The Forbidden Kingdom (2-Disc Special Edition) [Blu-ray] (B001BEK8GA)

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Editorial Review:

Individually, they've starred in the most adrenaline-pumping martial-arts adventures ever. Together for the first time, Jet Li and Jackie Chan join forces to create the greates epic of them all- THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM. As ancient Chinese warriors, they must train and mentor a 21st century kung-fu fanatic who's been summoned to fight a centuries-old battle and free the imprisoned Monkey King. If you're a fighting fan, the wait is over. The team is ready. The Kingdom has arrived.

Getting martial-arts superstars Jet Li and Jackie Chan together in the same action film is like a fantasy come true, even if The Forbidden Kingdom is more of a children's movie than an instant kung-fu classic. Yes, Li and Chan square off in a lengthy, acrobatic fight scene that is a lot of fun, though it can't be what such a scene might have been even a decade ago: careful editing now compensates for the 54-year-old Chan's slower moves and reflexes. Still, Chan doesn't disappoint as Lu Yan, a drunken immortal in ancient China who mentors a modern-day American kid, Jason (Michael Angarano), the latter having slipped into the past while in possession of a magical staff that belongs to the imprisoned Monkey King (Li). In order to get back to his own time and help an old friend (also Chan) wounded by thugs, Jason accompanies Lu Yan and a lovely warrior, Golden Sparrow (Liu Yifei), on a journey to return the staff. Along the way, a (mostly) silent monk (Li, again), who has spent his life in search of the staff, joins their mission. He helps Lu Yan train Jason in fighting and adding more muscle to the party as it comes under siege from a violent witch (Li Bing Bing) and pathological warlord (Collin Chou). Screenwriter John Fusco (Hidalgo) and director Rob Minkoff (The Haunted Mansion) have made a slightly chintzy, Western version of a Chinese swords-and-sorcery tale. The gravity-defying, flying-through-the-air-while-fighting choreography looks pretty choppy and graceless compared to, say, the martial arts films of Zhang Yimou. But The Forbidden Kingdom is really aimed at kids, not aficionados of epic fight movies. On that score, the movie aims to please and does so for the right audience. -- Tom Keogh

Beyond The Forbidden Kingdom on DVD

The Forbidden Kingdom Soundtrack

Stills from The Forbidden Kingdom (click for larger image)

Customer Reviews:

Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0

More Like the Wizard of Oz than it is Like Drunken Master:

I adored this movie in spite of the cheesy wire fighting. I rented it first to watch with my nine-year-old, who is a junior blackbelt in shotokan karate. We both loved it so much that I ordered it the very next day. It has all of my favorite elements of The Wizard of Oz: beautiful scenery, good magic, a lovely road story, an epic journey, good versus evil, and a very wicked witch (who, unlike the wicked witch of the west, is beautiful).
My son caught some of the similarities, and he loved the story,... more info

Martial Arts Double Torch-passing (Plus It Is Fun):

Jet Li and the great Immortal Jackie Chan bear their respective ages well. Li has had personal problems of monumental proportions, and shouldn't be making movies at all. Chan as I said is Immortal, long live he!
Yet this film is a clear and rather pathetic torch-passing to the lithe and cute Michael Angarano ("Little Secrets", "Sky High")...is he deserving? From what I see in this film, he certainly fares better than Chuck Norris or the later Steven Seagal.
Angarano plays a strange little teen who... more info

The Forbidden Kingdom:

Based on the Chinese legend of the monkey king, an American teen discovers the king's legendary stick weapon in a pawn shop. He is transported back in time to ancient China, where he joins a crew of warriors fighting to free the imprisoned king. This movie works on many levels, it is a great action movie with very well done kung fu action scenes involving Jackie Chan and Jet Li, two of the greatest kung fu movie stars in the past couple of decades. In the midst of all of this is a great deal of fairly well... more info

Overall, a great martial art movie!:

A lot of low rating reviews are too picky. They pick out a single thing in the movie and say the whole movie is bad. I was surprised by a well rounded fantasy story mixed in with Chinese folk-tale. You simply can not compare it to the Chinese movies. Those tend to be darker with complex relationship and usually the fighting and killing are ruthless with body parts getting ripped apart. Maybe that is why reviewers are saying this is more family friendly. Overall, the story was well thought out. The kung fu... more info

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