Jackie Chan falls flat in CGI family action flop Panda Plan

1/5 stars

Jackie Chan’s latest family-oriented action caper, Panda Plan, closes with a title card stating that “no animals were harmed in the making of this motion picture” before clarifying that “all the animal characters are visual effects”.

Wholly redundant to anyone who has just suffered the indignity of sitting through this abysmal excuse for family entertainment, the formal acknowledgement that the film’s animal star is a fabrication inadvertently confirms that the only vulnerable species on screen is its decidedly creaky leading man.

As he turns 70 years old, Chan has entered a chapter of his career where his public persona overshadows any attempt at performance. So much so that in Panda Plan the actor actually plays himself, and on more than one occasion is facilitated by characters because they are fans of Jackie Chan.

Along the way, Chan entertains half-hearted attempts at humility, confessing to one adversary that he might not be quite the fighter he appears to be on screen, or including a running joke about his big nose.

But ultimately Panda Plan portrays Chan as an affable, heroic figure who repeatedly puts his life on the line to protect a helpless symbol of Chinese sovereignty.