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" The
Forbidden Kingdom Review " |
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Posted on
11:00 a.m. PST April 24, 2008 |
Running time: 105 minutes
Rated:PG-13
Cast:
Jackie Chan - Lu Yan
Jet Li - Silent Monk
Michael Angarano - Jason
Crystal Liu - Golden Sparrow
Collin Chou - Jade Warlord
Director: Rob Minkoff
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Official Movie Web Site:
http://forbiddenkingdommovie.com/
Movie Trailer:
View Trailer
During a fight with local Boston bullies, high school
kid/kung fu movie buff Jason (Michael Angarano) magically
disappears and reappears in ancient China, where a kung fu
master (Jackie Chan) says that he must free the
long-imprisoned Monkey King
 (Jet Li) by bringing a powerful
item to a dangerous mountain. Jason’s allies are the
not-so-silent Silent Monk (Li) and the mildly flirtatious
Golden Sparrow (Yifei Liu) as they take on hordes of
soldiers, an immortal war lord and an immortality-seeking
witch—whose hair looks stolen from Halle Berry’s “X-Men”
wardrobe.
Big question: Is the first-ever flick starring two martial
arts legends as exciting as it could be?
Skip it: Apparently someone thought it was more entertaining
for Li to urinate on Chan than for the two to square off.
(No joke.) The masters fight each other only once, early on,
which eliminates any anticipation and leaves the pair to
battle stock villains in support of a story that feels like
a mix of “Lord of the Rings” and Chuck Norris’ “Sidekicks.”
Catch it: If you agree with Golden Sparrow’s claim that, “It
is said that music is a bridge between Earth and heaven.”
Ancient disclaimer: Myth may not apply if the bridge is
built with Daughtry songs.
Bottom line: The one Li-Chan showdown delivers, and
Angarano’s (“Man in the Chair,” “Snow Angels”) good at
controlling the wonderment of an innocent kid learning the
ways of the world (or a warrior). But whether or not a teen
can take down a bully after learning from great teachers
isn’t especially compelling when those teachers have
bare-bones backstories and comic timing that's not nearly as
precise as their moves.
Bonus: An elderly salesman of bootleg kung fu movies (Chan)
assumes the only martial arts film a teenager like Jason
cares about is “Crouching Tiger, Spanking Monkey.” It’s the
epic tale of a technique that many practice but few truly
master.
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