Jason KingThe Forbidden Kingdom ($12-)
July 24th 2008 23:36
The Forbidden Kingdom ($12-)
Way more enjoyable than anticipated this is a no nonsense film pairing for the first time Jet Li and Jackie Chan in a Asian fantasy film borrowing themes from TV's Monkey Magic and The Karate Kid. It's something adults should enjoy for the pairing of the two plus the visuals similar in scenes to Crouching Tiger and kids should love it because it's funny, it does not take itself seriously and it has plenty of great scenes. Violent but in a funny way with hardly any signs of blood. A very good action family film that would make a great night out for all.
East meets West and kung-fu legends collide as Jackie Chan and Jet Li square off in the fists-a-flying, family-friendly FORBIDDEN KINGDOM. Based on the classical Chinese novel JOURNEY TO THE WEST, the film begins in modern-day Boston. There, while teenage kung-fu flick enthusiast Jason (Michael Angarano) is buying bootleg DVDs from his favorite shopkeeper, Old Hop (Chan, aged by prosthetic makeup), he is drawn to an ancient golden staff. When a local bully forces weakling Jason to help rob Old Hop, Jason escapes with the staff and is magically transported to ancient China. He is soon rescued from the forces of the Jade Warlord by Lu Yan (Chan), a raggedy wanderer whose wine-guzzling ways conceal his kung-fu mastery. Yan reveals the truth of the staff, and that Jason is the fabled Seeker who must return it to the Monkey King (Li) to prevent the warlord's evil plans. The two are joined in their quest by a kung-fu master, Silent Monk (Li), and a beautiful orphan (Liu Yifei) who harbors her own personal vendetta. Despite their differences, the two masters teach Jason the ways of the kung-fu warrior. And when Lu Yan is gravely wounded by the warlord's sexy assassin, Jason must bring his newfound skills and courage to bear if he is to save one world and return to his own. Choreographed by action impresario Woo-ping Yuen and shot on location in China, FORBIDDEN KINGDOM is an appealing family adventure about the importance of working together and the value of believing in one's abilities.
If this film was made in the 80's or 90's it would have been a box office smash - it fits the genre of Gremlins, Karate Kid, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Princess Bride and the Dark Crystal. It's fun, it's sometimes tacky but it's harmless and completely enjoyable with a few laughs and it never takes itself for more than it is. It isn't one of these films of late that try so hard to be more than what they are and made on a budget of a small country's annual turnover. We get to see Chan in comic mode and Li in serious mode and they work well together on screen and I hope we get to see more of them as a unit. There were a couple of scenes though where I did find it hard to understand what Chan was saying but all was forgiven whenever the action started. The film is nearly worth seeing for their first fight scene together. Choreographed by legend Woo-ping Yuen who is known for the following:
* The Bloody Fists (1972)
* Fist of Legend (1994)
* The Matrix (1999)
* Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
* The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
* The Matrix Revolutions (2003)
* Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003)
* Kill Bill Vol. 2 (2004)
* Kung Fu Hustle (2004)
* Danny the Dog (film) (a.k.a. Unleashed) (2005)
* House of Fury (2005)
* Fearless (2006)
* The Forbidden Kingdom (2008)
* Robot (2010)
Yes - he knows what he's doing!!!!!
I enjoyed the performance of Michael Angarano who has come a long way since playing Will Stronghold in Sky High but do find his characters very similar, geeky kid who overcomes his weakness to become a hero. He is a great comic partner to Chan in this one and their teaming in their first fight scene is a good laugh. I don't know whether trying to make him a sex symbol will prove successful but he will probably set some young teenage female hearts a flutter.
Trivia: 1) Based on the Chinese epic story 'Journey to the West', one of the four great classic novels of Chinese Literature. The novel is a fictionalized account of the legends around the Buddhist monk Tang Sanzhuang's pilgrimage to India during the Tang dynasty in order to obtain Buddhist scriptures. Many programs have been based on this tale, such as television show "Saiyûki" (1978), and anime series "Dragon Ball Z" (1989/I) holds a few loose facts from the same story. 2) The characters are mostly taken from Chinese mythology and adventure pulps. Lu Yan is a famous Taoist Saint (He's better known as Iron-crutch Li, one of the Eight Immortals). The Jade Emperor is the ruler of the Heavens in Chinese myth. The Monkey King is from a 16th Century fantasy epic by Wu Cheng En. Golden Sparrow was the name of the character played by Cheng Pei Pei in a number of Shaw Bros films like Da zui xia (1966). The White Haired Demoness is the anti-heroine of a pulp novel by Liang Yusheng (filmed twice) with the same title. 3) This movie marks the very first collaboration between martial arts masters Jet Li and 'Jackie Chan'. 4) This movie went through five script re-writes before it was completed, many of which were done in the middle of filming. 5) Jason Tripitikas' last name is derived from Tripitaka, the monk whom Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, accompanied in "Journey To The West". 6) Just before Sparrow throws the dart at the Jade Warlord, she says "Come Drink with Me" which is the English title of the old Cheng Pei Pei movie where she played a character named Golden Sparrow.
In the words of Rene Rodriguez from the Miami Herald "The Forbidden Kingdom may be nothing but disposable fun, but it is a great, heaping, overflowing helping of fun. If you're 10, it may also seem like Citizen Kane." And in my words - one for the whole family and people who want to see a more fun family version of Crouching Tiger. Playing now and worth $12-
Way more enjoyable than anticipated this is a no nonsense film pairing for the first time Jet Li and Jackie Chan in a Asian fantasy film borrowing themes from TV's Monkey Magic and The Karate Kid. It's something adults should enjoy for the pairing of the two plus the visuals similar in scenes to Crouching Tiger and kids should love it because it's funny, it does not take itself seriously and it has plenty of great scenes. Violent but in a funny way with hardly any signs of blood. A very good action family film that would make a great night out for all.
East meets West and kung-fu legends collide as Jackie Chan and Jet Li square off in the fists-a-flying, family-friendly FORBIDDEN KINGDOM. Based on the classical Chinese novel JOURNEY TO THE WEST, the film begins in modern-day Boston. There, while teenage kung-fu flick enthusiast Jason (Michael Angarano) is buying bootleg DVDs from his favorite shopkeeper, Old Hop (Chan, aged by prosthetic makeup), he is drawn to an ancient golden staff. When a local bully forces weakling Jason to help rob Old Hop, Jason escapes with the staff and is magically transported to ancient China. He is soon rescued from the forces of the Jade Warlord by Lu Yan (Chan), a raggedy wanderer whose wine-guzzling ways conceal his kung-fu mastery. Yan reveals the truth of the staff, and that Jason is the fabled Seeker who must return it to the Monkey King (Li) to prevent the warlord's evil plans. The two are joined in their quest by a kung-fu master, Silent Monk (Li), and a beautiful orphan (Liu Yifei) who harbors her own personal vendetta. Despite their differences, the two masters teach Jason the ways of the kung-fu warrior. And when Lu Yan is gravely wounded by the warlord's sexy assassin, Jason must bring his newfound skills and courage to bear if he is to save one world and return to his own. Choreographed by action impresario Woo-ping Yuen and shot on location in China, FORBIDDEN KINGDOM is an appealing family adventure about the importance of working together and the value of believing in one's abilities.
If this film was made in the 80's or 90's it would have been a box office smash - it fits the genre of Gremlins, Karate Kid, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Princess Bride and the Dark Crystal. It's fun, it's sometimes tacky but it's harmless and completely enjoyable with a few laughs and it never takes itself for more than it is. It isn't one of these films of late that try so hard to be more than what they are and made on a budget of a small country's annual turnover. We get to see Chan in comic mode and Li in serious mode and they work well together on screen and I hope we get to see more of them as a unit. There were a couple of scenes though where I did find it hard to understand what Chan was saying but all was forgiven whenever the action started. The film is nearly worth seeing for their first fight scene together. Choreographed by legend Woo-ping Yuen who is known for the following:
* The Bloody Fists (1972)
* Fist of Legend (1994)
* The Matrix (1999)
* Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
* The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
* The Matrix Revolutions (2003)
* Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003)
* Kill Bill Vol. 2 (2004)
* Kung Fu Hustle (2004)
* Danny the Dog (film) (a.k.a. Unleashed) (2005)
* House of Fury (2005)
* Fearless (2006)
* The Forbidden Kingdom (2008)
* Robot (2010)
Yes - he knows what he's doing!!!!!
I enjoyed the performance of Michael Angarano who has come a long way since playing Will Stronghold in Sky High but do find his characters very similar, geeky kid who overcomes his weakness to become a hero. He is a great comic partner to Chan in this one and their teaming in their first fight scene is a good laugh. I don't know whether trying to make him a sex symbol will prove successful but he will probably set some young teenage female hearts a flutter.
Trivia: 1) Based on the Chinese epic story 'Journey to the West', one of the four great classic novels of Chinese Literature. The novel is a fictionalized account of the legends around the Buddhist monk Tang Sanzhuang's pilgrimage to India during the Tang dynasty in order to obtain Buddhist scriptures. Many programs have been based on this tale, such as television show "Saiyûki" (1978), and anime series "Dragon Ball Z" (1989/I) holds a few loose facts from the same story. 2) The characters are mostly taken from Chinese mythology and adventure pulps. Lu Yan is a famous Taoist Saint (He's better known as Iron-crutch Li, one of the Eight Immortals). The Jade Emperor is the ruler of the Heavens in Chinese myth. The Monkey King is from a 16th Century fantasy epic by Wu Cheng En. Golden Sparrow was the name of the character played by Cheng Pei Pei in a number of Shaw Bros films like Da zui xia (1966). The White Haired Demoness is the anti-heroine of a pulp novel by Liang Yusheng (filmed twice) with the same title. 3) This movie marks the very first collaboration between martial arts masters Jet Li and 'Jackie Chan'. 4) This movie went through five script re-writes before it was completed, many of which were done in the middle of filming. 5) Jason Tripitikas' last name is derived from Tripitaka, the monk whom Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, accompanied in "Journey To The West". 6) Just before Sparrow throws the dart at the Jade Warlord, she says "Come Drink with Me" which is the English title of the old Cheng Pei Pei movie where she played a character named Golden Sparrow.
In the words of Rene Rodriguez from the Miami Herald "The Forbidden Kingdom may be nothing but disposable fun, but it is a great, heaping, overflowing helping of fun. If you're 10, it may also seem like Citizen Kane." And in my words - one for the whole family and people who want to see a more fun family version of Crouching Tiger. Playing now and worth $12-
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Comment by Morgan Bell
Deep Pencil
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Artist Quirk
the posters of this film make it look quite stunning . . . great review Jason!
Comment by Jason King
Salty Popcorn
How have you been? Haven't spoken to you for a while.