MOVIE REVIEW: Man of Tai Chi
China Film Group, Wanda Media, Village Roadshow Pictures Asia, Company Films
Starring Keanu Reeves, Tiger Hu Chen, Karen Mok, and Iko Uwais
Directed by Keanu Reeves
Philippine Release Date: July 17, 2013
Runtime: 105 minutes
MTRCB Rating: R-13
If there’s anything that Man of Tai Chi proves, it’s that directing martial arts movies isn’t as simple as it looks.
Man of Tai Chi is Hollywood superstar Keanu Reeves’s first attempt at directing, and it shows. The marriage of Asian themes and Western directorial styles in this particular film produces a child that is, while not spectacular in any sense of the word (especially if other attempts before it were to be used as bases for comparison), satisfactory for a first attempt. Perhaps Reeves took everything he learned from the Matrix movies and tried his best to apply it to movie relying heavily on martial arts moves.
There are times when the fight scenes are slow and dragging, and there seems to be too many shots of the actors’ faces during scenes when they should instead be depicted fighting. The premise is strange enough as it is – the use of tai chi, a discipline strongly connected with inner peace, relaxation, and a focus on defense as an offensive and even lethal method of combat. The film could have benefited from a higher level of energy or a deeper plot; unfortunately, it just seemed as if they were trying to make an Asian martial arts-themed version of Spider-Man 3.
Overall, there’s not much to say about this film. If you like martial arts films, you might find it a bit lacking. It’s not bad, just…meh.
RATING: 6 out of 10 Sad Keanu Pictures
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A big “Thank you!” goes out to our dear friends from Solar-UIP (Like their page here!) and SM Cinemas for the special screening of Man of Tai Chi.
