The animated film, based on a novel by Laurence Yep, is a Chinese-flavoured comfort food that arrives just in time for the lunar new year and February half-term school holidays. The story revolves around teenage Tom, who lives in San Francisco with his eccentric grandmother, Amah, who is the guardian of a purple stone that can be turned into a phoenix. The film's shapeshifting villain Loo (Michelle Yeoh) is after this stone, and Amah is aided by an Avengers-style posse of animal-people-zodiac entities, including Hu (Henry Golding), the tiger of the title. Hu must learn to be a better teacher for Tom, his new apprentice, to foil Loo's evil plans. The film is a perky, likable, but derivative animated feature that is perfect for both the lunar new year and the February half-term school holidays. "The Tiger's Apprentice" is an animated film that features 11 magical animal-people-whatsits, each representing an animal in the Chinese zodiac. However, the film's main character, Loo, is locked up in magic jail, leaving only the tiger, dragon, rat, monkey, and rabbit to assist Tom in training and fighting Loo. The film also features a skateboarding, guitar-shredding human love interest, Rav, in the form of Rav (Leah Lewis). The film's appearance is generic, with a Who's Who cast including Michelle Yeoh, Henry Golding, Lucy Liu, Sandra Oh, Bowen Yang, and Greta Lee. Despite the impressive cast, the film's storytelling is mediocre, with only a few amusing moments and visual flourishes. The film's success is largely due to the talented cast, but the film's overall look is generic and lacks the depth and diversity of Asian representation in animated cinema. "The Tiger's Apprentice" is a visually appealing film with some impressive animation and some humorous moments, but it fails to fully utilize its potential. While it may be entertaining for younger viewers, it may not inspire a sequel that fully explores the promising mythology and characters. The film's lively and colorful nature may inspire a sequel that takes more time to fully explore these elements. The Tiger's Apprentice, directed by Raman Hui, is a thrilling adventure that follows Tom Lee, a Chinese-American high schooler who is tasked with continuing his family's legacy as a guardian with the help of the animals of the zodiac. Based on Laurence Yep's book, the movie follows Tom as he takes on the role of a guardian to protect humanity from evil forces. When disaster strikes, Tom must take his grandmother's place as a guardian to defend a phoenix egg from the nefarious Loo (Michelle Yeoh), who seeks to use it for her own purposes. Hu, one of the twelve members of the zodiac, takes Tom under his wing and introduces him to the rest of the animals, including Mistral the dragon (Sandra Oh) and Sidney the rat (Bowen Yang). The cast of the movie is its greatest strength, with Henry Golding being a standout and the intriguing dynamic between Hu and Mistral. The ensemble is entertaining and varied enough, with great potential for more stories set in the same world, focused around other animals of the zodiac, or further adventures centering Tom and Hu. The film has a lot of scope in the premise, and there is a surprise reveal towards the end that suggests the filmmakers must at least be considering a sequel. Whether they make one or not, The Tiger's Apprentice is a self-contained, satisfying story that will both entertain and tug at the audience's heartstrings.
Review of The Tiger's Apprentice
