The movie is pretty bad. The story, acting, (lack of) development, etc. But this is the kind of "you get what you pay for" bad. You watch this movie probably because you grew up with Van Damme's first movies, and remember Tong Po as one of the first movie antagonists that actually gave you nightmares.None of that charm is here. Van Damme is without inspiration and makes you wonder why people ever thought he was a dominant or flashy fighter. The charm is in the new Kurt Sloan, played by Alain Moussi. Not that he is a good actor, but he has a boyish charm, combined with true martial arts skills. The actual surprise however came in 2 forms. (1) Tong Po played by Bautista. That guy is for real, nuff said. And (2) the many cameos by todays real fighters who can be recognized if you're a fan of Glory Kickboxing and UFC.Watch this movie like you would watch a remake of Mortal Kombat, or a remake of the Turtles. Therefor this is an acceptable remake of the original Kickboxer with a few nice worthy moments. Just don't expect anything from Van Damme, because those one or two slow kicks aren't worth staying awake for.

KICKBOXER: VENGEANCE is a remake of the Van Damme hit that now posits the ageing action star as mentor rather than pupil. The lead role is taken by the nondescript Alain Moussi, who fails to make much of an impression either in the acting or action stakes; imagine what Scott Adkins would have made of a role like this! In any case, this is a weaker film because it lacks the heart of the original; the Van Damme movie was a cheap and cheesy affair that nonetheless involved the viewer on an emotional level, whereas this film is glossier and shallower.What this film does boast are a series of efficient fight scenes with the action quotient ramped right up. There are extra characters and extra sub-plots throughout, with the Thai police involved and battles with masked goons in the streets. The fights aren't amazing but they do the job and remind one of the glory days of Tony Jaa in the likes of ONG BAK at times. Ironically, the big set-piece action with villain Dave Bautista is less engaging, although the final extended bout is good gruesome fun. Van Damme doesn't really seem bothered here in a laidback role, and Gina Carano has no fight scenes, which is criminal. Watch out for martial artist Darren Shahlavi in his last screen appearance before his sudden death.

"Kickboxer: Vengeance" (2016) has the same formula plot as the original, but none of the fun. There are several problems with this movie. To be sure, I pretty much anticipated the plot about the two brothers attending a kickboxing fight in Thailand, one of the brothers getting severely injured and killed, and the other brother (Kurt Sloane played by Alain Moussi) taking revenge. However, "Kickboxer: Vengeance" makes the mistake of being too serious about its subject matter with the result that all of the fun and amusing macho posturing of the original gets drained away from this film. In addition, Alain Moussi's Kurt Sloane is simply not as appealing as the youthful Jean Claude Van Damme (JCVD) playing the same role back in 1989. JCVD had more of a charismatic screen presence, because in 1989 he came across as the easy-going Belgian immigrant who just wanted to be liked. Worse still, JCVD's Master Durant (who is meant to be training Kurt Sloane in the latest Kickboxer film) seems to be tired and incapable of lightening up. As a result, watching these two actors on screen becomes a depressing experience. The film has other problems which go beyond the main characters. The original Kickboxer had a better sense of location and featured ancient ruins and even played Hertzog's Thai music. That approach works far better than rap songs and dimly lit interiors, which are replete throughout this movie. Lastly, the plot of "Kickboxer: Vengeance" is quite outdated and not very topical for 2017. It's worth remembering that the original Kickboxer was a child of the 1980s, where unapologetic macho behaviour was considered the norm. The cultural context has changed considerably since then. For one thing, many would not agree with model Sara Malakul Lane (who is the love interest in this movie) being given nothing to do except to show up for the sex scenes. The macho behaviour which got Kurt's brother into so much trouble also makes more sense in the 1980s context (as I remember those times, boys often felt the need to prove their masculinity in order to win acceptance) than today. As a result, this latest instalment of Kickboxer is not only gloomy and boring, but also out of date in the sense that it reflects a set of values that are no longer relevant in today's society.

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning In this remake of the original Kickboxer movie, Kurt Sloane (Alain Moussi) tries to convince his kickboxing champion brother Eric (Darren Shahlavi) not to travel to the Far East to fight heaving warrior Tong Po (Dave Bautista) after getting a bad vibe. When Po cripples Eric, Kurt vows revenge, but after an attempt on Po's life goes wrong, he is left to turn to the unorthodox Master Durand (Jean Claude Van Damme) for the training he needs to illuminate Po in the ring, where his mystique will be broken forever.Of all the franchises that are getting resurrected for profit, JCVD's cult martial arts classic Kickboxer might have been one of the least likely, but alas one seems to have been made, with the man himself reappearing in a supporting role, in a touch of irony now as the trainer with a new star as the aspiring young protégé. It hardly set the box office alight, and disappeared from it's limited cinema run at the speed of light. Despite being billed more as a sequel, it's actually a remake, and it's yet another of the soulless, sanitised, politically correct new reboots that sticks two fingers in the face of the no holds barred, take no prisoners 80s original.Despite the musclebound, well honed, martial arts stars on display, instead of our moneysworth, what we are given is a series of tepid, watered down fight sequences, with a boring, unengaging story and a gormless looking lead character who looks too much like some English stand up comedian. As for VD himself, he puts on the usual drawn, grey act he's been doing in all his films lately, without any of the humour of dash of Mr. Zen from the original (not to mention the inexplicable dubbing of his voice?!?). The whole thing is like eating a bun without the burger, like the original all over again, but completely flat and without any impact.You can't help but feel sorry for this generation of film goers, who seem to be getting served the processed meat of the prime ribs we were offered. *