Tony Jaa and Jeeja Yanin!

     Today I was in the mood for some good martial arts action.  I wasn't thinking about any particular country's style but after some debating I figured I wanted to watch one I haven't seen before.  I noticed that a female star that I truly think is badass had two movies out that I haven't seen yet so I went searching for them.  Well, I found one of them and I can honestly say it has been a total waste of my time.  The star I am referring to is Jeeja Yanin, or sometimes Jija, from Thailand.  If anyone knows anything about martial arts films then they know who she is, but I will give you a quick rundown of her.  She is behind the fantastic film, Chocolate and the awesome, Raging Phoenix.  That's all the knowledge you need right there.  So, if you haven't seen those yet I strongly urge you to watch them now and come back to this when you're done.  But this post is not about only her.  Most people that know a little something about martial arts films has heard of the great Tony Jaa.  He is also a Thai martial artist and he is well known for films like Ong Bak and Tom Yum Goong.  Those two are some of the most spectacular fighting films to ever grace the world.  Now obviously I am not just a fan of only Thailand, I also love the martial arts films of China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia and I am sure there are others but that's what I can think of right now.  But, this post is directed mainly at the Thai movies because I have noticed something about them that I just cannot hold in anymore.
                                                   

     First off I have to say that I love the style of Thai martial arts movies because they have a tendency to use only practical effects and really daring stunts with no ropes attached.  The martial arts they use in in the majority of their films is Muay Thai and to my eyes it is just a very cool looking form.  I do like the forms of Kung Fu and Karate and Taekwondo, among others, but I really like all the elbows and knees that get used in the Muay Thai style.  I think there are two actors that have made this style in films get famous in the western world, I am of course talking about the two I previously mentioned.

     My mind has become boggled though with this most recent one I just watched.  I kind of saw it coming but I didn't want to admit it for some time now.  It may just be me but I am pretty sure every Thai star starts out great in the first couple films then slowly, I mean quickly, releases complete crap all the way to the present!  Just take a look at Tony Jaa for instance.  His first major film was Ong Bak and it is such a spectacle to watch, the action is awesome and intense and the just an overall great flick.  He then releases Tom Yum Goong and it took the previous film and just added even more incredible awesomeness.  Then, Jaa hasn't released a good film since.  He tried with the two sequels to Ong Bak but they just so happen to have absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the first one.  They even take place like over a hundred years before hand.  He now has part 2 of Tom Yum Goong out, and while I haven't seen it personally yet, it has received some very bad reviews.  Another part I am not looking forward to in this sequel is they had to go ahead and put The RZA in it.  I understand that RZA is a martial arts fan, but that is no reason for anyone to keep putting him in the films.  This man shouldn't even be a voice actor he is so talentless.  Again though, I haven't seen this movie yet, I am just preparing myself.  Onto Jeeja Yanin!  Her first film I remember is Chocolate and this picture single handedly made me pay attention to female martial artists.  She really is that good.  Just seeing her Bruce Lee impression in Chocolate is worth the price of admission.  Then she puts out another great one in Raging Phoenix and does some spectacular drunkin' Muay Thai.  Pretty awesome I have to say.  Since those two films...nothing good at all.  I just watched This Girl is Badass and I had mixed feelings about the title already because I was thinking that I agree wholeheartedly that she is badass, but the title is so terrible.  And the movie was terrible too!  Every fight scene looked choreographed.  I know that martial arts movies are choreographed just like dancing is but it isn't supposed to look like it.  Supposed to look natural and spontaneous, which this movie fails at to the maximum.
     I am not gonna even attempt to lie about the fact that I have not seen all Thai martial arts movies but I have seen well past my fair share of them.  I also know that I only brought up two actors as well, and it may be wrong of me to judge on that basis alone but the two artists happen to be the two most well known in the US, and that's where I live.  And I am not hating on either of them I am just having a strong feeling of hope that they will finally make some great films again like the first couple from each.  But until this happens I guess I will have to settle for the good ones they already have out.