Summary
While not the most memorable, the movie is entertaining and a fun-to-watch family-friendly streaming option.
The 2020 pandemic caused plenty of delays in the entertainment business, and one of the films that experienced many setbacks before finally premiering to streaming is Paramount+’s The Tiger’s Apprentice. The animated fantasy film is based on the first of the book trilogy written by Laurence Yep. Paul Watling and Yong Duk Jhun co-directed the film, which features voice performances from Henry Golding, Lucy Liu, Michelle Yeoh, and Sandra Oh.
Tom Lee (Brandon Soo Hoo) is a 15-year-old boy raised by his beloved yet quirky grandmother. As far as he’s concerned, he’s just a Chinese American teen with a grandma who’s into ancient spirituality. Their house has so many protective charms that the other school kids constantly bully poor Tom for how it looks.
While protecting himself from a kid tormenting him at school, Tom uses magical abilities for the first time and throws the boy off him, getting him stuck to the ceiling. After the event, he befriends Rav, a new girl at school, and walks home with her. Trouble starts brewing as soon as Tom gets home. Before his grandma can explain the truth about his powers, a mysterious Mr. Hu (Henry Golding), who can shapeshift into a tiger, shows up to warn the pair about imminent danger.
As it turns out, Tom is from a long line of Guardians tasked with protecting humanity from evil Yaoguai led by sorceress Loo. Mrs. Lee sacrifices herself to protect Tom and the Phoenix and leaves in the care of Mr. Hu, revealed as an animal warrior of the Zodiac, who wastes no time in becoming the young boy’s mentor.
With Hu and the other animal warriors of the Zodiac, including Sid, the thieving Rat, Mistral, the Dragon, and Naomi, the wise Monkey, Tom must face off against the evil sorceress while learning how to become a Guardian.
While not the most fluid, the animation is decent enough. The action shots, in particular, look well-designed and aesthetically pleasing. However, some parts look choppier and on the lower-budget end of the scale.
One of the film’s biggest selling points was its star-studded voice cast comprised exclusively of Chinese actors. And the performances don’t disappoint, especially Michelle Yeoh, who is excellent in her portrayal of the villainous Loo.
The story itself does feel a bit rushed through, not giving the viewer enough time to become emotionally invested in the characters and their plights. As the stakes never seem high enough, watching the film feels like fast-forwarding to a story outline until reaching the predictable conclusion. I can’t help but wonder if parts of the film had to be cut off to fit into its short runtime.
Among the movie’s biggest let-downs is the soundtrack filled to the brim with licensed pop songs that seem slightly inappropriate. I’m no prude, but was Flo Rida’s Low the best option for the opening scene about a grandma and her grandbaby?
Should you stream The Tiger’s Apprentice?
While the movie is predictable, formulaic, and doesn’t add anything new to the genre, there’s nothing inherently wrong with that. As a children’s animation, The Tiger’s Apprentice is a perfectly adequate family-friendly movie. It has the classic hero’s journey with a sympathetic protagonist who learns about his magical destiny. The lore is fun and easy enough to follow, while the adventures shown on screen are easily awe-inspiring for the film’s target age demographic.
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