This is not a great movie; in fact it isn't even funny when it tries to be. Jackie Chan has starred in so many great movies that one could've imagined when he'd have a flop of his own. The Medalion is just so woeful, it is difficult to explain how utterly poor this movie is. And to think that this was produced in Hong Kong as well, now that to me is a big shock.
The makers pumped so much money into the CGI and special effects that they limited the amount of fight choreography and action sequences, of which weren't all that spectacular. It looked heavily disjointed and out of sorts; there was too much CGI, not enough genuine action. The story was frustrating at times, unexciting and lacked depth; the characters were either one dimensional or flat. The romance between Claire and Jackie was embarrassing to watch, it's hard to believe that they had chemistry, because it looked totally unconvincing, and may I add it was a flawed idea to hook them up, anyway. The acting was not so much the problem but rather the woeful script and tedious dialogue, it was boring to boot as well.
Lee Evans does his typical one- man English routine to minimal effect. I think he is okay as a stand-up comedian, but his role in this film did him no favours whatsoever. He was wasted in the Medalian, which is unfortunate to say.
In fact, this is a waste of a movie and a waste of Jackie's talents- the editing was all over the place. The premise sounded interesting for a while, but overall, it just didn't work and the end product is terrible.
I loved Police Story, Drunken Master, Wheels On Meals and My Lucky Stars but this film, the Rush Hour series and The Tuxedo have been disappointing. The truth is Chan is effective when he is given the freedom to do things, but also when the story itself is good; he however is not so effective and at his best when the script is poor and Jackie doesn't get to showcase his strengths and talents. The latter is certainly the case, in reference to his American efforts and in particular to The Medalian.
This is not the Jackie Chan we all know and love: as fans of this genre, we all are aware that he can do better than this. But I for one just couldn't bring myself to recommend this to any JC fan, of which I'd say to them avoid this movie at all costs
The makers pumped so much money into the CGI and special effects that they limited the amount of fight choreography and action sequences, of which weren't all that spectacular. It looked heavily disjointed and out of sorts; there was too much CGI, not enough genuine action. The story was frustrating at times, unexciting and lacked depth; the characters were either one dimensional or flat. The romance between Claire and Jackie was embarrassing to watch, it's hard to believe that they had chemistry, because it looked totally unconvincing, and may I add it was a flawed idea to hook them up, anyway. The acting was not so much the problem but rather the woeful script and tedious dialogue, it was boring to boot as well.
Lee Evans does his typical one- man English routine to minimal effect. I think he is okay as a stand-up comedian, but his role in this film did him no favours whatsoever. He was wasted in the Medalian, which is unfortunate to say.
In fact, this is a waste of a movie and a waste of Jackie's talents- the editing was all over the place. The premise sounded interesting for a while, but overall, it just didn't work and the end product is terrible.
I loved Police Story, Drunken Master, Wheels On Meals and My Lucky Stars but this film, the Rush Hour series and The Tuxedo have been disappointing. The truth is Chan is effective when he is given the freedom to do things, but also when the story itself is good; he however is not so effective and at his best when the script is poor and Jackie doesn't get to showcase his strengths and talents. The latter is certainly the case, in reference to his American efforts and in particular to The Medalian.
This is not the Jackie Chan we all know and love: as fans of this genre, we all are aware that he can do better than this. But I for one just couldn't bring myself to recommend this to any JC fan, of which I'd say to them avoid this movie at all costs