And isn't that what we're all asking, "Where's my elephant?"

Martial arts movies seldom have (nor need) good dialogue; but when the line "Where is my elephant?" crops up with alarming frequency, you know a new precedent has been set. Warrior King can confidently lay claim to setting it.

It's not as good as Ong Bak. There, that's that out the way. Now the good stuff: Tony Jaa is still amazing to watch. Unbelievable acrobatic tricks are back, the obligatory chase sequence, as are the fight scenes that hurt to view. In fact there is shedloads more of it all this time round. Like his first movie, you will end up excitedly talking about your favorite moments with your mates over a pint. But the plot... what the hell happened?

One story tells around 40 minutes were cut in editing to get the movie down to an action audience friendly length. I don't know if that's true, but it's not likely to have been the fight footage that was pruned. Perhaps that's where the plot got to. In a movie like this it shouldn't be a big deal; but after an opening 15 minutes that manages to pack in plenty of Thai culture, the plot just falls apart. What we're left with is a series of action sequences strung together with some loose snippets of story. And it is a shame! Ong Bak was no masterpiece of storytelling, but at least it provided pacing and structure to the action (it was also coherent, something Warrior King's story doesn't always manage).

The biggest mistake though is having Thai actors speak parts of their dialogue in English. I have a great respect for people who can speak more than one language. Unfortunately it just doesn't seem to work. (Personally I'm rubbish at languages. Even when I had a French girlfriend the only thing I managed to learn was "puis-je regler par carte de credit? / can I pay by credit card?". Never say that to a woman.)

I'm being too harsh here. Afterall I did come out having enjoyed the movie. It's easy to talk about the faults in a movie like this; the good bits you'll just have to go and see for yourself, as words seldom do them justice. You'll watch this for the fight scenes, and you'll watch this for Jaa. The one on one encounters take a sideline to impressive group fights (though look out for a fantastic Muay Thai vs Capoeira sequence late in the film). Of these the most stunning is a 4 minute continuous take that sees Jaa work his way up the staircase of a restaurant, floor after floor of bad guys trying to stop him. Amazing stuff.

Silly, enjoyable, and just about forgivable. Warrior King will entertain the martial arts fans no problem. Tony Jaa is a legend. Whatever happens with his next movie, I'll be there to watch it.