This is it folks, the match up of the millennium. The bout you’ve all been waiting for. Two giants of martial arts on the silver screen finally come together in the same movie. In The Forbidden Kingdom, Jackie chan and Jet Li collide, and the results are a joy to behold. Fortunately, the movie’s not bad either.
The Forbidden Kingdom is an Americanised version of the story of the Monkey King, played with glee by Li, and the quest of the seeker to return his staff. In this film the seeker is an American teen who is obsessed with martial arts films, played by Michael Angarano. I shudder to think what must have been going through this kid’s mind when he was told “hey, you’ll have to do fight scenes with Jackie Chan and Jet Li”. Must have blown his mind!
The seeker is joined on his quest by the drunken monk, played by Chan in his finest Drunken Master form, and the mysterious sparrow, who refers to herself and everyone else in the third person. Along the way they must battle the Jade Warlord and his army, and the lady with white hair.
While purists may be let down, this is both a love letter to the martial arts genre, and a pretty decent retelling of the story, albeit one that is definitely aimed at a younger audience – think Karate Kid meets The Neverending Story. While much is made in the promotion of Chan vs Li, this is just a small component of the film. Their fight is epic though, and incorporates many of the classic styles from kung fu movies.
Overall this is worth a watch, and the costumes, sets and scenery are up to the standards of other films in the genre, although not given as much screentime as in other films. I found it to be an entertaining watch, and thought Chan and Li were right in their element, and really made the film stronger than it might have otherwise been. Eight Snifters out of ten from me.
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