Individually, they've starred in the most adrenaline-pumping martial-arts adventures ever. Together for the first time, Jet Li and Jackie Chan join forces to create the greates epic of them all- THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM. As ancient Chinese warriors, they must train and mentor a 21st century kung-fu fanatic who's been summoned to fight a centuries-old battle and free the imprisoned Monkey King. If you're a fighting fan, the wait is over. The team is ready. The Kingdom has arrived.
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

The Forbidden Kingdom Soundtrack

Stills from The Forbidden Kingdom (click for larger image)

Customer Rating:
Summary: Definitely for a younger audience ...
Comment: I love me some Crouching Tiger-ish Kung Fu movies. I've had my eye on The Forbidden Kingdom since it came out, considering the film teamed up Jet Li AND Jackie Chan- two favs for me!- in a fantasy type period piece.

I, for one, wasn't disappointed although, because it seems to be targeting a younger audience doesn't hit the caliber of some other recent martial arts films to hit the theaters.

The story begins with a young boy named Jason who dreams of Kung Fu epic battles every night. He's even befriended an old Chinese man he calls Pop who runs a pawn shop in Boston's Chinatown. When a bunch of bully's force him to get Pop to open the door for them, he ends up running for his life. But during the fray, Jason picks up a magical bo staff that Pop had been holding onto till the one who is supposed to return it to it's proper owner arrives.

To Jason's horror, the Bully's end up shooting Pop, and just when they have Jason cornered as well, the bo staff transports Jason to an ancient Chinese kingdom, where an evil war lord rules and the noble Monkey King has been turned to stone, awaiting the return of his magical staff.

Which of course becomes Jason's mission!

Along the way, he meets a constantly inebriated immortal named Lu Yan (Jackie Chan) who reluctantly agrees to mentor Jason in the martial arts. He also befriends a beautiful young woman named Sparrow, who's family was murdered by the nut case warlord as well as a mysterious monk (Jet Li) who has dedicated his life to finding the Monkey King's staff.

Stunningly beautiful scenery populates the film and crazy acrobatic battles between Li & Chan ensue- as well as between these two and the big bads! The movie even made me chuckle from time to time, thanks to the always enthusiastic, though admittedly getting-too-old-for-this, Jackie Chan.

In the end, The Forbidden Kingdom felt a bit like The Karate Kid for 2008. A cool little fable with plenty of action too boot! (I certainly would recommend it for a younger audience then Jet Li usually draws!)

4 out of 5 from me

---

Customer Rating:
Summary: The Forbidden Kingdom
Comment: A nice light fantasy adventure movie with some Kung Fu fighting thrown in as well. This is not meant to be a serious kick tail Kung Fu movie. If you thought that you will be disappointed. It is much more serious than "Karate Kid", but it has a fair amount of humor thrown in initially. It is meant to be a movie the family can enjoy and they will. A nice mix of modern and ancient with East meets West. Good casting with Michael Angarano as the Jersey American thrown into the past, where he meets three masters of Kung Fu in Ancient China played by Jackie Chan, Jet Li, and Yifei Liu. He must take a special staff that was given to him by a dying Chinese Pawn Shop owner, played by Chan, to the Monkey King, played by Li. Chan reuses his role as a drunken master in the Ancient China role as he has done well before in other movies. Although this movie is more adventure than huge Kung Fu choregraphed fights, there are still plenty of those in the movie. Chan and Li both played two parts adeptly, and I recommend it. I give it three and a half stars. Great quality DVD with extras and good replayability. If you enjoyed this catch "Kung Fu Hustle".

CA Luster

---

Customer Rating:
Summary: Below Average Kung Fu Movie!
Comment: I saw this movie couple times and both DVD and in the theatre. On average, this movie is below any kung Fu Movie either from China, Hong Kong or even Kung Fu Panda! Let me explain.
1. The main character Jason - the American kid he might be a teen ager, neither he is cute or handsome. I don;t why the director chose this guy, from the beginning to the end of the movie, I didn't see anything sparkling about him.
2. The basic color or tone of this movie looks like a old 60's or 70's style. From the beginning in Chinatown, ( any costume in the movie) to the end,... It's all very dark, old, looks really strange and like a batman movie, even the characters - forgot the name of the bad guy - his mandarin is very strange and his make up is too much.....
3. This might be a movie for families, but I think from beginning it;s still too vilentcy. It's not good for kid,
4. The two girls in the Movie- White hair girl and Golden Swallow, they're both very good actors from China, and from this movie, it's a waste for their talent.
5. Like what I said before, the basic tone of this movie is very dark, looks more like a animation and the scenery is very fake....

If you want to see real Ku fu movie- go to search any other Jet Li or Jacky Chan's movie, will be better than this one.

---

Customer Rating:
Summary: Rent it for the Jet/Jackie fight......nothing else.
Comment: First, let me say that even among movies like the Wizard of Oz and The Neverending Story, and the Narnias where the kids must go from the real world into the fantasy world in order to save that world and become more mature...this movie sucks. It's even worse as a kung fu movie.

That two masters of the craft such as Jet Li and Jackie Chan would pick this as their first movie to do together tells me they didn't understand the English script too well. Even Yuen-Woo Ping's fight choreography was lacking in this and that is a first. The script is boring and plain. Chan is not as funny as usual. Li's character has little substance, and Yifei Lu has little reason to be there at all. The villains have names like the Witch and the Warlord, terrible. The kid was likable but, hard to believe he became a kung fu master in a few days and even when he did it looked bad.

The fight between Chan and Li is good even though it's set in the wrong film and they're a little older and slower, they're still 1000 times better than everyone else in the movie.

Jackie Chan and Jet Li both have hundreds of films between them and I'd recommend almost any over this.

---

Customer Rating:
Summary: Martial Arts Fairy Tale Come To Life
Comment: A great story about taking a Western-world wimp kid, obsessed with martial arts, and introducing him to Eastern-world martial art philosophies and training in a fairy tale setting (the story of the 'Monkey King'). If for no other reason to get this movie, the fight scene between Jackie Chan and Jet Li is absolutely awesome. If you are a fan of either or both Jackie Chan or Jet Li this one is an absolute must. I highly recommend it!

---