Directed by:
Rob MinkoffScreenplay:
John FuscoCinematography:
Peter PauComposer:
David BuckleyCast:
Jet Li, Jackie Chan, Michael Angarano, Collin Chou, Bingbing Li, Crystal Liu, Thomas McDonell, Mathew Tang, Morgan Benoit, Alan Ng, Deshun Wang, Jason Chong (more)VOD (1)
Plots(1)
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”, Forbidden Kingdom co-stars Michael Angarano as Jason Tripitikas, an American teenager who is obsessed with Hong Kong cinema and kung-fu classics who makes an extraordinary discovery in a Chinatown pawnshop: the legendary stick weapon of the Chinese sage and warrior, the Monkey King. With the lost relic in hand, the teenager unexpectedly finds himself traveling back to ancient China to join a crew of warriors from martial arts lore on a dangerous quest to free the imprisoned Monkey King. (Universal Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
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Reviews (7)
Impatiently awaited for years by many fans of Asian action movies, the meeting of Jackie Chan and Jet Li on the silver screen ended up being a bizarre update of the nineties fanboy’s wet dream Sidekicks. ()
At times it's more of a comedic farce than a solid action kung-fu movie, but Jackie Chan plays the drunkard so enthusiastically that it's impossible to be angry at him. The guys prove that they still know how to handle themselves excellently, and even though there are many shots (especially the entire Mythology) and scenes that could be seen as copied from The Lord of the Rings, the whole thing is so likeable and heartfelt that you are willing to turn a blind eye to the mess. Sometimes, I might imagine less flying and more solid action, but you cannot expect from Eastern warriors what is commonly done in Europe or in the US. ()
NeverEnding Story with Chinese motifs. If it weren’t for Jet Li or Jackie Chan, I doubt the producers would have ever approved a screenplay like this. All possible clichés fill out the “journeying" breaks between fights which, luckily (thanks to Yuen Woo-Ping), are really good. Perhaps the next collaboration between Jet and Jackie will (allegedly for China) turn out better. This is just slightly above average. ()
The Forbidden Kingdom is an outdated, unremarkable and unoriginal film. At the same time, however, it is harmless and without any specific mistakes, so there’s simply nothing to criticize. Despite that, I will probably only remember it because of the actors who appear in it. And I appreciate that the screenwriter treated them fairly, providing them with really nice roles that made use of their respective characters. ()
At first, I wondered why Rob Minkoff got the job, but as it started to follow the storyline of The Neverending Story, I regretted not being twelve because then I would have definitely appreciated it. The film was actually made for one scene, but it's unnecessarily overwrought and you’ll forget the rest of it with the closing credits. Minkoff is just a dry routinist that throws up one pretty image after another, but there’s nothing to it. The plot doesn't resolve much and Yuen Woo-Ping can't do much without wires. In an Asian production, it would have been the battle of the decade, but this is a fairy tale that I watched for less than two hours that doesn't entertain the kids and doesn't excite the adults. At least it went by fairly quick. ()
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