IRON MASK (2020)

IRON MASK (2020)

(Adventure, Action, Fantasy) [PG-13]

This movie is also known by a couple other variations of the title “The Mystery of Dragon Seal: Journey to China” or simply “The Mystery Of The Dragon Seal”. Either of these titles is better suited for this movie because this damn thing has hardly anything to do with the iron mask worn by Peter The Great Czar of Russia for less than half the film. That puts the setting of this movie sometime before 1682 only in a mythical setting. For the record, the real Peter The Great,  is said to have been 6’8” tall. 

In this one, Jonathan Green (played superbly by Jason Flemyng a dynamic actor from THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN),  is requested to make a map of Russia by order of Peter The Great. He sets out across the continent but is ultimately ceased by an imposter leader in Russia. In prison, he meets someone who he is convinced is a boy. After an ordeal there, they head to China together and find that this person's village is being tormented. The boy is revealed to actually be not only a girl but a princess (played by Xingtong Yao).  She goes alone to save the village but the two must ultimately meet again to take on a cruel sorcerous who has been lording over the village with terrible martial arts masters and a dragon. She will also need the help of Peter The Great who has overcome his own perilous challenges and being in prison with the princess's father who became his master. Got all that…

First off don’t be misled by the previews for this movie. It’s not all kung fu the entire way through and it’s hardly about Jackie Chan (who plays the Master) or Arnold Schwarzenegger (who plays James Hook). We do get a lot of scenes with both of them in the first 60 minutes or so of the movie but don’t expect a plot that is driven by either of them. The plot is more about Cheng Lan (the princess), Jason Fleming, and the mystery behind a dragon whose eyelashes are trimmed to make tea. Nope…not kidding. Jackie Chan was in THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM in 2008, but not the FORBIDDEN KINGDOM (2014) that is actually part 1 to this movie. Yeah…this movie is actually the 2nd installment in a series called VIY. Outside of China and Russia, the films are given other names. 

Acting-wise most of this movie is pretty good. There are a few very annoying characters, however. The sorceress or “witch” is played by Li Ma, her freakin male assistant is so annoying it’s painful. I also wasn’t crazy about Anna Churina who plays Miss Dudley or Yuri Kolokolnikov in the role of Peter The Great. They just don’t really fit this movie. Yuri by the way was in TENET, so it’s not like he can’t act. 

Cinematically there is just a ton of eye candy in this movie, spectacular sets and pretty incredible CGI in parts. Other parts are pretty rough. The best part of this movie for me was the relationship between Fleming and the princess who most of the time he thinks is a boy, but also the fact that this movie probably unknowingly channels BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA. There are some fantastic elements in this thing like flying on a set of umbrellas off a farming cliff and samurai type warriors a lot like what we get in BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA. One controls metal, one controls electrical currents and the other is basically made of rocks, etc.  It’s pretty over the top and wildly fantastic. I absolutely loved the last 45 minutes or so of this movie, but the whole thing is extremely intriguing. 

Because this movie is a little disjointed and has some issues with casting etc, I have to put it in the 6 out of 7 category. I am definitely buying it because I will be watching it again. I should also say that even though this movie is part of a series, you can and should watch it anyway. It does stand on its own story-wise. For maximum enjoyment leave the real world behind and just embrace the nonsense.

GRAPHICS ARE THE PROPERTY OF BUFFALO 8 PRODUCTIONS AND ARE USED FOR REVIEW PURPOSES ONLY. 

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