The Forbidden Kingdom
By Karen WilsonAverage User Rating:
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sequences of martial arts and some violence
Genre: Action/Fantasy
Release Date: April 18, 2008
Running Time: 1 hour 53 minutes
Plot Synopsis: Jason, a Boston teenager obsessed with kung fu movies frequently visits a tiny Chinatown pawnshop to buy bootleg DVDs. One night a group of local bullies follow Jason into the pawnshop to rob it, and when Jason grabs a mysterious staff to protect the owner, he finds himself hurled into another world. Awaking in the Chinese countryside, he discovers the golden staff belongs to the imprisoned Monkey King. With the help of his new teacher, the drunken master Lu Yan, as well as the Silent Monk and the deadly Golden Sparrow, Jason sets out to return the staff to the Monkey King and defeat the evil Jade Warlord.
Sex/Nudity: A (mostly platonic) romance develops between Jason and the Golden Sparrow, but she dies before any kind of consummation occurs.
Violence/Gore: As a kung fu film, The Forbidden Kingdom is filled with hand to hand combat sequences, as well as other brutality involving a gun, swords, arrows, marauding warriors and magical fire.
Profanity: The White-Haired Demoness, an evil minion of the Jade Warrior, taunts Golden Sparrow by calling her “an orphan bitch.”
Which Kids Will Like It? Based on the vocal and enthusiastic tween boys sitting behind me during my screening, the film should be a huge hit with 11- to 17-year-old action adventure fans. The pervasive violence, though beautifully choreographed, may be upsetting to children younger than middle school aged. Also, some of the dialogue is subtitled while non-native speakers deliver other lines in English but with thick accents, so young viewers may find it difficult to follow at times.
Will Parents Like It? With a cliché ridden teacher/student plot structure reminiscent of The Karate Kid, parents might feel “been there, done that” but seeing the masterful Jet Li and Jackie Chan going toe to toe should thrill most martial arts aficionados.
Kaboose Review: Actors Jet Li and Jackie Chan are two of the biggest stars in the Hong Kong martial arts film industry, yet until making The Forbidden Kingdom, an American and Chinese co-production, they had never worked in a movie together. Their first, and hopefully not last, foray into co-starring divvies things up very evenly; they get double billing above the credits and both play two roles each. The fight sequences also equitably play to each of their strengths, highlighting Chan’s comic sensibilities and Li’s acrobatic. While some divisive types might want to argue about which martial arts icon is more awesome, the best part about The Forbidden Kingdom is that viewers won’t have to choose.
Young American actor Michael Angarano (Almost Famous, Sky High) plays Jason, a kid magically transported to feudal China where he embarks on a quest to return to the Monkey King (Li) his golden staff, and thus release him from the Jade Warrior’s imprisonment in the Five Elements Mountain palace. Fortunately the clueless and kung fu-less Jason gets some native assistance from the Drunken Master Lu Yan (Chan), who gives Jason a boot camp while they’re on the road. Jason also gets training from the Silent Monk (Li), a more subdued teacher who has also been seeking to free the Monkey King too. They also travel with the beautiful assassin Golden Sparrow (Liu Yifei), who holds a grudge against the Jade Warrior for murdering her family.
World-renowned martial arts choreographer Yeun Woo-ping, who also directed the original Drunken Master movie starring Chan in 1978, orchestrated The Forbidden Kingdom’s many balletic fight scenes. Some of them involve the Hong Kong wire trick style and flashy, exploding special effects but the best ones are when you can see Li and Chan really flinging their bodies around the sets. Even at 45- and 54-years-old respectively, they both still have jaw-dropping skills. The Forbidden Kingdom was written particularly with young viewers in mind and so many of these fights have a comical lightness, rather than a frightening tone. Chan is almost like Buster Keaton, but with a lightening fast punch and when the otherwise taciturn Li breaks into a joyous cackle, the whole audience can’t help by laugh along.
Deeply indebted to the baroque pageantry made famous by the 1950s Hong Kong producers The Shaw Brothers, The Forbidden Kingdom is an old fashioned kind of entertainment that young audiences can still enjoy.
Directed by: Rob Minkoff
Cast: Jackie Chan (Lu Yan), Jet Li (Monkey King/Silent Monk), Michael Angarano (Jason Tripitikas), Liu Yifei (Golden Sparrow), Collin Chou (Jade Warlord), Li Bing Bing (The White-Haired Demoness)
Karen Wilson is a freelance writer living in New York City.
