Everybody was kung-fu fighting (film only) (The Forbidden Kingdom (DVD))

Member Name: calypte

Product:	The Forbidden Kingdom (DVD)
Date:	27/07/08 (166 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Jet Li and Jackie Chan pairing up in a visual impressive movie

Disadvantages: the Karate Kid rides again!!

Jason is obsessed with kung-fu; in fact, he probably could have named every actor and movie that flicked past in the poster-montage of the opening credits. Alas, it's the viewing of and not the actual practise that he's any good at, so he has to put up with the endless bullying from the neighbourhood thugs.

So far, so Karate Kid. In fact, that's easily the worst thing about this movie: picking a teenager (albeit one who's fairly obviously in his 20s!) to be the main core of the story. And then, of course, you soon start to realise that the story itself isn't so original, instead pulling in bits of many ancient Chinese legends, quite a few of which will be familiar from other movies - if you're the kind of fan who recognised more than just Bruce Lee from that movie-poster opening montage ;)

Me? Not a clue. I was there for one thing only: to see Jet Li and Jackie Chan team up on screen for the first time, and impress me with their fighting skills! :) We do get there eventually, but first there's a bit more back story...

Jason (Tripitikas - another name taken from other stories) likes to visit a pawn store in Chinatown, run by a rather strange old man, to stock up on rare kung-fu movies. Then one evening he spots a bo staff in the back of the shop - one just like the one in his dreams! *Exactly* like the one in his dream... And it has a tale: it's been in the shop since the time of the current proprietor's grandfather, left there until a man comes to return it to its rightful owner. Of course, it goes without saying that it's Jason who ends up with the staff - but it's the staff which is going to return itself to its rightful owner, somewhere in the mysterious and ancient Forbidden Kingdom.

For far away, in place and time, there is a Kingdom (yes, I know it should be an Empire!) ruled by an immortal Emperor. However, while the Emperor is partaking in his 500-year meditation sessions, it is left to the Jade Warlord to watch over the lands. Only the Monkey King is strong enough to fight the corrupt warlord, but when the mischievous immortal is tricked out of his magical staff and imprisoned in stone, the Jade Warlord is left unopposed in his evil rule.

So, thanks to the magical staff, Jason (Michael Angarano) soon finds himself in an olde-worlde China he should more than recognise from his favourite Kung-Fu movies. Bewildered and lost, he is saved from trouble almost instantly by a drunken kung-fu master, played by Jackie Chan (who's no stranger to the drunken master role!); soon they are joined by a beautiful but vengeful orphan girl, Golden Sparrow (Liu Yi Fei), and the mysterious Silent Monk (Jet Li). Can the group win past the Jade Warlord's warriors and demon witches, and return Jason's staff to its true owner?

As I said, the story is largely a retelling of a patchwork of other tales - and despite being entirely unfamiliar with those older stories, I could still tell. There is that kind of feel of age-old legends being recounted, with characters out of myth, such as the white-haired demoness, and the Monkey King himself - familiar even to me from 1970s TV shows! It sounds like it should be a huge let down, but actually it works. I don't want to use the word pantomime, as that has rather cheesy connotations, but that same feel of a traditional tale being updated and put on for a new - young! - audience.

But let's face it: no matter what else was done with this film, the pairing of the two current greatest stars of the genre, Jackie Chan and Jet Li, for the first time ever was going to be the draw! With hundreds of movies between them, and careers spanning decades each, finally getting these two masters on screen together was both obvious and yet "wow!". Of course, if you're not a fan of martial arts (and then, why would you watch this movie at all?) then the drawn-out fight sequences are going to seem quite dull. I'm not personally the *greatest* fan of kung-fu (my dad is; I was taking him to see this rather than going purely for myself!), but I love the artistry, the dance-like quality of the choreography. It's hard watching the pair on screen not to imagine the director just saying, "Right, on you go - we'll just put some cameras over here while you two get on with it, and we'll slow the film down afterwards!".

Alas, the story around the momentous pairing doesn't really rise to the occasion. While nothing awful, it did strike me as somewhat mediocre, all said and done, and definitely predictable. The fantasy elements were fun, but the Karate Kid-eque core of teenager Jason 'growing to manhood' - and of course, learning to be brilliant at kung-fu in about 20 minutes - was a bit of a turn off for me.

So, I'd have to suggest this movie is one for a younger audience. Or rather, the story is for a young audience, but with the bulk of the camera time given to a near-historic team up of two stars whose appeal is going to draw in a crowd who will be probably a touch disappointed with the backdrop.

That said, the pace remains good, the action is fantastic, and the fantasy backdrop does at least draw everything together. The fantasy elements also make for some great visuals, and the film does look very pretty. From the costumes to the ancient Chinese inn to the towering Jade Mountain, everything looks exactly as I felt it 'should'. The setting, then, creates the perfect atmosphere for what we're all really here to see: the fight scenes between Jet Li and Jackie Chan!

I think the shortness of the cinema run proves the perhaps limited audience for this film, but if it sounds even half appealing, then this is an enjoyable family-oriented flick with probably the last-ever pairing of two genuine kung-fu masters. Three stars.


*~* Boring Bits *~*
Running time: 104 minutes (UK)
Rating: PG
Theatrical release: 9th July 2008 (UK)
DVD release: 9th September 2008 (UK)

Full cast details can be found on imdb.co.uk

Summary: Traditional retelling of a mix of tales, memorable mostly for its unique cast pairing