Jie you za huo dian

Jackie Chan is old. And in Namiya, he is really old. First of all, kudos to the makeup team for doing a good job. It could've been better, but it wasn't off putting. Namiya is a movie about three teenage runaways who hide out in an abandoned general store after committing a burglary. Through a series of supernatural events, they are connected to the kind old owner of the store who lived many years ago. The story is about how the lives of these three orphans are changed by this man named Namiya.

In paper, it looks good. It has an interesting theme and it has the potential to be a feel good family entertainer. And to be fair, for the most part, it tries. The movie maintains a certain charm but it's let down by bad and unbelievable storytelling. It's quite a stretch even for suspension of disbelief. When watching the movie, all I see is how well this movie could've been. The storyline is unnecessarily complicated, and even for a fantasy film, quite unbelievable.

Being a die-hard Jackie Chan fan, I was so delighted to see him in a completely unusual role to which he does justice. Unfortunately, everything good about the movie was that: Jackie Chan being loveable. That however, doesn't even amount to how badly the movie was executed.

In conclusion, all I see in this movie is a missed opportunity. Something that could've been an entertaining feel good movie turns out to be a "what on earth is going on" movie. Wouldn't recommend it as a movie, but maybe just check out the trailer and a few clips for Jackie's sake.

This is more proof that some of the best story telling isn't happening in Hollywood. The entire movie is totally different than anything from 'mainstream' studios. I loved that Jackie Chan played a completely different kind of character than most would expect. The three young central actors were great. Some people might have a problem with subtitled movies but not me. I want to hear the language the movie was written for.

Superb story telling that is engrossing and delightful. This needs to be on your watch list. This is not a typical "action" Jackie Chan movie. Jackie really demonstrates his acting capability, though truly this is an ensemble movie with no single star. This is sophisticated story telling and deserves your full attention.

This heartwarming movie is truly magical, because it stays with you long after watching it.

This is NOT an action movie, but Jackie Chan does justice to his role, and it is a must-see for his true fans. It would be a shame to overlook this modern classic just because it isn't his usual style or genre. Just start watching it without any prior expectations, and you will be rewarded.

If you like this movie, you can enjoy its Japanese version too (made just a few months earlier), but I think Jackie Chan did a much better job at portraying Mr. Namiya.

As is accustomed with Mr. Chan simply amazingly brilliant...!!