provides welcome flashes of Jackie Chan s trademark cinematic panache - and even manages to throw in a surprise or two. The film is also cheesy and occasionally embarrassing, and features a SFX-enhanced ending that s best left to a standard Hol Sadly, you can t win them all. When we re first introduced to Jackie Chan, he s playing General Meng Yi.

A supreme leader and warrior, Meng Yi is assigned to receive the Emperor s latest wife, a Korean princess named Ok Soo, played by Korean megastar Kim Hee-Sun. Ok Soo s union with the Emperor isn t heavily popular with some Korean nationals, including General Choi (Choi Min-Soo), who attacks Ok Soo s entourage to get his point across. In the ensuing melee, Ok Soo is endangered, and Meng Yi and his superpowered horse (more on that later) manage to save her, but not without getting cut off from the rest of the Chinese army.

Ok Soo and Meng Yi are stranded and must journey back to China alone, during which romance blooms and the overbearing orchestral score swells. Meanwhile in the present, archaeologist Jack Lee finds himself dreaming of his past life and his love for Ok Soo though he has no idea it s his former life. Currently, Jack is involved in a deal with scientist pal William (Tony Leung Ka-Fai, as the official dope of the movie).

The two are investigating meteorite fragments that possess gravity-defying abilities. Basically, the rocks can make things float, and there s a coffin in Dasar, India that s proof of this special power. However, in raiding the tomb, Jack stumbles upon a painting of Ok Soo and an ancient sword that likely belonged to Meng Yi.

Past and present collide, and Jack soon finds himself chasing a dream that may actually be reality. Plus there s time-outs for comedy, Jackie Chan-style action, a voluptuous yoga-practioner named Samantha (Bollywood queen Mallika Sherawat), and even more flashbacks to ancient times. Somewhere in there, there s content that s actually supposed to wring some emotion out of the audience.

Emotion in a Jackie Chan film? No way. Director Stanley Tong and Jackie Chan have gone on record stating that is meant to be a departure from the usual Jackie Chan norm - and it is.

The present day story features the typical Jackie Chan stuff, i.e. a mixture of stilted exposition, amusing action and prop sequences, and uneven comedy that would probably be funnier if it were dubbed.

Chan s Jack Lee is your typical nice-guy Chan character, and is ultimately as interesting as that uncle you see once a year at Christmastime. This is standard post-nineties Jackie Chan stuff, and fun for what it is. Tony Leung Ka-Fai plays an amusing dope character, and Mallika Sherawat is supreme eye candy, if nothing else.

At its best, the modern day scenes play like a kinder, gentler version of the original Armour of God At its worst, the scenes are like leftovers from provides welcome flashes of Jackie Chan s trademark cinematic panache - and even manages to throw in a surprise or two.