The Forbidden Kingdom (2008)

Special Edition 2 Discs DVD

I remember seeing this movie in the theaters when it first came out. I thought it was an okay movie with one great fight scene between the two main actors of the film. So when I came across it at the video store, I decided to refresh my memory a bit. I'm glad I did. The movie is slightly better than I remember... and funnier too.

The movie begins in the present as we are introduced to an American teenager named Jason (Michael Angarano), who has an obsession with kung-fu movies. After a confrontation with some bullies, he is magically transported back in time to ancient China by the long-lost staff of the fabled Monkey King (played by Jet Li who incidentally plays two roles in this movie). Here he learns he has been chosen to return the staff to the fabled immortal. Five hundred years earlier, the mischievous martial arts master Monkey King had been imprisoned in stone by the Jade Warlord (Collin Chou) and has been patiently waiting for the "seeker" to free him. You guessed it. The seeker is Jason..

On his journey, Jason comes across the drunken beggar Lu Yan (Jackie Chan, also one of two roles he has in the film), who teaches him kung-fu so that he will be able to take on the Jade Army. They are also aided by The Silent Monk (Li, in his other role) and the orphan assassin Sparrow (Yifei Liu). There is one particularly funny sequence where Lu Yan and The Silent Monk fight over how to train Jason to defend himself - with Lu Yan's unorthodox methods and the Monk's more traditional approach. So the journey begins to free the Monkey King and ancient China from the grips of Jade Warlord. Along the way, Jason makes some new friends, learns many of life's lessons... oh... and like I said... some kung-fu too. It's a coming of age story and Jason is the focal point, but... not the main reason this movie works.

Many Jet Li and Jackie Chan fans had been longing for a cinematic fight scene between these two martial arts greats. They could only imagine what kind of choreographed sequences they would come up with. Well... they finally got it. In the initial meeting of their two characters, the two actually fight for about 8 to 10 minutes. Normally, that would be too much screen time for a fight sequence, but not here. Its exciting and very difficult to decide who to root for. And the choreography is phenomenal with so many styles used such as the Eagle Claw, Crouching Tiger, Praying Mantis, and quite a few more. You'll love the action scenes.

Chan is at his comedic best as the drunken master. His character is hilarious and has the funniest lines in the movie. I love it when he asks Jason "How good is your Kung-Fu?"... When Jason sits there silently with a puzzled look, he continues with "He who speaks, does not Know; He who Knows, does not speak. Surely you're masterful.". Oh little did he know (wink wink). Or.... When his character is yelling at Jason in Chinese and Jason replies "I don't understand you". Chan comes back with "That's because you're not listening". Heeeelarious.

Jet Li does quite well as the Silent Monk because it suits him. We've seen him play this kind of character before. Silent and serious. But then he does an about face with his portrayal of the Monkey King. Always laughing and smiling, even when he's in fighting mode. He plays the Monkey King as an immortal who plays cat and mouse with his foes. I really enjoyed how he was able to go from one character to the other. It shows he actually DOES have some acting ability and its not all a martial arts show with him. The rest of the cast did their job as well and kept the movie interesting with their characters, but it was Li and Chan that everybody wants to see. Although Angarano is the main focus of the movie, he just doesn't do it for me. Never really liked the kid... even though I have enjoyed some of his movies like Sky High and Lords of Dogtown. But I think it was the story of those two movies that caught my eye, not necessarily his acting. Yefei Liu and Li Bing Bing are gorgeous to watch. They are so pretty facially that I completely ignored their broken English and loved every minute they were on screen. haha

The visuals are amazing. The fight sequences phenomenal. And background setting just beautiful. Special effects were sometimes a little cheesy, but only because the story is a fantasy. That means they CAN get cheesy with the visuals... afterall, it's make believe.

This movie works on many levels. First, it's a great action movie with very well done martial arts scenes involving Jackie Chan and Jet Li. Secondly, there's a great deal of fairly well done comedy, especially during the kung fu training of Jason and pretty much every scene that Jackie Chan is in. And finally, it's a classic coming of age story in which Jason journeys from being a boy who fantasizes of adventure to a young man who will fight for the right reasons.

I enjoyed this movie on DVD even more than I did at the theater. So if you like fantasy, or martial arts, or Jet Li, or Jackie Chan, or hot chicks that can kick butt, this is a must see movie for you. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

The DVD has plenty of extra features when you're done watching the movie. The two most fun to watch are the deleted scenes and the blooper reel. There is more, however, as it also offers watching the movie with commentary from Rob Minkoff (director) and John Fusco (writer). The commentary is quite informative about how they approached the movie, but its only worth a watch if you'd like to know more about the feature itself.

The Kung Fu Dream Team (10:45 min)
Hyped up Jackie Chan and Jet Li's participation in the movie.

Dangerous Beauty (5:45 min)
Interviews with the two female beauties of the movie Yefei Liu and Li Bing Bing. They're gorgeous.

Discovering China (8:02 min)
The locations of China that were used for the film. Beautiful scenery.

Filming in Chinawood (7:41 min)
Sets and stages that were set up in order to make the movie.

Monkey King and the Eight Immortals (9:10 min)
Discussion with writer John Fusco about the Chinese mythology of the Monkey King and the 8 immortals.

Storyboarding and Previz (6:25 min)
Storyboarding the movie before they filmed it.

Blooper Reel (7:38 min)
Funny outtakes of the movie.

Deleted Scenes (8:30 min)
Six deleted scenes from the movie with the option of commentary with the writer and director of the movie.

Plenty to watch in the special features department after you've enjoyed the movie. The story is really well told and the acting is superb. And I have to say it one more time.... One helluva screen fight between Li and Chan. Rent it. Buy it. WATCH IT.