Overall.....Merantau Sucks! Possible Spoiler.

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I really have to agree. In the stunt department, Merantau might not have been as over-the-top and eye-popping as Ong Bak, which I do consider a modern classic, however Merantau is a better told story than any of Tony Jaa's movies. It's better directed and more coherent than Ong Bak's sequels and Tom Yum Goong.

It's a better film than many of Jet Li and Jackie Chan's movies. Remember, I'm not talking about fight scenes in this case, I'm talking about the way the story is told.

Merantau had, for a martial arts movie, fleshed out characters, good performances, and great pacing, as well as some things in it that broke cliches and molds.
It's fighting was certainly more realistic than Ong-Bak, again, the stunt sequences weren't as ambitious (but there are a few that are simply great), however much more of the fighting is believable and seems like it could actually happen.

For sure the Pentjak Silat/Silat Harimau presented in the movie looked much more effective and brutal than the acrobatic style of Tony Jaa.

For Stunts/Fun/Over-The-Top-Action: Ong Bak

For Better Drama/Storytelling/More Plausible Action: Merantau.

Both are good.

"Bulls**t MR.Han Man!!"--Jim Kelly in Enter the Dragon

Anyone who thinks this is a good MA films has clearly not seen many, or any, of the classics. This movie was bad, plain and simple, pimped only by people who were involved in it (cougcoughToddBrownandTwitchcough) The fights have poor pacing, are clumsy edited and have intensity whatsoever. They are tedious and repetitive. Iko Uwais has zero screen presence, and the story? What story? The protagonist coincidentally runs into the same bad guys several times, then fights them. There you go, that's the whole story.