ReviewColumn’s rating :

When two of the most famous Chinese martial exponents-cum-actors come together and star in a Hollywood kungfu blockbuster, you would expect to fully enjoy the approximate 105 minutes of run time of the movie. Fortunately, unlike some of the recent kungfu flicks, The Forbidden Kingdom (2008) is a commendable action-comedy that has cemented Jackie Chan and Jet Li as two of the most celebrated entertainers in the world.

Frankly speaking, the plot synopsis of The Forbidden Kingdom is downright ludicrous and smells much of a flop. The story revolves around an American teenager Jason Tripitakas (note the obvious reference to the monk Tripitakas) played by Michael Angarano who is obsessed with martial arts and kungfu, frequently patroning Lu Yan Pawn Shop in Chinatown to buy classic kungfu movies. He stumbles into an attempted robbery and the owner was shot in the scuffle. The owner then entrusts an old sacred Chinese relic to Jason to ‘return to its rightful owner’. Jason then mysteriously gets transported into the mystical world of ancient folklore China.

Unable to speak or comprehend a word of the language, and with evil troops hot in his pursuit, Jason flees for his life with the sacred staff and encounters a drunken traveler, Lu Yan (Jackie Chan) who miraculously speaks English. Lu explains to him that the mystical staff belonged to the great Monkey King, who was imprisoned in stone by the evil authoritarian Jade Warlord (Collin Chou). His mission was to use the staff to free the Monkey King and end the reign of the Jade Warlord - only then could he return home. Along the way, he meets the Silent Monk (Jet Li), a highly skilled monk on a mission to locate the staff and free the Monkey King; and Golden Sparrow, an orphan girl seeking vengeance for her deceased family.

As mentioned earlier, with such a far-fetched plot, I was skeptical about the quality of the movie when I walked into the cinema. Much to my surprise, this show did not disappoint at all - in fact, it was one of the better shows that I have watched in recent weeks. Jackie Chan was his usual goofy self as an aloof Lu Yan, and his characteristic humour brought much laughter to the audience. In contrast, Jet Li’s stern demeanor is a direct opposite to Chan’s but director Rob Minkoff managed to assimilate their two starkly different personalities together, producing a cantankerous yet jovial pair of masters for the young Jason. Their good-natured conflicts and open defiance of each other does produce some classic comedy moments that add more value to the already-entertaining film.

The chemistry between Jet Li and Jackie Chan was impeccable. Clearly, this is the reason why so many fans have called for these two maestros to act in one movie together. Action sequences were superbly choreographed by the excellent Yuen Wo-Ping (of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon fame) and is non-stop physical and adrenaline pumping martial exchanges, instead of being aided by dodgy camera and computer-graphic effects. Even Michael Angarano puts in some decent kungfu performance against the Jade Warlord towards the end.

I would not call this an epic or a classic - it would be grossly overrating The Forbidden Kingdom (2008). However I really appreciated the way the production crew kept this movie true to its original theme. The Forbidden Kingdom boasts of two kungfu megastars in its cast and the producers did very well to bring out the full potential of a collaboration between Chan and Li, allowing this movie to emphasize on solid kungfu action amidst a Chinese mythical background. It does away with redundant romantic side-plots (while not compromising on an attractive female cast) and whatnots and bravely exhibits the essence of a good kungfu comedy flick. A truly entertaining flick for the family - I am looking forward to Jackie Chan and Jet Li’s next collaboration.

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