Ong Bak 2: The Beginning

The sequel takes us back 500 years to the time of warlord battles for control of Thailand. Young Tien (Tony Jaa) is orphaned when his warrior father and mother are executed by the new regime trying to consolodate power. Tien is spirited away and begins a new life with the rebels. Here he learns to become a warrior and eventually sets off to avenge the murder of his family. While the first Ong Bak was primarily about hand to hand fighting and really showcased a new (to me) martial art style, the sequel spends its entirety with Jaa demonstrating his mastery of weapons. This is a gory, deadly exercise in revenge, anger and death. There is no redemption, which probably makes it a more realistic movie than most. The strange thing about this story was that I felt like I was supposed to know it already. While all the details were included, it still played like Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter. Having read the books, the film version could skip lots and provide a visual interpretation, without bothering with the minute details that make the story full. Unfortunately, I have not read this book (and don't really even know if one exists). Not nearly up to the high standard of the first film.
2 stars (out of 5)