Review of The Forbidden Kingdom (2008) by Anssi V — 26 May 2013

Sometimes it's just great to see two actors sharing a screen together. Sometimes entire films are built around this concept. Like so with this film, I believe, as it is the first film to start both Jackie Chan and Jet Li, who are both amazing martial art actors. And, for what it is, it really works. Forget the lame protagonist, played by Michael Angarano. Forget the silly, yet admittedly entertaining, storyline about a monkey king. If you're going to see this film, see it for these two and for the scenes they share together.

That being said, while I do think that this film is way too silly to be taken seriously, I also think that it's that way on purpose. I do wish that they had left out the banal protagonist hailing from our reality, because while usually a decent storytelling device and a way to insert in an audience surrogate, in this case it drags, a lot. Not only has Angarano almost no screen presence whatsoever, he's also stealing the spotlight from the main attractions of this particular film, Chan and Li. Give me a movie with just them, and perhaps that chick sidekick, anytime over this film.

Still, if you're able to deal with the fact that you won't get as much Chan and Li as you probably would like to have, it's a fun film to watch. The fight scenes are entertaining, the cinematography and art design are colourful and fit the tone, and all in all it's a good way to spend a couple of hours. Could it have been better? Easily. But it could have a been a lot worse as well. Now it's "merely" a fun kind of average.