MovieChat Forums > Kickboxer: Vengeance (2016) Discussion > WAY more entertaining than the original....

WAY more entertaining than the original. Don't understand the hate.

posted 8 years ago by Eiriksterminator
19 replies | jump to latest

Though I think Van Damme is all right (and he can definitely kick some serious ass), and I think he was cool in this movie, I watched the original, and I found it boring. It had better and more drama, plot, and acting than this new one, but it had little actual fighting, and what was there was really lame. This one has real, great action and fighting, and lots of it. I loved it. All these people who say this movie is so bad, yet like the old one...I can only assume they're either completely blind when it comes to martial arts (this one guy saying the choreography looks like something kids made on youtube, lol, are you serious? Get your eyes checked dude), or they're not watching this movie for the fighting or action at all, in which case...I have to ask why they're even watching the movie to begin with...You watch a movie like this for the fighting, why else would you watch it?

[–] MercerHeller 8 years ago

It had better and more drama, plot, and acting than this new one, but it had little actual fighting, and what was there was really lame.

But that's what makes the original film enjoyable. It has heart and emotion to its characters and they're just overall more likable. The story in the original, despite how cheesy it is, felt like an actual story was being told. Van Damme's Kurt Sloane convinced and showed me that he really cared and wanted to avenge his brother by making Tong Po pay. And Van Damme isn't a great actor but he gave a better performance in the original film compared to this new guy.

As for the new film, the fights are definitely better than the original film. But that's all this remake has to it and nothing else. I can only describe this remake as being empty and soulless. It has no heart or even basic emotion to it. Alain Moussi has not ounce of charisma in his performance. It feels flat and emotionless. When his brother dies, he barely emotes and doesn't seem all that effected by it for the most part. In the original film when Van Damme finds out his brother is paralyzed, his reaction to the bad news shows me that he loves and cared for his brother. Never got the same feeling from this new guy because his acting is terribly unconvincing.

Not only that, but the training scenes are forgettable and there's no actual buildup to the final fight. It just happens. There's barely even a focus to the story in this film. If you're going to have a revenge story, it can't be half assed to where you nail all the fights but everything else is severely lacking. This remake needs more drama, emotion and heart to it for it be actually enjoyable.

Heath Ledger's Joker Is Unimpressive And Forgettable

[–] skoobaba 8 years ago

This guy gets it.

[–] PopperTheKungFu-Dragon 8 years ago

Great post MercerHeller. Couldn't have said it better myself.

The only thing is disagree with is that the fights are better here. There were more fights yes, but I wouldn't say they were better.

Also, I like Bautista, but Qissi was a real badass Tong Po.

Poorly Lived and Poorly Died, Poorly Buried and No One Cried

[–] poopfock 8 years ago

But wouldn't it better if the original was just constant fighting and explosions? Who needs memorable characters and meaningful dialogue when....explosions and fighting. GET WITH THE TIMES GRANDPA!

(This is all sarcasm)

[–] torndownunit 8 years ago

My major issue with the film, was that the 'hero' was completely uncharismatic. It was an 'underdog story' where I was rooting for the bad guys in every case. The original was not a masterpiece by any means, but if had the hero rising up to defeat the villain thing down pat. All that made the campiness work. It's a martial arts movie, not a fighting documentary. There has to be some film making value beyond the fights in there somewhere, even to be just a good action/martial arts movie. When your lead character is both a horrible actor, AND has none of the charisma that makes a star, it's a huge problem for a movie.

[–] newguy33 (320) 4 years ago

I agree, the tree that Kurt kicked down in the first movie had more charisma than Moussi.

[–] michaelgarde 8 years ago

I like most people think Alain Moussi was a little not right for the role, fighting wise he was up there but lacked a little emotion and passion in the role but i still give the guy credit for a solid performance.... Personally i wouldve love GSP to take the lead role, or scott adkins would've been unreal...
I never went in expecting it to top the original, there is no way it could've for me, but god damn it was enjoyable and pays great homage to the original without completely copying it or ripping it off .... eg the coconuts are there in a different way, moussi throws out JCVD's signature kick from the original, the training getting dunked under water, the cameo from the original tong po, the bar fight thinking he is ready (and Moussi doing the dance in the credits was classic), Nak Su Cow and much more
I loved, it was all I expected and I can see myself on repeated viewings watching this and the original side by side..
oh and Batista *beep* nailed it as Tong Po, I'm not comparing the two because there is no need... Both Tong Po's were perfect
my only gripes tho is that yeah Tong Po was pretty mean, but in general, I don't think the bad guys were bad enough. Gina needed more time and to do some mean *beep* the baddies in the original were real bad, cmon they even killed kiki

"Hey, you want brother alive?
My bro--?
Make crowd happy.
Let Tong Po punish you
all the rounds.
You must last to the end.
Or brother die very slowly.
You understand, huh?"

and
"You bleed like Mylee, Mylee goooood *beep*."

[–] wartengu 8 years ago

This movie is what you call an epic s_h_I_TCrap_fest lololololol

[–] 8 years ago

[deleted]

[–] npm_petre_mihai 8 years ago

It had better and more drama, plot, and acting than this new one, but it had little actual fighting, and what was there was really lame

.

Well, that`s what makes a movie good, not just mindless fighting. The main actor was horrible, I couldn`t give a crap on his fate, no emotion, no nothing, he was like a brick. For Christ sake, I cried at the first Kickboxer when his brother died and I clenched my fist yelling at the screen when Kurt defeated Tong Po. Here, the movie didn`t gave me not even a single emotion watching it besides boredom.
I don`t get it, what was so great about this one? In my opinion, is one of the worst martial arts movie I saw. You can`t make a movie just with fighting and no story or acting at all, it gets boring. Don`t get me started talking about the so-called romance between Kurt and the cop, out of the blue they were making love, I was scratching my head thinking I fell asleep half an hour and missed something important.
Overall, a crappy movie, an abominable remake with absolutely no soul.
@MercerHeller said it best. Or maybe I`m getting old and I expect from such a movie something else than just fighting, it needs emotion, a story, some heart and soul. It was like I was watching a Transformers martial arts movies, they delivered the same crap.

PS. The scene with gummy bears as glass was effing hilarious, it was so obvious that it made me crave for some gummy bears.

[–] destroyerwod 8 years ago

Eric do not die in the first movie (original), he dies in the second along Kurt off screen ... and then David take the lead role.

I agree with much that has been said. I just finished watching the movie and despite the fights being entertaining and cool, there was so many bad things.

Storywise it lack dephs, acting wise my god some performances where terrible. Moussi does not show much emotions, Tong Po is .. Bastista... yet he is probably the least worst, Van Damme has some redubbing done on his role or i dunno(his voice is unrecognizable at times) and GSP ... please next role you give him, make him a silent killer or something. His accent is atrocious... and thats a guy from Quebec(like him) that says this. If at least they aknowledge him speaking french, like having a Van Damme/GSP scene in french or something.

The romance is too abrubte and finally that Goof... my god, the mat keep changing from Clean to dirty before the fight even start, took me out completely

Alice is the worst character of all time, she need to die in the last movie. Chris/Jill are RE !!!

[–] Herreken 7 years ago

Disclaimer: I'm a Van Damme fan and a fan of the original.

I actually agree with the OP to a degree. While I like the original a lot more, this movie isn't that much worse. The story and "realism" is just as absurd as the original. There's no way Van Damme Sloan of Moussi Sloan would ever beat either version of Tong Po just by tough training with very little fight experience.

The fighting was better but I didn't care for the MMA, sword fighting, & the flipping Scott Adkin-type stuff. I'd rather see straight-up Muay Thai in a movie like this.

I agree with everyone else about Moussi. He wasn't a good lead actor. On the other hand, Van Damme as a trainer wasn't as nearly as likeable as the trainer in the original.

The romance angle was pretty random and came out of nowhere. Not that it was much better in the original but at least it came off a bit more naturally.

What was up with that glass? It looked like candy or something like in Hot Shots Part Deux.

DISPLAY thy breasts, my Julia!

[–] sammytan 7 years ago

Crabby movie that I wish I can give it a -10 stars. And I saw the original so many times. It was not the best acting but yes that TOO WAS FOR THE ACTION and it was still way better.

[–] Eiriksterminator 7 years ago

Guys, stop necroing this ancient thread at random intervals. I really don't care. Getting an email every month about new posts in a topic I made several months ago is very annoying when I only actually paid attention to it for the first couple of days after I made it. I can't figure out how to delete it, or how to turn off notifications about it without turning off notifications for everything, everywhere on IMDB, so please stop posting in it so I won't have to keep receiving emails about it. Go make a new thread or something.