Rating: Popcorn
The Forbidden Kingdom is the epic story of Jason Tripitikas, a sluggish looking Bostonian teen, as he embarks on a journey that will take him through ancient China.
Searching for some bootleg kung-fu DVDs in a Chinatown pawnshop, Jason discovers a staff that he must return to its original owner, the Monkey King, an ancient Chinese legend. His discovery takes him to a whole new world as he must not only return the staff to the Monkey King, but he must free the king from the evil Jade Warlord. Accompanied by kung-fu master Lu Yan and the Silent Monk, Jason learns the fundamentals of kung-fu, hoping he can return the staff to its proper owner and find his way home.
For the first time ever, Jackie Chan and Jet Li star together in a movie. They both give great performances, especially Jackie, who is the comic relief throughout the movie. Michael Angarano also gives a great performance as he plays the role of Jason Tripitikas.
The Forbidden Kingdom features the choreography of Woo-Ping Yuen, renown for his work on The Matrix and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. To tell you the truth, the choreography is phenomenal! It takes a lot of work to create these sequences and more time to shoot them. The editing and sound, with the swooping slow-motion shots and sound effects, add more to the choreography.
There are a few things I didn’t like about this movie. First of all, some of the transitions between scenes were awkward. One example is when you see the characters in the forest and the music is playing, all of a sudden it switches to them in the desert with no soundtrack. There were a few other times that were similar. Secondly, I find it shocking to see a teenager (roughly 16-years-old) shooting the old man at the pawnshop. It just seemed to be out of the blue. Finally, I find the movie to be a little too cliché because it mostly follows the template set out by previous epic/action/adventure films.
It is nice to see the American and Chinese cultures collaborating to produce this film, even though China is currently in hot waters with its human rights policies and its issues with Tibet.
Although there are a few things I didn’t like about the movie, this epic coming-of-age film, The Forbidden Kingdom, is worth seeing!
Theatrical Release Date: April 18, 2008
5 Comments, Comment or Ping
Jaden @ Screenwriting for Hollywood
Asia puts out excellent movies. This crossover flick looked a little too ridiculous and Americanized for me. Not sure if or when I will see it.
Apr 18th, 2008
admin
I agree Jaden, it is a little too Americanized. Having an American in this Chinese legend seems to stick out like a sore thumb. The movie was still entertaining.
Apr 18th, 2008
Dan
Yea, I have to say that I’m not all that excited by this movie. Though, the surprisingly decent reception is warming me enough to be intrigued. I just wish that Jackie Chan and Jet Li would have chosen to get together on a more traditional kung fu flick instead of a crossover thing.
Apr 21st, 2008
torasham
yes, i think the crossover so ridiculous, but the martial arts was so great. combined all the sytle of kungfu in one scene.
Jun 16th, 2008
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