A Legend

With every new iteration of the Stanley Tong/Jackie Chan collaboration machine the list of things you can meaningfully say about it grows smaller.

In general all of Jackie's films shot in mainland China share the same core problems: weak narrative thrust, forgettable storylines, cheap-looking visuals, generic action scenes, an underutilized Jackie and a big focus on his young co-stars who frankly can't act and aren't overburdened with charisma. There is still a world of difference between the cinematic prowess of Hong Kong and China and it's a huge disservice to the vast number of creative, passionate people in China that movies like this are accepted as standard.

'A legend' actually starts off decent enough with an okay action scene but immediately afterwards the story comes to a screeching halt and makes only shy confused attempts to start moving again. The jumping back and forth between the past and present barely worked in 2005's The Myth and it's almost a burden to watch here as it needlessly stretches the runtime. It's an aimless gimmick that never comes together into a coherent narrative. I was honestly struggling to stay awake after the first half hour.

That's it, that's basically the review in a nutshell. I haven't been this bored by a Jackie Chan movie since the early dark days where he still had to work for known hack Lo Wei. There's plenty to nitpick here like the uncanny valley de-aged Jackie, the awkward acting and the complete stock character of the entire production, but the main crux of why the movie fails is that it's boring. There's no energy to any element of it, everyone is seemingly just going through the motions. I think what strikes me the most about all these recent films is just how little they utilize Jackie Chan's unique sensibilities. If you think of all his classics and even his lesser titles they are all so fundamentally Jackie, they're basically a genre of their own. The style, the humour, the stunt work, the choreography, the creativity. All glued together by his unique personality and so uniquely him. No one else could have replaced him in his films, not even equally legendary actors with a similar style like Yuan Biao and Sammo Hung. Now in these new films anyone could have played these roles and it wouldn't have made a difference. It's clear he's mainly used for marquee value and not much else.

At this point in Jackie's career you almost have to ask him "are you doing ok, man?" because there's no way a talent, an artist and a legend of his caliber is happy with the last fifteen years of his career. I hate to say it but after seeing his mainland efforts, especially his work with Stanley Tong I'm actively clamoring for a return to his hollywood days. With the exception of Shanghai Knights and parts of Rush Hour 2 they may not have come close to his best work in Hong Kong but unlike A legend, Vanguard or Kung Fu Yoga at least they weren't painful to watch.

Of course you can't expect him to be at the top of his game at his age. We'll never see him jump from building to building again but that's fine. He more than earned his place on the throne of the stunt world. The fact he's even alive after everything he put himself through is worth celebrating. He's physically still more than capable of doing great martial arts scenes though as the finale of Chinese Zodiac and bits of Ride On can attest. His "older brother" Sammo Hung is still kicking ass both in front and behind the camera as anyone who's seen Walled In can attest, making quality films with ingenuity, skill and heart much like the classics they used to make when they revolutionized action movies in the late 70s. Jackie could have retired after New Police Story and his oeuvre would stand out as a legendary achievement in world cinema. Alas for every gem like the Foreigner or Shinjuku Incident there are now ten at best forgettable flicks that waste his talent and charisma.

If you really have to see it because you're a completionist do yourself a favor and just skip everything but the fight scenes. There's nothing that stands out about them but at least they're mostly decent.

This movie shouldn't use soundtrack from "The Myth (2005)" which is real legend movie.... I fell asleep watching this 2024 legend movie. Jackie Chan is my Childhood favourite action actor but the other actors in this movie are not playing their roles properly. Jackie Chan's1900's and early 2000 movies are way more better. I feel sorry Jackie Chan getting older. If he's still young, he'd probably choose better new actors who could perform as nearly as Jackie did. Some action and face reaction are not alive and realistic. I hope Jackie Chan can find characters who could act the scene like it's really happening and give performance from heart and soul.

I was Grew up in Jackie chan era, A lot of movie from Jackie chan I saw it.

But his one is the worst storyline, the worst movie of Jackie chan for all time.

The storyline was boring, the past and the present didnt connect to much.

Less action, to much unnecessary talk, watching this movie just like a group of your friend doing a Theaterical class..

I saw a lot of people sleeping in cinema watching this movie, and they left the cinema silently.. Its mean the movie was confusing for viewers.. Worst movie of Jackie chan for all time.. Really really upset watching this movie.. Its not Jackie..

This was the most boring Jackie Chan movie I've ever seen. The script and acting were terrible - no research, no respect, and a completely distorted portrayal of history. It wasn't just a bad movie; it was an outright insult. A waste of time and money. It felt like a pathetic attempt made solely to disgrace the name of Mongolia. The depiction of the Xiongnu warriors in this film - exaggerated to elevate the filmmakers while degrading actual history - was absolutely revolting. Even a child with a basic understanding of history would find it appalling. Let me repeat: the movie was incredibly boring. The AI effects were clumsy, the character interactions were awkward, and the storytelling lacked any meaningful development. This wasn't a film - it was a complete insult and a distortion of history. I'm deeply disappointed that Jackie Chan took part in such a disgraceful project. It's not just disappointing - it's downright heartbreaking. My trust is broken 1000%.

Beautiful shots and cinematography on amazing nature locations. The actors especially the female protagonist is awesomely beautiful. I warched this movie on the new CMGO Celestial movie app at high resolution on a 4K Smart TV. You don't need to buy very expensive Blu Ray disc to watch this movie with today's early 2025 technologies according to some other commentators here. Streaming apps quality is at par with Blue Ray these days. So, the experience is exceptionally captivating. The intro soundtrack of the predecessor, The Myth, Endless Love, brought back fond memories. The storyline is mediocre. I gave more stars for the beautiful landscapes.