The Tiger’s Apprentice tells a touching and inspiring story about finding confidence in yourself and leaning on friendship when times are tough.
The Tiger’s Apprentice boasts an incredible cast including acting legends like Michelle Yeoh, Lucy Liu, and Henry Golding. The entire cast brings a depth and relatability to the characters, making it something viewers will love. This film also delivers several incredible action sequences that will have audiences on the edge of their seats. While it does have some minor issues, this is still more than worth streaming when it hits Paramount+ on February 2nd.
The Tiger’s Apprentice is based on a children’s book series of the same name by Laurence Yep and follows Chinese-American teenager Tom Lee (Brandon Soo Hoo), whose life changes forever when he discovers he is part of a long lineage of magical protectors known as the Guardians. These Guardians are shape shifters who become the animals of the Chinese Zodiac.
With guidance from a mythical tiger named Hu (Henry Golding), Tom trains to take on a force that is as powerful as a Guardian but with evil intentions named Loo (Michelle Yeoh). To have a fighting chance against Loo, Tom must reunite all twelve Zodiac animal warriors and master his own newly discovered powers.
Part coming of age story, part action flick, The Tiger’s Apprentice is a whole lot of fun, but also heartwarming and inspiring at the same time. Tom’s story is one that many can relate to, and it is truly inspiring watching him find his confidence as he trains and grows as a Guardian. There is a lot of humor in The Tiger’s Apprentice as well, most of which works extremely well — especially when delivered by the rat Guardian, Sidney (Bowen Yang).
This story is a great way for the world to learn more about Chinese culture and the Chinese zodiac. It is not only explained very well throughout the film, it is amazing to see come to life. Kids will have fun looking up what animal is their birth year, and seeing if they can relate to the qualities that they bring or not.
If a movie has a villain in it, it only truly works if it is a good one. And that is exactly what Loo is. Michelle Yeoh voices this character who is a little bit terrifying and is sure to send shivers down anyone’s spine. Her design is incredible and she is very well animated. And just wait until you see her in action!
She has some great moments in the film, and is a part of some epic fights that look great on screen, however the way the third act is rushed cannot be ignored. Unfortunately this means that Loo is done a little bit dirty, and we don’t get nearly as much of her as we should have. Still, she is a fantastic villain.
It is the heartwarming and inspiring story, as well as the culture that is brought to the screen, that makes The Tiger’s Apprentice more than worth watching. This film teaches audiences the importance of positive friend relationships and finding confidence in yourself.
While the story looses itself for a minute there in the end, that can be forgiven because of the detail that we get in the first two acts. The animated action sequences are some of the best that we have seen in a while, and a big and exciting part of the film. The stellar cast lending their voices to these characters brings it to life in a way that will have kids watching it over and over.
Rating: 3 out of 5
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About The Tiger’s Apprentice
Based on the popular children’s book series of the same name by Laurence Yep, THE TIGER’S APPRENTICE follows Chinese-American teenager Tom Lee (Soo Hoo), whose life changes forever when he discovers he is part of a long lineage of magical protectors known as the Guardians.
With guidance from a mythical tiger named Hu (Golding), Tom trains to take on Loo (Yeoh), a force that is as powerful as a Guardian but with evil intentions to use magic to destroy humanity.
To have a fighting chance against Loo, Tom must reunite all twelve Zodiac animal warriors and master his own newly discovered powers.
The Tiger’s Apprentice comes exclusively to Paramount+ on February 2nd.
Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. On Camera personality and TV / Film Critic with 10+ years of experience in video editing, writing, editing, moderating, and hosting.