Runtime: 1 hr 45 mins
Theatrical Release: 2008
Box Office: $25,040,293
Synopsis: 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... [More]
Genre: Action/Adventure
Starring: Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Michael Angarano, Crystal Liu, Collin Chou
The first onscreen meeting of screen legends Jackie Chan and Jet Li is possibly reason enough to see this fantasy, whose extravagant martial arts sequences are choreographed by Woo-ping Yuen, whose signature was inked in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
Top Critic
... despite falling prey to some of the anticipate problems, it ultimately emerges victorious, perhaps wobbling a bit, but only in the giddy manner of the drunken master played by Chan.
Fans of either martial artist will probably find enough to enjoy out of this, and will even like it more if they like 80's fantasy films.
Fueled by Jackie Chan and Jet Li, this enjoyable romp has plenty of kick.
An unapologetically old-fashioned fantasy ... solid enough entertainment for grown-ups, but something that many kids will absolutely adore.
If The Forbidden Kingdom missteps, it's by assuming that its digitally enhanced stunts are more impressive than they are and, therefore, lavishing more attention on the kinetics than the story.
Welcomed doses of slapstick and winking humor are sprinkled throughout rescuing the film from the occasionally heavy but never overbearing exposition.
When I say the movie is cheesy, I am talking provolone, American cheese, Swiss cheese; cheesy.
Yeah, it's a dopey kid's movie, but -- significant detail -- one that feels like it was actually written for kids ... Also, whenever things threaten to get too schlocky, this amazing villainess with a magic bullwhip shows up.
It would be little without its superb martial arts sequences, so its good to report that the movie isn't just filled with them, but that each fight was choreographed by Yuen Wo Ping.
The story, which should be forbidden, keeps coming back for more. Whenever the plot pops up, from predictable love scenes to the villainess who hates men for no reason to the crypto-Confucian lines, you keep wishing for the next fist to fly.
Plenty of fun action sequences, but one wants more from a movie that contains this promising line: 'Summon the witch. The one born of wolves.'
(Minkoff) botches the film's fantasy elements, saturating these segments with cheesy effects.
Jason's relationship with Golden Sparrow stays pretty locked in first gear, such that the movie might attend to kung fu%u2014sort of.
All the martial arts movies have become clichés. This film is worse than stupid. Enough!
Fortunately, Minkoff has one talent many of his American predecessors have lacked: When Chan or Li is fighting, he knows how to hold the camera still.
These two fighters may be turning into grandpas, thanks to the "Viagra" of wire work and other special effects, both men are still able to pull off some very entertaining fight sequences.
I'm totally in the target audience for this film, having long been a fan of both actors as well as the genre itself. But the fact is that this thing just didn't work for me, and I'm completely frustrated by that.
An enjoyable big budget film with lots of fancy sets, special effects and great fight scenes.
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