UrbanWire

Wacky Chinese guy teams up with smart, good-looking Western guy in Victorian England and hilarity ensues - only this is not Shanghai Knights. The only connection this movie has to that film, besides Jackie Chan, is Owen Wilson, but we'll get to that later.

You probably already know that this is an adapted version of Jules Verne's classic novel, Around the World In 80 Days, starring big screen newbie Steve Coogan as Phileas Fogg, Cecile De France as Monique, and Jackie Chan with the most un-Chinese-sounding name of Passepartout.

Fogg strikes up a bet with Lord Kelvin (Jim Broadbent) to travel the globe in 80 days in an effort to win some respect for his wacky inventions at the Royal Academy of Science. What results is a whirlwind adventure filled with colourful characters and destinations, lots of trademark gong fu action from Jackie Chan, a budding romance between Fogg and Monique, and a sub-plot involving a sacred jade Buddha, presumably to add drama to the well known tale.

So let's get to the good stuff. Without having seen the original 1956 movie for which this is a remake, I'll go out on a limb and say that this is a highly enjoyable adventure travel movie. From England to Paris to India to China, it's a treat to see these countries as they were before modernisation crept in and took away their rustic, old world charm. The nice thing is that the film lingers long enough at each destination for the audience to get a glimpse of the unique indigenous culture before moving on to the next destination.

Another plus point is the number of celebrity cameos that pepper the entire movie. Some of these include R 'n' B artiste Macy Gray as a French mother, Kathy Bates (Titanic) as Queen Victoria, Sammo Hung (Martial Law) as a Chinese warrior, Rob Schneider (50 First Dates, The Hot Chick) as a San Francisco bum, Karen Mok (So Close) as General Fang, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger as a Turkish Prince, and Owen (there's the Shanghai Knights connection) and Luke (Legally Blonde) Wilson as the Wright Brothers.

Thumbs up also to the visual effects crew for the wonderful animation work in the transitions from destination to destination. In addition, much of the principal photography was shot in Thailand and Germany, not usually places most directors would choose to film in, so there's less of a chance of someone in the audience going, "Hey, look at that mountain range… I've seen it in another movie."

Jackie Chan's fight choreography speaks for itself. Some of the fight scenes are very well played out on screen, using lots of props and different settings to keep potentially dull scenes from becoming too long or boring. Even so, the film had one fight too many, as every stop came equipped with its own fight. Maybe Jackie Chan's stunts still thrill Western audiences, but for those of us in Asia, it can get to the point where you've seen them all.

Which brings us into the not-so-good stuff. While watching the movie I couldn't help but notice that the chemistry between Chan and the other main characters was a bit off. Some of it felt rather forced. He didn't have the same chemistry that he had with Owen Wilson or Chris Rock. Maybe it's because Coogan is a theatre and TV actor, or maybe it's because Coogan is British whereas Wilson and Rock are American - who's to say?

The focus of the story is split between Fogg's journey and Passepartout's quest to get the jade Buddha back to his village. At times it felt like a Jackie Chan movie with parts of a classic novel thrown in, while at other times it looked like an adaptation of a classic novel with a lot of trademark Jackie Chan stuff slotted in.

But maybe I shouldn't be expecting wonders. Director Frank Coraci's previous works are, after all, The Water Boy and The Wedding Singer.

Overall, it's not a bad movie. Of course Around the World in 80 Days will never rank up there with blockbusters like Spiderman 2, but if all you want is a colourful journey, filled with excitement, adventure, comedy and a little romance, then this is the movie for you.