Shem's Blog

"The Forbidden Kingdom"



“The Forbidden Kingdom”, a new martial arts film that offers the first collaboration of Hong Kong’s top martial arts stars Jackie Chan and Jet Li. It begins with an American teenager, Jason (Michael Anganaro) who likes to hang out in an old Chinatown pawnshop owned by Old Hop (Jackie Chan’s second role) . Jason then makes an extraordinary discovery from a legendary stick weapon which takes him back to ancient China to join a crew of martial arts masters on a quest to free the imprisoned monkey king.

He is then guided by a drunken master (Chan) and an elegant monk (Li). Both administered a tough training to Jason in order to teach him the skills he needs to learn in order for him to defeat the evil Jade emperor.

The film's fight scenes are stylized, incredible wire work and gravity-defying digital sorcery rather than blood and gore which makes it appropriate for the mythological setting. The story is packed with jokes and references to classic martial arts movies that will delight fans of the genre. Some viewers might have hoped that the long-awaited collaboration by China's top action heroes would be a prestige production like "House of Flying Daggers" or "Crouching Tiger," but there's no shame in making a well-crafted kids movie. On those terms, "The Forbidden Kingdom" is truly a must see.