Jackie Chan's Project A2 vs. Jackie Chan's Project A

2 comments

2 comments

Wow. Awesome. This match-up's always been a topic of debate among Hong Kong cinephiles. Most side with the original. It's so perfectly paced, so perfectly executed (the clock tower scene...holy fuck, the clock tower scene), I can see why one would choose the first. Then, there's the fact that it's got the other two Brothers, while the sequel does not. However, having all that going for it, I've always sided with the sequel. As awesome as Project A is (and it IS awesome), it peaks halfway through. Project A2 has somewhat of a slow start, but once it gets going, it keeps building and it doesn't stop until it's over. The handcuff chase, the obligatory "57 people hiding from each other in one house" scene, and the crackerjack finale (in Jackie's top 3, if you ask me) never cease to put a smile on my face. Some truly wonderful movies, these are. The sequel just happens to be wonderful...ler.

The original for me, obviously. Project A the Younger is more about stuntin' than fighting. That's not a criticism though, because stuntin' certainly isn't a lesser alternative. The creativity put into the A2's movement is almost unrivaled. I love the way the 'bounce of the wall' portion of Jackie's mind works and I don't think it's ever really worked better than right here in this sequel. Handcuffs and walls and construction sites and bamboo shoots... tables, chairs and buckets... He just sees all the angles. I remember one scene in the Jackie Chan Adventures where Uncle belittles Jackie for being able to "run down side of collapsing building, but fall and break body on child's plaything." That was a cartoon. And that was probably a nod to Jackie actually, like in real-life-actually, running down the side of a falling stage/building. Jackie was ballin' here when Damien Waters was 5. Dopeness. Madness. The problem? The movement stops in PA2, and when the movement stops it's not that good. Project A the Elder is fucking quality all over. Movement, music, talk... all of it. It's not a close contest.

But it is. I guess if you get right down to it, the Elder's the more cohesive movie. And why shouldn't it be? Jackie gets to play off of his brothers and if he's not onscreen, one of them usually is. But again, I gotta point out A2's build. I'm all about building, especially in a Hong Kong movie. I'm just not used to Jackie peaking halfway through (let's not make this sexual). A doesn't have the Younger's finale, and I'd put the finale up against the bicycle chase/clock tower bit anytime. In the end, really, it's kinda like being asked if you'd rather be married to Jessica Biel or Beyonce. Dude, I don't care. They're both hot. Sidenote, re: your comment about JC Adventures - The guy really DID see all the angles. I don't know how, but he did. Best action designer, choreographer, director (whatever the fuck you wanna call it) EVER. And I don't feel the least bit insecure in saying so. He was brilliant. And fuck all these guys who say you can't compare him and his films to Chaplin's or Kubrick's. Film is supposed to entertain. What Jackie does takes skill. The guy is an artist. I couldn't care less about how "cerebral" his films are or are not. He was a genius.

Project A is the quintessential Jackie Chan movie. It has everything you could possibly want as a JC fan. Superb choreography, outrageous stunts, good 'ol Hong Kong style comedy, catchy soundtrack -- you name it. Project A II does improve in the second half but the progress isn't enough imo to topple the original. I always felt the first hour had too much filler. The ball party scene, all the goofy stuff that takes place at Yesan's place etc. don't do much for me. The Younger clinches this one. I wouldn't compare Jackie's work to Kubrick's since the latter was an all-round filmmaker who made movies in practically every category there is. It's definitely more appropriate to put his name alongside genre-specific pioneers like Hitchcock. Chan is an artist, no two ways about that. Too bad it all ends after Chinese Zodiac.