Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Kung Fu Yoga Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 6, 2017

Those of you who have been jonesin’ to see Jackie Chan take part in one of those huge dance finales that often populate Bollywood extravaganzas (and you know who you are) will be happy to know such a sequence does in fact cap off the hit or miss Kung Fu Yoga, a film whose very title hints at its cross-cultural sensibilities. Jackie Chan, playing a “character” named Jackie Chan, is in full on Indiana Jones mode here, as an archaeologist on the hunt for long missing treasure. Kung Fu Yoga doesn’t just lift a foundational ambience from the Harrison Ford franchise, it goes so far as to steal one of the passing jokes in Raiders of the Lost Ark with regard to an enamored student, though in this case that adoration is aimed not at Jackie but at his goofy teaching assistant. The film actually begins with a wild “historical” sequence that almost looks like a scene cut out of Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back, with its sometimes curious combo platter of Asian and Indian influences, but it’s soon revealed that this sequence is merely a depiction of one of Jackie’s university lectures. Without wasting much time on silly things like character development or even explicatory exposition, a visiting Indian professor named Ashmita (Disha Patani), whose family has had a long held map which may point the way to the hidden treasure Jackie had been referencing in that aforementioned lecture (what are the chances?).

This Chinese — Indian co-production gives passing lip services (as well as some convoluted bodily positions) to the “yoga” side of its putative formulation, but this is typical Chan chop socky fare virtually every step of the way. The film cartwheels through a variety of exotic locations as not one, but several, treasure hunts ensue, with a number of typically gonzo set pieces providing Chan with his patented combination of athleticism and goofy humor. The first part of the film is relatively straight forward, with Jackie and Ashmita setting off to retrieve a priceless bauble, only to be thwarted by the film’s suave villain, Jones (Aarif Rahman), none too surprisingly a supposed good guy on Jackie’s team.

That sets up the bulk of the film which deals with a second, bigger treasure hunt, one which turns out to have something more of a personal connection to Ashmita than she had initially disclosed (what are the chances?). Like a lot of special effects laden enterprises, there’s a certain video game ambience to the proceedings, especially once the team ventures underground, in a series of sequences which at times is highly reminiscent of the linked features Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe and Mojin - The Lost Legend. Though this particular element of the film provides the story with some incredible opportunities for production design, some adrenaline junkies will get more of a kick out of “topside” sequences like a completely crazy car chase in Dubai which sees Jackie attempting to deal with a certain “passenger” who might have been more at home in Jumanji.

Like a lot of Chan offerings, there’s an undeniably amiable quality to much of the film, though it also has to be admitted that (also) like a lot of Chan properties, things are pretty resolutely predictable. The film never really truly exploits what is supposedly its raison d'être, namely the interplay between Chinese and Indian cultures, something that makes the sudden intrusion of the dance episodes at the end of the film seem a little anachronistic, or at least tacked on to attract a certain international ticket buying demographic. Some Chan fans may be slightly trepidatious about this effort, given that it’s directed by Stanley Tong and bears more than a passing resemblance to certain elements in the prior Tong — Chan collaboration, The Myth, a film which few Chan fans would probably place at the top of his output. But this is a less “intellectual” enterprise (if any Chan film can be termed that way), without any of the metaphysical hoohah (a technical term) regarding issues like reincarnation getting in the way of good, old fashioned action adventure fun.

Kung Fu Yoga Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Kung Fu Yoga is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Well Go USA with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. Digitally shot with Red Dragon cameras and finished at a 2K DI, this is an often enchanting looking visual presentation that benefits from the almost unbelievable array of different locations that were utilized. The film can segue seamlessly from the frozen arctic tundra to the desert sands surrounding Dubai at the veritable drop of a hat, and the transfer preserves the unusually wide gamut of colors that attend such changes. Especially notable (and clearly visible in the accompanying screenshots) are some really lush purples and blues that pop up with fair regularity. Detail levels are routinely excellent, highlighting some of the really intricate patterns in some of the costumes (even "simple" costumes like a tweedy blue jacket Jones wears). There are occasional lapses in detail levels in some of the snowbound scenes, where backgrounds tend to wash away in a frozen ocean of white, but perhaps surprisingly a lot of the underground material preserves generally high detail levels and above average shadow detail. The only recurrently soft imagery tends to be some of the CGI, which looks patently artificial some of the time, especially in the opening "historical" vignette.

Kung Fu Yoga Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Kung Fu Yoga has a fantastically detailed and at times wonderfully raucous DTS:X mix in the original Mandarin, though most of the characters (especially the Indian ones) lapse into English with fair regularity. There is ubiquitous pinpoint placement of effects, especially in some of the underground sequences, where the supposedly claustrophobic environment doesn't preclude spatially realistic placement of effects like dripping water or more cacophonous sounds like booby traps that are set off. There is some excellent panning material in the incredible car chase, and low end is frequently exploited as well. Dialogue comes through cleanly and clearly with excellent prioritization despite the noisiness of several key sequences.

Kung Fu Yoga Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Best of Both Worlds (1080i; 3:41) takes a look at the supposed cross cultural influences of the film.


• The Dynamic Duo (1080i; 2:43) is a brief dual profile of Stanley Tong and Jackie Chan.


• The Making Of (1080i; 21:46) is a longer EPK with some good behind the scenes footage and decent interviews.


• Jackie Chan Featurette (1080i; 2:37) is another brief piece devoted to the star.


• Bloopers (1080i; 3:23)


• Bollywood Dance Featurette (1080i; 3:16) focuses on some of the ebullient choreography in the film.


• Trailer (1080p; 1:39)

Kung Fu Yoga Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you don't worry too much about a lack of character development or a couple (okay, maybe a lot) of pat contrivances in the plot mechanics, Kung Fu Yoga easily provides what most fans of Jackie Chan come to his films expressly in order to experience: fantastic action set pieces combined with often goofy humor. This film is unusually scenic courtesy of a wide array of often stunning locales, something that helps it elide some of its narrative hurdles. Technical merits are first rate, and Kung Fu Yoga comes Recommended.