Everything China

Getting martial-arts superstars Jet Li and Jackie Chan together in the same action film is like a fantasy come true, even if The Forbidden Kingdom is more of a children’s movie than an instant kung-fu classic. Yes, Li and Chan square off in a lengthy, acrobatic fight scene that is a lot of fun, though it can’t be what such a scene might have been even a decade ago: careful editing now compensates for the 54-year-old Chan’s slower moves and reflexes. Still, Chan doesn’t disappoint as Lu Yan, a drunken immortal in ancient China who mentors a modern-day American kid, Jason (Michael Angarano), the latter having slipped into the past while in possession of a magical staff that belongs to the imprisoned Monkey King (Li). In order to get back to his own time and help an old friend (also Chan) wounded by thugs, Jason accompanies Lu Yan and a lovely warrior, Golden Sparrow (Liu Yifei), on a journey to return the staff. Along the way, a (mostly) silent monk (Li, again), who has spent his life in search of the staff, joins their mission. He helps Lu Yan train Jason in fighting and adding more muscle to the party as it comes under siege from a violent witch (Li Bing Bing) and pathological warlord (Collin Chou). Screenwriter John Fusco (Hidalgo) and director Rob Minkoff (The Haunted Mansion) have made a slightly chintzy, Western version of a Chinese swords-and-sorcery tale. The gravity-defying, flying-through-the-air-while-fighting choreography looks pretty choppy and graceless compared to, say, the martial arts films of Zhang Yimou. But The Forbidden Kingdom is really aimed at kids, not aficionados of epic fight movies. On that score, the movie aims to please and does so for the right audience. — Tom Keogh

Beyond The Forbidden Kingdom on DVD

Soundtrack

on Blu-ray

Stills from The Forbidden Kingdom (click for larger image)

Customer Review: Jackie Chan and Jet Li in Enjoyable Kung Fu Fantasy Movie
The idea of making a martial arts film starring Jackie Chan and Jet Li, directed by Rob Minkoff (“Stuart Little,” its first sequel and “The Haunted Mansion”) may not appeal to you very much. It is only natural that you become skeptical of its success if you still remember the disappointing Hollywood-made actions like “Rush Hour 3″ or “The One.” Surprisingly, however, “The Forbidden Kingdom” turned out a very entertaining film with nice actions and some interesting characters. An avid American kung-fu film fan Jason (Michael Angarano) is magically transported to a fantasy world where his martial arts skills and courage are tested through a series of thrilling adventures. In this land where ruthless Jade Warlord (Colin Chou) reigns, the South Boston boy meets perpetually drunk Lu Yan (Jackie Chan) one of the legendary “Eight Immortals,” who is actually a great kung fu master. With Lu Yan, mysterious “Silent Monk” (Jet Li) and an orphaned girl “Golden Sparrow” (Yifei Liu), Jason sets out a long journey to fulfill the mission for which he was sent there. You know this is a formula that has been used so many times before and it works amazingly well once the film gets into gear in the mid-section, showing the actions. Jackie Chan and Jet Li show orthodox-style kung fu fights (choreographed by Yuen Woo Ping) which are great fun to see. (And remember, Jackie Chan is 54 years old!) Michael Angarano playing a rather thankless role is also very good, but the most memorable is Bingbing Li, playing a white-haired villainess Ni Chang (her character most recently filmed in Ronny Yu-directed “The Bride with White Hair” with Brigitte Lin). There are many references to kung-fun films including Jackie Chan’s classic “Drunken Monkey” or Shaw Brothers films and Chinese culture in general. The most notable one is of course the famous Chinese epic story “‘Journey to the West” and The Monkey King, also played by very comical Jet Li. Jet Li playing the double roles might look strange at first, but it is actually a nice idea to wrap up the story. Sure, some CG images look a bit cheesy and let’s face it, this collaboration of Jet Li and Jackie Chan should have been released ten years earlier. Still the fact that “The Forbidden Kingdom” offer lots of fun doesn’t change at all. Enjoy it.