Grandpa frenching my Grandma, awkward, gross and something that I don't care to see. Lee Evans who has an impressive body of work, but will only be recognizable to U.S. audiences for his role in Something About Mary as the pizza boy, is extremely out of place as an Interpol agent and he couldn't inject an ounce of humor into his spy persona as Rowan Atkinson did in Johnny English.
It's time for Jackie to realize that his pairings with B-level stars is doing nothing for his career. There is no end in sight, and with the third Rush Hour beginning production it looks as though what has become an overdone formula will continue. After Jennifer Love Hewitt, and Claire Forlani, maybe Jackie's next pairing should be with Beyonce.
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