Thoughts.com Blogs - "The Forbidden Kingdom"--movie review

Jet Li and Jackie Chan team up in a youthful kung fu "wonderland" on a quest to restore order to their mystical world in "The Forbidden Kingdom". When the magic staff of the Monkey King is found in "our" world by a young kung fu movie enthusiast, the journey to return it to its missing-in-action owner begins. It is a showcase of magical effects with a story anyone who has experienced kung fu and/or karate movies in the 1980s will recognize. The characters are just as familiar, however two actors playing more than one part in a movie is not so common. Chan plays an appealing drunken "immortal" named Lu Yan and an old shopkeeper named Hop with whom the young movie enthusiast socializes, and Li plays a stranger in white called the Silent Monk as well as a Monkey King just about any little kid would follow. What is advertised as an amazing partnership piece is more of a first taste of a genre for a new generation.

The story starts with young Jason buying kung fu movies from Hop's(Chan) shop after waking from a dream about the Monkey King facing an army of soldiers on mountain tops. The teen finds a back room with an interesting metal staff which Jason has seen in his dream. When a local racist gang finds out Jason has been "hanging" with the Chinese, they decide to rob Hop's shop with Jason in tow. In the scuffle that ensues, Jason ends up with the staff and is instantly transported to another world in a completely different outfit just as an army is attacking a humble village. Outmatched and outnumbered, Jason falls into the assistance of the legendary drunken immortal Lu Yan(Chan) who later tells him the story of how the Monkey King upset a heavenly banquet and ended up in a mortal battle with a man known as the Jade Warlord played by Collin Chou(who would make an excellent Mandarin in an Iron Man movie). This explains much of what is to come with a great display. The two unlikely partners then hook up with an orphan girl who calls herself "The Golden Sparrow"(Liu Yi Fei) and speaks often in the third person. She is on a mission as well to defeat the Warlord. She keeps her hair bound with a jade sparrow dart with which she plans to kill him. These three then run into a mysterious stranger(Li) dressed in white who seems to have his own interest in the staff of the Monkey King. The Jade Warlord gets wind of the staff's presence in this world and sends an army lead by a stunning, white-haired, "witch" assassin named Ni-Chang(played by Li Bingbing) who packs a mean whip and an amazing bow. Events lead the battle to the top of the Five Elements Mountain where the final showdown takes place. The ending is a mild surprise at best. One of the lovely young ladies(I won't say who) makes a nice touch final appearance.

The plot flows in a rather predictable way. You can almost guess what happens next(if you have seen this type of movie before). There is a major effort to throw in words of ancient and martial arts wisdom which often fly overhead if the viewer is not paying close attention. [As Lu Yan(Chan) says to Jason when he cannot understand his Chinese, "That's because you are not listenning."] However, there are some delightful elements which give the movie its value. The story of the Monkey King and the Jade Warlord is definitely a highlight. As I said, Li plays a whimsical Monkey King whom kids would think is cute, funny and cool. And, that is why the PG-13 rating seems wrong. This is hardly a movie I worry about little kids seeing other than to question what Chan is doing with his "water bottle". The movie is uninspired for the "educated" adult and seems directed at newcomers who want to know what kung fu and fantasy movies are about. For those who have seen "The Neverending Story" or "E.T."as a kid, remember what that was like. I had to laugh at some parts because of how silly they seemed to me. This was not the "House of Flying Daggers" I had come to expect. However, the special effects--though somewhat surreal and silly at times--still retain some magic for adult viewers like myself.

Though the "ladies" are appealing in their own unique way(Li Bingbing is a striking deadly beauty with her white wig which has a life of its own), their dialogue(along with that of Jet Li's monk)is a bit of a mess. The "witch" Ni-Chang(Li Bingbing) seems to have a dubbed-in voice. "Sparrow"(Liu Yi Fei) often speaks so softly, it was difficult to make out what she was saying even though she spoke decent english. Jet Li uses a voice that almost sounds like he had something in his throat which made no sense. Oddly enough, Jackie Chan--with his limited English--was one of the better spoken parts of the movie.

Overall, I give "The Forbidden Kingdom"(at approximately 100 minutes long) a meager two stars with my thumb leaning toward the down position. As a kids' or young family movie, I'd recommend it(probably three stars or better in that regard). It would have done better and fit right in with my childhood viewings of films like "The Karate Kid." But, for the more experienced adult crowd(anyone who has seen this sort of movie who is over the age of thirteen), it's hit or miss. For the young man who might have a crush on an Asian girl and is a martial arts fanatic, this could be a big hit.

--brainstormer, free-lance movie critic and participant in the Thoughts.com blogging experience.

for adults

for kids and young family viewings