Ong Bak Trilogy: Blu-ray Review
You think of martial arts films in the 2000’s and the name that comes out of most peoples mouths is the phenomenal Tony Jaa. Ong Bak brought forth this amazing action packed film and I remember vividly people being blown away. It was something that EVERYONE was talking about and couldn’t get enough of and now, 2 sequels later we have this awesome box set that bring home and enjoy these films over and over again. The first one (as per usual with every film franchise) was my favorite and had everything needed to be a classic. I have a soft spot for films that have the hero trying to retrieve an item and going through trials to get there. There’s something kind of “Indiana Jones-y” about it. The main thing that I loved about this film was Jaa’s fighting style. Everything that he does looks like it actually hurts and has power behind it and it doesn’t just look like a dance. The second and third film are actually prequels which I wasn’t much of a fan of them going that route but they are both entertaining in the end. Both films have this feel to them like they were one long movie separated in to two parts but in all honesty the second one was my favorite of the prequels just because it felt a bit more solid. The intricacies of the fight scenes have kicked it up a notch and there was one moment that it really showed. There’s a fight scene on top of an elephant that I feel really was the highlight of the film. The way they were able to keep their balance and move around on top of the animal as if it was so natural was crazy. The third entry was less favorable for the simple fact that the story was very lackluster. It didn’t have nearly as much of a punch as the other two. It lacked focus and the storytelling felt like it was everywhere. All the action was there as there always is but without a proper leading story I feel like the film was a bit flat. In the end this a great collection to pick up at an extremely reasonable price if you’re a fan of martial arts films and Tony Jaa. You’ll love the non-stop action and the mythology of the story but be warned……it will make you want to get physical. Just don’t kick or punch any holes in walls or anything.
Special Features:
All the features in this trilogy set are the ones that you would find on the previous releases of the films. I would go and list them all like I usually do but there really are a lot so that in itself will tell you the you’ll get hours of bonus features to enjoy the are everything from “Making of” features to some that concentrate on the stunts in the films. Really great stuff here!
