“THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM”
Starring Jackie Chan and Jet Li
Released: April 18, 2008

WATCH THE TRAILER

A movie with both Jackie Chan and Jet Li should be a surefire hit, but I would have liked to see them together more.

WHEN A FILM unites two of the greatest kung fu stars in the history of Hollywood, you know you will be entertained by awesome fight sequences, if not by the plot.

“The Forbidden Kingdom” does just that with co-stars Jackie Chan and Jet Li appearing in their first movie together.

The film begins with an American kid named Jason Tripitikas (played by Michael Angarano), a kung fu fanatic, having a strange dream about the Monkey King from Wú Chéng'ēn’s “Journey to the West.”

After picking up some kung fu movies from a pawnshop, he comes across the staff of the Monkey King. The owner of the shop, played by Jackie Chan, doesn’t allow Jason to examine the staff because he is waiting for the person destined to return it to its “true owner,” the “true owner” being the Monkey King, played by Jet Li.

After a rather confusing sequence involving a gang robbing the shop and Jason running away with the staff, the gang corners Jason on top of a roof, from which he subsequently he falls off. When he wakes up, Jason finds himself in some rural part of China. From there, he goes on an epic journey to return the staff to the Monkey King and return home.

Standing in his way is the Jade Warlord (Collin Chou), who imprisoned the Monkey King in stone, along with a white-haired witch (Li Bing Bing) who doesn’t have any significance to the plot at all; in fact, the film would be just as satisfying if she weren’t in it.

The plot itself is probably the weakest part of the movie. It was confusing at times partly because of the profundity of some abstract, philosophical statements and partly because some words were incomprehensible from accented English. The movie would have been much more understandable if it were done completely in Chinese with English subtitles.

Curiously, there actually were random parts of it that were in Chinese with subtitles. There doesn’t seem to be any reason for the change in language, seeing as this doesn’t enhance the viewing experience in any way. This might have been added just to make the film seem more like an authentic Chinese kung fu movie.

But who watches a kung fu movie for plot? “The Forbidden Kingdom” offers plenty of action for the first-time viewer and the die-hard fanatic.

Jackie Chan, on top of playing the shop owner, assumes the role of Lu Yan, a wandering scholar who accompanies Jason on his journey.

They are joined by an orphan named Golden Sparrow, played by Yifei Liu, and a silent monk, also played by Jet Li. There are plenty of fight sequences, highlighted by an inconclusive battle between Lu Yan and the monk.

Except for that single, awesome fight, Chan and Li do not fight each other for the rest of the film. They also do not fight together very often. It may not have been such a good idea to have the two superstars in the same movie because I found myself wanting to see more and more of both; instead, they were usually shown doing their own thing.

That being said, the humor that Chan incorporates in his movies still shines through in “The Forbidden Kingdom,” and his sense of humor also seems to have been inherited by Li. There are no over-the-top one-liners that will send you rolling on the floor, but rather a subtler brand of humor, often incorporated in the fight scenes.

The fighting as well as the film itself is also rather artificial and highly exaggerated, though that is not necessarily a bad thing. While the lack of realism may put off newcomers to the genre, the artificiality is actually quite artistic and is a hallmark of kung fu movies.

There is something aesthetically pleasing about the gravity-defying jumps and superhuman coordination of movements. “The Forbidden Kingdom” not only features some of the best martial artists in the business, but also some of the best film specialists, including cinematographer Peter Pau, who has worked on, among other things, “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.”

“The Forbidden Kingdom” may not be the strongest narrative-driven story, but it does full justice to the Chinese cinematic tradition of kung fu. A hardcore fanatic will appreciate this Western twist on the Monkey King, and a newcomer who is curious about the genre should definitely check it out.

“The Forbidden Kingdom” is currently playing at the Goodrich Savoy 16, 232 W. Burwash, Savoy, and the Beverly 18, 910 Meijers Drive, Champaign.

“THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM” AT A GLANCE

• Starring: Jackie Chan, Jet Li
• Directed by: Rob Minkoff
• Written by: John Fusco
• Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy
• Rated: PG-13
• Runtime: 113 min.
• Release date: April 18, 2008
• Summary: A discovery made by a kung fu-obsessed American teen sends him on an adventure to China, where he joins up with a band of martial arts warriors in order to free the imprisoned Monkey King.
• External links: Official site, IMDb entry