Ong Bak 2: The Beginning (Single-Disc Widescreen Collectors Edition)

Great movie for that diehard fan of acción

Tony's direction is well played

This is part two in the trilogy starring Tony Jaa, a martial arts expert with moves that only Jet Li or Jackie Chan can match! Ain't It Cool News calls this movie "Brilliant and Earth-Shattering". Time Out New York says that "Tony Jaa is inarguably the most fearless martial artist in movies today". Entertainment Weekly says that Jaa "is as mesmerizing as ever" in this movie. This movie takes place centuries before the events in part one in ancient Thai country. Tony Jaa, known for Muay Thai and gymnastics on a par with Bruce Li, shows off more than one or two styles in this martial arts masterpiece! The LA Daily News says that "The beatdowns are epic, with several jaw-dropping set pieces. The climactic scene qualifies as one of the best martial arts fight scenes ever". I...AGREE...TOTALLY. I am 45 years of age and there are only a handful of fighters I have ever seen in real life or in movies that are comparable to Tony Jaa. Bruce Li, Jet Li, Jackie Chan, Sho Kosugi; you get the idea. Tony Jaa will go down in movie and martial arts history as one of the best fighters of the last century, if not ever. MUST SEE! Rated R for violence. PIL SUNG!

Ong Bak 2 was a surprise in many ways. Gone is Tony Jaa's usual nice guy out of water routine, which has been replaced with supreme Bad @$$, with very little dialogue, and a thirst for blood. Also, rather than his usual fist fights (and knees), he's using a lot more weapons this time around, making the intensity of the fights better. In this, this movie shows him evolving in both character and as an action star. Sadly, the plot hasn't evolved much, really more of an excuse to have fights than anything else. However, I will say that the end of the film has me looking forward to the third, in terms of plot and development. Which leads me to the big surprise of the movie (potential spoiler) it ends with a cliffhanger, clearly intending a third movie (out this year it seems) (end spoiler). The only real complaint I have with this movie is calling it Ong Bak 2. There is no relation I found between the first and second, in any way. Maybe the link will be found in the third.Overall, if you've seen any previous Tony Jaa movie, you'll know what to expect: great action, awesome stunts, minor story. It won't let you down, and it will entertain. Recommended.

Fantastic show

I gave this movie five stars is because the only reason you should be watching this movie (or any Tony Jaa movie) is if you are a martial arts fan. I've watched dozens of martial arts and action movies and the only fight scenes and beat downs that come close to this movie are the ones in Tony Jaa's other movies: ong bak 1 and protector. Even my brother and sister who don't really like action movies were oohing and ahhing at all of the incredible stunts. and there are plenty of stunts. I did feel that the narrative was slow and slightly confusing, and if you watch the dubbed version it sounds stupid, but giving it less than five stars just felt wrong. Plus it comes wiht a bunch of 'making of ong bak 2' videos which are really interesting to watch because Tony Jaa's stunts are all real and they don't use wires or CGI or anything.

Wow!! Ong Bak 2 is outstanding! If you love martial arts movies, this is a movie for you! There is not much dialogue compared to Ong Bak 1. However, the martial arts depicted in this film far out weigh the dialogue. Tony Jaa is a master with all weapons and he shows it in this film. He is just super fast on all levels! No one can touch the guy. Lots of cool kill scenes too. It's bloody, but not as much you think. Lots of throat slashing for sure. Not only is the martial arts great, but the story is awesome too. Tony Jaa does a wonderful job as a director too, kudos to you Tony! If your looking for a good story with ridiculous martial arts, watch this movie! I have to check out Ong Bak 3 now!

Ong Bak 1 is among the best martial-arts films. Obviously, with that in mind I was excited for this sequel. But really, Ong Bak 2 has basically nothing to do with the original -- owing more to Tony Jaa's other movie, The Protector. At least they both have elephants in them.Ong Bak 2 has some amazing fights, as well as some breathtaking settings. Tony Jaa is truly a great martial arts actor, and watching him effortless switch kungfu styles on the fly is a joy. There are some really long fights where nary a mistake is made. Thus, if you're purely watching the movie to see some killer beat-downs, then charge in head-first. If your tastes are a bit more discriminating, however, you'll likely be disappointed.The story is not a good one. The "prince turned prince of thieves" formula can work, but not when there is no motivation. We have no reason to support Jaa's character except that he does cool moves. Even the training montage is sorely lacking. The one semi-twist is met with no emotion, from either the film's cast nor those of us watching. I don't know if the finger of blame can be pointed at Jaa himself -- who's credited for both directing and story -- but the fact is it's just not a good narrative.The biggest sin of the story, however -- and the biggest problem with Ong Bak 2 -- is that it's not a complete movie. Much like people complain how Halo 2 seemed to end just as it reached its apex, so too does Ong Bak 2. It's basically sticking its tongue out at you, making you wait for a sequel for any closure for the events it is setting up. That's bad form.On the taste front, I prefer the more modern, urban setting of Ong Bak 1. Tony Jaa jumping off walls and diving through narrow windows is more to my taste than battling in 15th Century villages, though the fight he has in this film on top of an elephant is pretty epic.I'm a lifelong martial artist and involved in the film-fighting field, and I still can't recommend purchasing this movie. It doesn't even have a proper gag reel! Rent it to marvel at the fights, then move onto something with more substance -- such as Jet Li's Hero. Perhaps Ong Bak 3 will make up for this series' sophomore skid, but I won't be holding my breath for its release.

Prequel ambientato nel 5° secolo d.c. con tutti altri personaggi e altra storia.Il film non è male, girato bene, adrenalinico al punto giusto, le coreografie dei combattimenti sono spettacolari e al 400esimo calcio in bocca cominci ad avere la nausea XD. Non aspettatevi un capolavoro ma per gli amanti del genere è un must. Blu Ray scarno, extra solo trailer.

Even though the title is Ong Bak 2, the story is essentially separate and unrelated to the first Ong Bak movie. In fact, this movie takes place in ancient times rather than modern times. With all that said, this movie met my expectations for a great movie after seeing a couple of other Tony Jaa releases, and I found the picture quality of this title to be quite good (the Protector, which I also own on Blu-ray, doesn't meet the same level of picture quality). Still, this film is not a reference quality disk, with some odd artifacts present in the dark portion of several of the scenes. I personally enjoyed the audio, it did sound somewhat synthetic which reduces the believability of the mix, but it also leads to it sounding more defined. Overall, this movie is a recommended buy for martial arts fans, even those who have not seen the original Ong Bak.

Rezept:Man nehme eine ganz kleine Prise "Hero" + einen halben Liter "10.000 BC" und 5 Eßlöffel "Apocalypto". Das ganze kocht man dann bei ständigem rühren bis die langweiligen Szenen verdunstet sind. Fertig ist Ong Bak 2.Der Name ist wirklich eigenartig, denn er hat ÜBERHAUPT nix mit Teil 1 zu tun. Im Gegenteil, "10.000 BC" 2 oder "Apocalypto 2" wäre da viel viel viel eher angebracht.Der Film geht sofort nach kurzer Einleitung in "die Vollen" und hält sein Tempo ähnlich wie Ong Bak 1 bis zum Schluß durch ohne auch nur eine Minute langweilig zu werden, was bei 10.000 BC & Apocalypto ab und zu (aber nicht schlimm) der Fall war.Die Rezensionen der 1-Stern-Bewerter sind völlig unangebracht. Die haben eben einen Ong Bak-Nachfolger erwartet. Ich nicht. Ich wußte von meinem Bruder, dass es ein selbständiger Film ist. Und so ging ich auch ran. Der Film hat mich so gefesselt, dass ich fast zu atmen vergaß. Einfach grandios!!!!Und ohne Mist: 10.000 BC oder Apocalypto sind dagegen eher was für Kaffeekränzchen im Altersheim.

1 of my favorite cultural style fightings

Also ich muss sagen das ich ein absoluter Tony Jaa Fan bin.Die Story des Films gefällt mir besser als in Ong Bak und Revenge of the Warrior, auch wenn sie natürlich besser hätte sein können.Die Akrobatik der ersten Filme fehlt natürlich auch ein bisschen.Aber trotzdem hat trotzdem hat Tony Jaa in diesem wieder gezeigt, das er zurzeit mit das beste ist was Martial-Arts zurzeit zu bieten. Dazu rechne ich noch Wu Jing und Donnie Yen.Was mich an diesem Film am meisten gestört hat: Das ein paar Szenen die im Trailer auftauchen, gar nicht in dem Film vorkommen. Es soll ja ein dritter Teil rauskommen, hoffentlich sehen wir diese Szenen dann imm nächsten.Fazit: Es ist ein Martial Arts Film und kein Film für die sich die Verantwortlichen wünschen das sie ein Oscar für das beste Drehbuch bekommen.