'KICKBOXER: RETALIATION': Three and a Half Stars (Out of Five)
The seventh entry in the 'KICKBOXER' martial arts action flick franchise, and the second film in the recent reboot trilogy. This one has Alain Moussi (star of the last movie) returning as Kurt Sloan, who is now kidnapped and forced back to Thailand, so he can fight a monstrous fighter named Mongkut (played byHafþór Júlíus Björnsson). Jean-Claude Van Damme (star of the original film, and the last chapter), Sara Malakul Lane, Sam Medina and Steven Swadling also reprise their roles form the last installment. Mike Tyson and Christopher Lambert also join the cast this time. Dimitri Logothetis and James McGrath once again wrote the screenplay (as they did the last sequel), and Logothetis directed the movie this time around as well. It's gotten mostly positive reviews from critics so far, and it received a VOD and limited theatrical run at the Box Office, before now becoming available on Bluray and DVD. I enjoyed it.
The story takes place one year after the conclusion of the last film, and Kurt Sloane (Moussi) is now a professional MMA fighter. He's kidnapped by thugsworking for Thomas Tang Moore (Lambert), who runs the underground fights in Thailand. Moore wants Kurt to fight the new champion there, Mongkut (Björnsson), a 6'8" 400-lb. fighting machine. Kurt refuses the fight, but of course Moore has many (bloody) ways of getting Kurt to do what he wants. Master Durand (Van Damme), who's now blind, once again agrees to train Kurt for the deadly fight.
The movie is a lot of fun, and it's surprisingly well made (for what it is). The production values are definitely a lot better than most Van Damme movies. It's of course not as classic as the original 'KICKBOXER' film, or any of the Van Damme classics from that era, but it still does a surprisingly good job of paying tribute to that genre. I'm really impressed with this reboot series so far, and I definitely look forward to the next one.
The seventh entry in the 'KICKBOXER' martial arts action flick franchise, and the second film in the recent reboot trilogy. This one has Alain Moussi (star of the last movie) returning as Kurt Sloan, who is now kidnapped and forced back to Thailand, so he can fight a monstrous fighter named Mongkut (played byHafþór Júlíus Björnsson). Jean-Claude Van Damme (star of the original film, and the last chapter), Sara Malakul Lane, Sam Medina and Steven Swadling also reprise their roles form the last installment. Mike Tyson and Christopher Lambert also join the cast this time. Dimitri Logothetis and James McGrath once again wrote the screenplay (as they did the last sequel), and Logothetis directed the movie this time around as well. It's gotten mostly positive reviews from critics so far, and it received a VOD and limited theatrical run at the Box Office, before now becoming available on Bluray and DVD. I enjoyed it.
The story takes place one year after the conclusion of the last film, and Kurt Sloane (Moussi) is now a professional MMA fighter. He's kidnapped by thugsworking for Thomas Tang Moore (Lambert), who runs the underground fights in Thailand. Moore wants Kurt to fight the new champion there, Mongkut (Björnsson), a 6'8" 400-lb. fighting machine. Kurt refuses the fight, but of course Moore has many (bloody) ways of getting Kurt to do what he wants. Master Durand (Van Damme), who's now blind, once again agrees to train Kurt for the deadly fight.
The movie is a lot of fun, and it's surprisingly well made (for what it is). The production values are definitely a lot better than most Van Damme movies. It's of course not as classic as the original 'KICKBOXER' film, or any of the Van Damme classics from that era, but it still does a surprisingly good job of paying tribute to that genre. I'm really impressed with this reboot series so far, and I definitely look forward to the next one.