The Forbidden Kingdom on DVD
Jackie Chan, Jet Li Martial Arts Movie Packed With Bonus Features
Oct 28, 2008
Ancient Chinese myths and philosophy combine with modern-day characters in this refreshing Martial Arts fantasy film.
From Chinatown to Ancient China
In The Forbidden Kingdom, a timid teenaged Kung Fu fan named Jason Tripitikas (Michael A. Angarano) takes a magical journey from a Chinatown pawnshop to ancient China. There he confronts the evil Jade War Lord (Collin Chou), his white-haired witch protégé Ni Chang (Li Bing Bing), and an army of loyal followers. Jason carries a magic staff that must be returned to its rightful owner, the Monkey King, a powerful warrior imprisoned in stone for 500 years.
Assisting Jason are three mighty warriors, the drunken Lu Yan (Jackie Chan), the Silent Monk (Jet Li), and the vengeful Golden Sparrow (Liu Yifei), all of whom pledge to help him on his mission. Action choreographer Woo-Ping Yuen (The Matrix, Kill Bill, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) designed exciting fight scenes using high-flying wires, bone-crushing falls, and graceful poses. This highly entertaining family film pits good against evil, young against old, and bravery against cowardice.
The Forbidden Kingdom DVD Bonus Features
This DVD contains several informative short documentary features on production information including “The Kung Fu Dream Team,” which discusses the combined talents of the cast and crew, “Dangerous Beauty,” which talks about the on-screen conflict and off-screen careers of the two young women in the film (Li Bing Bing and Liu Yifei), “Discovering China,” which provides a look at the various locations the production team scouted on their own, “Filming in Chinawood,” which examines the largest studio in the region that accommodated them during filming, and “Monkey King and the Eight Immortals,” which interviews screenwriter John Fusco about the significance of the monkey king story.
Additional bonus features include a Blooper Reel in which Jackie Chan causes much mischief on the set and Deleted Scenes (including a sweet kissing scene, with and without commentary). A Previsualization featurette with commentary by director Rob Minkoff shows sketches, rough animation, and choreographer Woo-ping Yuen working with the actors developing action scenes. The DVD also contains a version of the feature film with commentary by Minkoff and Fusco.
- The Forbidden Kingdom
- Director: Rob Minkoff
- Run time: 104minutes
- Rating: PG-13 (for sequences of martial arts action and some violence)
- DVD Bonus Features: The Kung Fu Dream Team; Dangerous Beauty; Discovering China; Filming in Chinawood; Monkey King and the Eight Immortals; Blooper Reel; Deleted Scenes; Previsualization Featurette; Feature Commentary with Rob Minkoff and Jon Fusco; English and Spanish subtitles; English closed captions.
For more information about martial arts films, read Introduction to Hong Kong Cinema.
