THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM (2008)
Tagline: The path is unsafe. The place is unknown. The journey is unbelievable.
(Action, Adventure, Fantasy) [PG-13]
How good is your kung fu?
In this one, a teenager named Jason Tripitikas (played by Michael Angarano) who watches too many kung-fu movies (like there is a way to do such a thing), ends up drawing the ire of some peers who want to rob the unique store he frequents. They coerce him into letting them in late at night and in the process of the robbery a tragedy occurs. He darts away with a staff that ends up launching him into ancient China. With this staff, he finds himself in deep trouble as a Jade Warlord wreaks havoc on all who oppose him. It doesn’t take long before Jason finds he is chosen to free the imprisoned Monkey King (played by Jet Li) with the help of Lu Yan (played by Jackie Chan), The Silent Monk (played by Jet Li), and Golden Sparrow (played by Yifei Liu).
That open quote is from Golden Sparrow. She is by far the most intriguing character in this movie and it’s loaded with them. The movie is based on the Chinese epic story “Journey to the West”. Apparently, audiences were turned off by the original previews that focused on Jason’s character which most of the actual movie does. So they reworked everything to be focused on both Jet Li and Jackie Chan instead. I will say they both have some awesome fights in this movie, but it is largely focused on Jason and his having to learn kung fu to even be able to hang out with the rest of the crew.
Overall this movie has a very “fluffy” overall feel to it, a lot like IRON MASK. We don’t really get any crazy dragons, but we do get a really cool story and an overall lighthearted film. Most people will not be blown away by the effects. Cinematically large portions of this movie come across as very fairytale with many of the elements depicting a sense of weightlessness.
Acting-wise Jet Li and Jackie Chan are awesome, but ultimately I wasn’t too crazy about Chan’s character who basically needs to “drink” in order to be good at kung fu or maintain his wellbeing. I get that this is a hugely popular story, but I could have done without that. Admittedly I have not seen a ton of Michael Angarano outside of this movie and SKYHIGH, but I do like him as an actor. Yifei Liu is fantastic in this, her 3rd person manner of speaking for me was a highlight and brought something different to the table. You may know her better from MULAN if you have seen that movie, but not this one. The movie also stars Bingbing Li who plays a witch with hair that can jack you up from like 50 feet away. She is probably best known for playing Ada Wong in RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION.
Overall I love the pace and feel of this thing. It’s not overly serious and comes across as being as whimsical as its characters. It manages to give its characters both growth and a sense of purpose. This one is a personal favorite I bought and visit often. If you are looking for a fun diamond in the rough, this one is amazingly fun with very few slow moments.
I give this movie an easy 7 out of 7.
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