Review of The Forbidden Kingdom
A Magical Martial Arts Adventure With Jackie Chan and Jet Li
"The Forbidden Kingdom" is a martial arts film for the entire family featuring the exciting choreography of Woo-Ping Yuen.
Combining modern life with ancient myths, American ideas with Chinese philosophy, and a young observer with an older participant, The Forbidden Kingdom delights, surprises, thrills, and amuses with its creative combination of elements.
A Journey Back in Time
When Jason Tripitikas (Michael Angarano), a fearful young man from Boston, Massachusetts, goes looking for kung-fu DVDs in a Chinatown pawnshop, he magically gets transported back in time to ancient China where he must face the evil Jade War Lord (Collin Chou) and his witchy white-haired protégé Ni Chang (Li Bing Bing). Because he removed a strangely powerful weapon from the pawnshop, his fate is predetermined and unalterable: Despite his lack of martial arts fighting skills and extreme timidity, he must travel a great distance to return the weapon to its rightful owner, the Monkey King.
Aiding him on his journey are three powerful warriors, the drunken Lu Yan (Jackie Chan), the Silent Monk (Jet Li), and the lovely Golden Sparrow (Liu Yifei) who pledge to help him return the weapon to its rightful owner – each for his or her own personal reasons. Although Jason was previously an observer of life, Lu Yan trains him to become an active participant in order to survive. Jason endured torment and bullying at home, but now he must confront his fears and fight for his life to return to his family.
The Martial Arts Fighting Sequences
Essentially the film moves from one action sequence to another separated by brief scenes that propel the story forward and disrupt the tension with delightful bits of clever dialogue and slapstick humor. Action choreographer Woo-Ping Yuen (The Matrix, Kill Bill, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) designed a breathtaking series of fight scenes using high-flying wires and graceful poses. While viewers expect action stars Jackie Chan and Jet Li to perform amazing stunts, Michael Angarano’s transformation into a warrior elicits laughs at first and then admiration as the young actor convincingly displays the recent physical and emotional growth of his character.
The martial arts action isn’t just for the guys. Liu Yifei proves she is as tough as she is beautiful in her captivating performance as the emotionally wounded Golden Sparrow. Likewise, the White-Haired Demoness portrayed by Li Bing Bing shows a fierce fighting technique in addition to her magical hair that becomes a dangerous weapon when necessary.
An intriguing blend of old and new, love and violence, good and bad, humor and seriousness, and bravery and cowardice, The Forbidden Kingdom provides a fast-paced, action-packed adventure for all ages.
- The Forbidden Kingdom
- Director: Rob Minkoff
- Run time: 113minutes
- Rating: PG-13 (for sequences of martial arts action and some violence)
For more information about martial arts films, read DVD Review of TMNT.
