Donnie Yen does his best, and some of the fight scenes are okay, but the plot line is the worst movie writing I've ever seen. Really sorry to have wasted my time on this one. The only reason I fell for it was because Donnie Yen is generally so good. Editors and directors and writers alike bombed him this time.
... View MoreJudging from the cover I thought this was a period piece Martial Arts movie. But it does play in the modern times (that's in the 21st century). It might be convoluted and not good in its appeal to tell a story, but it does have Donnie Yen in it. And while he has done some way better movies (just the IP Man trilogy alone, but many more of course), he's always a pleasure to watch (fight).Sometimes the comedy does work, though it's very plain to put it mildly. But while this isn't a masterpiece by any means, there have been worse movies. And I've seen a couple of them too. So this is entertaining to a degree, but if you don't watch too many movies, you may wanna skip this
... View MoreICEMAN is Donnie Yen's much-lauded remake of the Yuen Biao-starring '80s martial arts classic, THE ICEMAN COMETH. It sees Ming bodyguard Yen and a couple of his foes frozen in time and transported to the present day, where they continue their battle to the death while coming to terms with modern-day society.I thought the original film was pretty good, with the reliable Yuen Wah as the villain and some great action, although it's not a favourite of mine. However, it's far, far better than this unfocused and messy comedy which sees Yen at his very worst. It's similar to THE EMPEROR AND THE WHITE SNAKE in that all of the action is augmented with endless wirework and dodgy CGI which makes for a very boring viewing experience overall. My favourite Yen films are the realistic ones like IP MAN and FLASH POINT, not the stupid CGI fantasy on offer here.ICEMAN is overlong and overly pointless, with lots of random scenes that don't go anywhere. It's also offensive, with gross-out lowbrow comedy seemingly shoehorned in at random, and ethnic stereotypes cast throughout as the villains. Yen is on autopilot, as is Simon Yam, but the rest of the cast are plain awful. Particularly Huang Shengyi (THE EMPEROR AND THE WHITE SNAKE); I really can't understand how she keeps getting work as an actress.
... View MoreHonestly, I was tricked by the previous review hence i thought the movie was really bad and I went into the theater with zero expectations. But the results... were simply. Amazing. Another classic Chinese martial arts movie which will continue to be remembered for generations to come.This movie is not your typical Donnie Yen ass-kicking movie, this is a movie with a lot of feelings, touching yet Comedic. The whole cinema was laughing every few minutes and the actions were impeccable. The last fight scene is easily one of the best action scenes in the past 3 - 4 years of Movies.Donnie Yen has to pretend to be a Ming Dynasty warrior trying to fit into our 21st century, but obviously he is way too powerful physically and has to learn the ropes of adapting, and this has led to many funny moments throughout the movie. The ending in particular was very exciting, and then..boom, something unexpected happens, a plot twist and it becomes really touching where I can see people in the audience tearing.Definitely a must watch!Note: There is a part 2 coming out in October!
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