The Protector 2
Common Sense says
- R
- 2014
- 104 minutes
Parents say
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A lot or a little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that The Protector 2 is the (disappointing) sequel to the 2006 martial arts action movie The Protector, also starring Thai martial artist Tony Jaa and some elephants. The new movie's violence is slightly less brutal than the first one, but it's still full of wall-to-wall martial arts fighting, with punching and kicking and bodies slammed about. Characters die, and the bad guys make an elephant into a bomb by inserting explosives into its tusks. Women in sexy outfits are shown, and there's some brief but strong sex talk. Language is strong, with several uses of "f--k" and "s--t," as well as other words, both spoken in English and printed in the subtitles.
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What's the story?
After the events of The Protector, Kham (Tony Jaa) and his elephant are living peacefully in Thailand. But war is brewing, and though the opposing sides agree to meet for peace talks, some bad guys don't want the talks to occur, so they plan to steal Kham's elephant, rig its tusks with explosives, and kill everyone. And to keep Kham from trying to retrieve his pachyderm, they will frame him for murder. This causes endless battalions of killers to come after Kham; everywhere he goes, he must fight off dozens of attackers. Then, when the bad guy LC (RZA) sees what a good fighter Kham is, he tries to get him to join the evil organization. Kham refuses, thus leading to a big showdown ... and hopefully the return of his elephant.
Is it any good?
As the movie's plot synopsis amply demonstrates, THE PROTECTOR 2 is completely ridiculous -- as well as agonizingly dumb. None of the actors can penetrate the fog. RZA gives one of his worst performances, Jaa often looks asleep, and new Thai martial arts superstar JeeJa Yanin is stuck with a horribly thin character who's apparently incapable of even thinking.
Perhaps even worse, director Prachya Pinkaew (also of the original The Protector) compromises the look of the film with cheap, awful computer-generated effects and fight scenes that feel rushed and cheated. The action has no flow or logic, and characters seem to appear and move around at random. These scenes also go on far too long, totally unconcerned with rhythms and rest breaks. Even a loony idea like Jaa charging up his feet with electricity from a nearby train track just falls flat in the midst of so much dreary stupidity and laziness.
Talk to your kids about ...
Families can talk about The Protector 2's violence. Is some of it celebrated? Is some of it condemned? What's the difference? How does watching this kind of action/violence make you feel?
How are animals treated in this movie? What is the movie's attitude toward them? What about people?
Why would anyone be interested in stopping a peace treaty? What would they have to gain?
Does this movie have bullies? How do they act toward the movie's hero? How does he react to them?
Movie details
- In theaters: May 2, 2014
- On DVD or streaming: July 29, 2014
- Cast: Tony Jaa, RZA, JeeJa Yanin
- Director: Prachya Pinkaew
- Studios: Magnet Releasing, Magnolia Pictures
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- Topics: Sports and Martial Arts
- Run time: 104 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: violence and language
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