His star may not burn as brightly as it once did and his box office drawing power is definitively on the wane, but Ride On is a further reminder that Jackie Chan is still capable of bringing in a crowd on streaming.
Just weeks after the terrible Hidden Strike ended up becoming a global sensation after escaping from five years on the shelf to become the single most popular movie on all of Netflix for well over a week, the veteran action star’s other overlooked 2023 release has done much the same on a rival platform.
Per FlixPatrol, the coming-of-old-age story between a fading stuntman and his horse has jumped 79 places overnight on the Rakuten worldwide watch-list, with its wholesome and sappy narrative evidently endearing it to subscribers everywhere despite a rather tepid critical response that saw it blasted for those exact same reasons.
Chan stars as a washed-up industry veteran struggling to make ends meet, which naturally poses a problem for his ongoing ownership of prized horse Red Hare. Seeking assistance from his estranged daughter and her high-flying lawyer of a boyfriend after discovering his equine companion could be auctioned off to pay his debts, the story goes viral and ends up giving the pair a new lease of life both figuratively and literally.
It’s hardly going to be remembered as one of Chan’s best, but sometimes all people want to watch at home is the cinematic equivalent of comfort food, and that’s precisely what Ride On delivers for better and worse.
Published: Aug 31, 2023 01:16 am