Review of The Forbidden Kingdom (2008) by Zahra S — 08 Apr 2010

Asian fight film fans have been waiting nearly two decades to see martial arts luminaries Jacki Chan and Jet Li on screen together. It's hard to imagine that "The Forbidden Kingdom" is the arena in which fans would have pitted the "drunken master" and the "silent warrior." "The Forbidden Kingdom" is a fairy tale epic that utilizes Chan and Li primarily as sidekicks to a time displaced Boston teen burdened with the task of returning a magic staff to the stone imprisoned Monkey King. Presumably, the oft dreamt and talked about pairing of Chan and Li never included sidekick roles for either, let alone both, by any fanboy worth their mettle.

The eternal question surrounding Chan and Li is, of course, who would win the fight? I'm certainly no martial arts expert. So far be it from me to try and breakdown the styles of either of these masters. Of course, this is the sort of question that fans of many genres love to toss around. Who's a better baller, Michael Jordan or Bill Russell? Better quarterback, Johnny Unitas or Joe Montana? Would Bullet-Bob Gibson have struck out Babe Ruth? For us who grew up in the 80's, who didn't wonder if He-man could really have beaten Superman. And, was Mark Hamill's performance on "The Muppet Show," truly better than his work in all three Star Wars movies combined? It's these sort of questions that we love to debate but never really want a definitive answer (though, I'd say the answer to the "Hamill" question is clearly...yes).

However, unlike those queries, the Chan -vs- Li question could be answered because both are contemporaries. Chan is older but not of a vastly different era from Li like Jordan and Russell or Unitas or Montana. This isn't to say that Chan and Li don't trade swift fists and round-house kicks in "The Forbidden Kingdom." The movie does give us the moment we've been waiting for and it doesn't disappoint but still leaves the question unanswered. Which is pitch perfect because instead of answering the question of who would win the fight, Chan and Li join forces. How good a team would Jacki Chan and Jet Li become? Perhaps a question that is every bit as interesting as the former.

As for the movie itself, it's quite enjoyable. While Chan and Li do play sidekicks, they remain the driving force behind this film. Jacki Chan is his usual affable self playing Lu Yan, a character adapted for this film from his famous "Drunken Master" character. His charge is to train "Jason," the kung-fu loving Massachusetts teen who finds himself in a new time and land after finding the mysterious and magical staff in present day Boston. Enter Jet Li, a monk who has been searching for the staff in order to return it to the Monkey King. Since the Monkey King's stone imprisonment, ancient China has fallen under the despotic rule of the Jade Warlord, formerly the Monkey King's chief rival.

From here, the movie is unable to avoid every cliche but does a admirable job reworking some of them. I usually try to avoid spoilers to I'll keep the details thin. For example, the fights are mostly even numbered. Meaning no one is standing around waiting to fight Chan or Li as they take on dozens of fighters one at a time. Also, the success of the plot doesn't necessarily hinge on Jason, the Boston teen. He does learn Kung Fu in a short amount of time (ie: the obligatory training sequence). But, it is only enough to defend himself against the Jade Warrior's low level soldiers. The heavy hitters, the Jade Warlord himself and his personal body guard Ni Chang, the White-Haired Witch, are left to Chan and Li.

This movie succeeds because of Jacki Chan and Jet Li and I really liked it. It is certainly nothing original and fairly predictable. But, in spite of its predictability, "The Forbidden Kingdom" features more than enough likable characters to root for, some pretty well drawn villains, an appropriate level of humor, and some damn good action and fight scenes. With the summer movies approaching it may be hard to find time to squeeze this one in your schedule with "Iron Man," "Indiana Jones," "The Hulk," "The Dark Knight" and others coming soon. But, if you're looking to kick off the season, "The Forbidden Kingdom" is a great place to start. If not, put it on your dvd reserve list.