Is The Raid 2 a perfect movie? i'm not sure, But a perfect sequel? absolutely.
The best movie sequels are the ones that take the basic framework of their predecessors and build upon it, stretching out and expanding the universe, moving the characters through different situations, going for different tones and even switching genres.
The genius of the first Raid movie was its simplicity, it was about a bunch of guys trying to escape a bad situation, the action everyone praises was just the plum in the pudding.
Now with the sequel, what Gareth Evans has done here is expand his own universe (which admittedly was a pretty small universe to begin with) and made an action movie yes, but also a pretty grandiose crime epic. In fact the crime story at hand is so good it would have made a fine film all on its own, but like its predecessor The Raid 2 knows how to play its cards right and balances storytelling with incredible fight scenes.
There is absolutely no conceivable way you can criticise the action in this movie, it's just not possible. Every fight scene has been shot, choreographed and edited to perfection. Several scenes in particular near the end of the film are likely to go down in history as the new benchmark for martial arts film-making.
I will admit the plot itself and some of the characters had me lost at times, but this was overcome after the halfway point once I understand the characters names and the story retracts into simpler focus. Some characters are so likable and memorable that they don't even need names like Baseball Bat Man and Hammer Girl. I did not care for Bejo however, his crooked teeth, greasy comb-over and limp made him too hammy to be taken seriously. Also two major characters from the first movie reappear way too briefly and I think The Raid 2's biggest missed opportunity was to under use them the way it did.
But it's Iko Uwais once again who steals the entire movie, his movement and speed is really the heart of the action, and while a lesser actor might have ruined the legitimacy of the quieter moments, he steals every scene he's in.
Because of the presence of a story to make you care about the characters, you stay invested through all the fighting, all the ups and downs our heroes go through we feel it too. Maybe it's too long and maybe there's a few too many fight scenes than necessary but for action fans this is a Must. I will never look as Baseball Bats and Hammers the same way ever again.
The best movie sequels are the ones that take the basic framework of their predecessors and build upon it, stretching out and expanding the universe, moving the characters through different situations, going for different tones and even switching genres.
The genius of the first Raid movie was its simplicity, it was about a bunch of guys trying to escape a bad situation, the action everyone praises was just the plum in the pudding.
Now with the sequel, what Gareth Evans has done here is expand his own universe (which admittedly was a pretty small universe to begin with) and made an action movie yes, but also a pretty grandiose crime epic. In fact the crime story at hand is so good it would have made a fine film all on its own, but like its predecessor The Raid 2 knows how to play its cards right and balances storytelling with incredible fight scenes.
There is absolutely no conceivable way you can criticise the action in this movie, it's just not possible. Every fight scene has been shot, choreographed and edited to perfection. Several scenes in particular near the end of the film are likely to go down in history as the new benchmark for martial arts film-making.
I will admit the plot itself and some of the characters had me lost at times, but this was overcome after the halfway point once I understand the characters names and the story retracts into simpler focus. Some characters are so likable and memorable that they don't even need names like Baseball Bat Man and Hammer Girl. I did not care for Bejo however, his crooked teeth, greasy comb-over and limp made him too hammy to be taken seriously. Also two major characters from the first movie reappear way too briefly and I think The Raid 2's biggest missed opportunity was to under use them the way it did.
But it's Iko Uwais once again who steals the entire movie, his movement and speed is really the heart of the action, and while a lesser actor might have ruined the legitimacy of the quieter moments, he steals every scene he's in.
Because of the presence of a story to make you care about the characters, you stay invested through all the fighting, all the ups and downs our heroes go through we feel it too. Maybe it's too long and maybe there's a few too many fight scenes than necessary but for action fans this is a Must. I will never look as Baseball Bats and Hammers the same way ever again.