Rob Minkoff, The Forbidden Kingdom

Photo Credit: Kathryn Durfee

by Chris Flippo
04/22/2008

The Forbiddon Kingdom is best seen as Jackie Chan or Jet Li 101. It’s a decent introduction course, but not much more. Sure, you have the nice mix of action, comedy, and pathos for which these two superstars are known. However, the film just seems too generic and by-the-numbers to stand out in either star’s extensive filmography.

The film starts off slowly before gaining momentum. An American teenager named Jason Tripitikas (played by Shia LaBeouf’s doppleganger, Michael Angarano) is living in a single-parent household and spends all of his time watching old Kung Fu movies. He visits a video store in Chinatown ran by a mysterious manager named Old Hop in order to get DVD’s of all the classics. From Bruce Lee to the Shaw Brothers, Old Hop has it all.

However, when he discovers a legendary staff in the back of the store, Jason is sent through time in order to deliver it to its rightful owner, the Monkey King. The problem is that the Monkey King, though immortal, has been frozen in time by a Jade warlord. On his quest to, you guessed it, the Forbidden Kingdom, Jason is accompanied by Lu Yan (Jackie Chan) and Su Wukong (Jet Li). Along the way the trio meets an assortment of characters, among them a young warrior named Golden Sparrow (the gorgeous Liu Yifei), a woman out for revenge after her village was massacred.

If that seems like a bunch of introductions, you’re right. The film has its weight cut out for with all the characters, motives, and plot threads. However, though the film’s storytelling may falter, the mythology behind it is all good stuff. Wu Che Eng-En’s Monkey (on which the film is partially based) is a rich and rewarding read. However, since film is a very literal medium, all of this reads better than it plays. To actually see Jet Li dressed up to resemble a monkey... well, I’ll let you see for yourself. The Monkey story is usually quite engaging, but it is told in The Forbidden Kingdom in a rather clumsy fashion.

The movie seems like it was made by and for fanboys. Let’s see... an American teenager who loves Asian cinema (the film’s target audience) goes back in time to fight alongside Jet Li and Jackie Chan (the film’s target audience’s dream). Its almost shameless the way the film panders to its target audience. If the film were any more tailored-made for its audience, Jackie Chan and Jet Li would be flying the Millennium Falcon to the Forbidden Kingdom.

Nevertheless, the film can be fun when the two stars are the focus and are allowed to do what they do best. Sure, they have made plenty of better films, both are engaging presences here. Though neither are getting any younger, they are both still skilled athletes and The Forbidden Kingdom is at its best when it simply serves as a showcase for them. However, when the shift turns to Jason, the movie becomes a sub-“Kid in King Arthur’s Court” clone. The film might have been better served if it just let Jet Li and Jackie Chan star in their own film.

Recently, I finally was able to watch Jet Li’s 1992 Kung Fu epic, Once Upon A Time In China. Watching that film did not do The Forbidden Kingdom any favors. In comparison, the new Jackie Chan/Jet Li team-up feels like a watered down version of other, better films. My advice? Go to a matinee if you’re a teenager or, if you’re old enough to drive, go down to the video store. There are plenty of great Kung Fu films out there for you to discover.