Metacritic reviews

If The Protector 2 was dour, then it would also become totally unconvincing. Sure, it's silly, but it's also wildly entertaining and sprinkled with some nice emotional beats. As long as Tony Jaa keeps losing his elephant, we'll keep showing up to watch him track it down.

Thai martial-arts maestro Tony Jaa’s newest film overloads on terrible F/X that rob the film of the actor’s usual brute-force balleticism.

Director Prachya Pinkaew's hectic editing and breakneck pacing turns the action spastic, and his lack of interest in anything approaching coherent drama renders the proceedings one long showcase for its lead's Muay Thai combat skills. Luckily, those are considerable.

In brief spurts, the film is funny, but taken as a whole, it feels like a waste of talent. Cheesiness should not be the most memorable thing about a Tony Jaa movie.

The bigger The Protector 2 gets, the further it gets away from Jaa’s basic appeals.

It’s a shame to see both actor and director play things so safe. Not only is much of the choreography reminiscent of their better films, but they rely too much on digital effects. Instead, we should be awed solely by the sight of a first-rate fighter.

With jokes and computer-generated spectacles diluting the action, this is not one for fight-film purists.

Slipshod and tiresome, The Protector 2 is more than a misfire, it’s a betrayal.

Another deep disappointment for fans of the raw, exciting "Ong Bak."

I’m upset because he’s doing such cheesy wire work, and because the CGI effects he’s interacting with are so lame.