What do you expect when you see a movie like this? Something huge with thousands of extras and perfect computer effects? Check. Archaeology action like Indiana Jones? Check. Tragical love story with beautiful lady? Check. Speedy stunts, fights and fun like in the good old Jackie Chan flicks? Check. Judging by the sum of its parts, this ought to be the greatest movie of the 21st century. In reality, it's not quite so. 2 tremendously entertaining hours, yes, but not a perfect movie.

What are the reasons? I'd like to name three. First, I always see Jackie Chan with a helmet, desperately trying to keep a straight face, when I am supposed to see the general. He just isn't that type of guy. The dreams or historical flashbacks are therefore less convincing than the scenes from the present day. Second, the whole anti-gravity stone thing has much too much Spielberg in it. The myth could have remained a myth, in other words: the audience doesn't always want a scientific explanation why things happen, especially if it's as unlikely as this one. Third, I think what neither worked well in this movie is the villain. From the moment he appears and does the usual "I'll steal the big Blah to rule the world" villain routine, the rest becomes predictable. If the screenplay had dared to move along a different path, it would have evoked less of the "seen it before" feeling. I enjoyed it, but regrettably it's not without the little flaws mentioned.

A disappointing mis-step for Jackie Chan, whose films you can usually rely upon to be entertaining at the least. THE MYTH is more like THE MEDALLION than ARMOUR OF GOD, although it has to be said I enjoyed THE MEDALLION more than this film – yes, THE MYTH really isn't very good at all. It's an adventure film set in two different eras, ancient and modern-day China, and sees the kung fu star playing the dual role of army general and archaeologist in their respective times.

So far so good, except the storyline in THE MYTH is so muddled as to be, frankly, ludicrous. I wasn't involved in any of the proceedings and I couldn't care less about what was happening, and the mixing of some anti-gravity device with an ancient empire just didn't sit well with me. It isn't much of a spoiler to say that the two plot lines eventually converge, but the climax to this film is so silly and unbelievable that it was hard not to just turn it off.

Jackie is as hard to dislike as ever, but the film wastes him as a martial artist by the distinct lack of decent action sequences. In fact, there's only one good bit in the whole movie: a scene in which the combatants are glued to a conveyor belt complete with inevitably hilarious consequences. This breathless sequence is as inventive, funny and well played as the martial arts movies of yesteryear, but such moments are in short supply. Instead there's a reliance on cheesy wirework and very poor CGI effects. I won't even mention the plot holes or terrible pacing.

The movie feels underwritten, with the supporting actors lost in roles that make nothing of their talents. Hee-seon Kim is admittedly beautiful but her would-be romance with Jackie is pat, Tony Leung Ka Fai really needs a better agent, and Mallika Sherawat is required to look pretty and that's it – one of the most demeaning parts I've seen given to an actress. Director Stanley Tong previously teamed up with Jackie for the wildly entertaining RUMBLE IN THE BRONX, so it's a shame that their pairing doesn't pay off this time around.

I'm just glad that Jackie branched out a bit after he made this, experimenting with different genres and better results (THE SHINJUKU INCIDENT, for example).

Apart from some very inventive fight scenes, Mallika Sherawat might be the other thing you take away from this movie. The fight scenes are something you came to expect from a Jackie Chan movie. Mallika Sherawat on the other hand has not been exposed that much on film yet (not even on many Bollywood movies according to IMDb at least). Unfortunately the same can be said of her role in this movie. And her role in this is actually a filler. Maybe something to attract the Bollywood crowd to watch a Chan movie?

Whatever the reasons, Jackie Chan delivers on the action and tries himself on an epic story. An epic story that juggles with the fun and the action part. Sometimes crossing lines that wouldn't be crossed in a regular (Hollywood) movie of the same spectacle. A decent effort, and of course a must see for any Chan fan.