Rush Hour 2 is a sequel through and through. It continues the story that was established in the original and adds absolutely nothing on top of it. It basically repeats what worked and that is it.
To be fair, the dynamics between Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker is gold, so not astounding the focus lies on that. But like in the original, Jackie Chan again doesn't get to display his skills as an actor and as a martial artist. Sure, the combat and stunts are serviceable. Still, anyone familiar with the genius of Jackie Chan, it's almost insulting that they didn't give him more control. Then again, not surprising with Brett Ratner at the helm. He is what you call a plant. He does what the studios ask of him and won't ever fight them on anything. The end result is a familiar product that will satisfy most viewers, but won't really wow people. I can see why Jackie hated making this one even more than the original. None of what is happening is truly challenging for him. Apart from the dialogue. Some jokes aside, they wisely decided for him to have not much of it. I wished, they would have done more with John Lone. He was nothing more than a glorified cameo, while he could and should have been the reason to have Jackie Chan hone into his acting skills. It wouldn't have hurt to have some real compelling drama arc for Lee.
Instead, you have Zhang Ziyi arguably as the main baddie, who has no depth to her character whatsoever. Why? I mean, she is cool and all. But pretty sure she is in this because of the success of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. A film that is far too overrated. Good, but nearly not as good as people claim it to be. And to add to the female power element, Roselyn Sanchez, is added to the roster as a possible love interest for Lee. Like Zhang Ziyi's character, she has no depth to her and is barely in the film to make a lasting impression.
Even with the fast pace, I think Rush Hour slows down in some parts because there is even less story and intrigue than in the original. How is that even possible? So yes, like I said, Rush Hour is serviceable but nothing more.
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