The Forbidden Kingdom

2008 - Lionsgate
Directed By Rob Minkoff
 



SYNOPSIS

Young kung-fu film geek Jason (Michael Angarano) finds an old staff in a pawn shop and is transported to ancient mythical China. He discovers the staff was once belonged to the Monkey King (Jet Li) who is imprisoned in stone. by a ruthless leader (Colin Chou.) He teams up with a drunken beggar (Jackie Chan) a young woman seeking revenge (Yifei Liu) and a monk (Jet Li.) The four set out to return the staff to the Monkey King and set him free to conquer the evil in the Forbidden Kingdom. Along the way the beggar and monk teach Jason to defend himself for the epic battles ahead.


MY THOUGHTS

Though it clocks in at only about 1:40, The Forbidden Kingdom is a truly epic tale and epic in scope.

The story is like a kung-fu blend of The Lord Of The Rings and The Wizard of Oz. Its quest and mythical and magical aspects clearly owe much to Rings (as well as other kung fu films and the mythology that inspired them.) The screenplay was by a westerner (John Fusco) so it’s likely Rings played some part in it. Despite the fantastical aspects of his new adventure, all Jason wants to do is go home to Boston. This and his final scene in China show the influence of Oz.

The cinematography by Peter Pau is absolutely breathtaking. I’m not exaggerating at all by saying you could make any shot into a photograph worthy of a museum… even the most mundane shot in the film like a standard exterior shot of the front of the pawn shop. The images are so vivid, full of color and contrast. It’s a real treat for the eyes. The film’s on-location shooting serves as the ultimate travel commercial to visit China. From bamboo forests to the Gobi Desert, everything looks amazingly beautiful. The cinematography is made even more beautiful on blu-ray.

When you have two martial arts legends like Jackie Chan and Jet Li working with master fight choreographer Woo Ping Yuen, you know the fighting will be amazing. And it is. The two legends square off in an epic battle before their characters befriend each other. It’s an epic, jaw-dropping battle in the middle of the film… and somehow each successive battle becomes more inventive and thrilling than the last. Woo Ping is to fight choreography as Busby Berkeley was to dance choreography in musicals… simply the best.

The script allows for plenty of the physical and silly humor that Jackie Chan is known. His drunken beggar (fighting drunken style) is an obvious nod to the film that made Chan a star nearly 30 years ago, Drunken Master. His skills are as strong as ever in The Forbidden Kingdom.

Jet Li is known for being more stoic than Chan and that’s how the monk is. The script plays to his strengths too. Li does get to be more flashy and goofy as the Monkey King. Both roles are a perfect contrast. His fighting skills are equal to Chan's.

I had only ever seen Michael Angarano in small supporting roles in many dramas like Lords of Dogtown.  I was unsure if he could pull off a physically demanding lead role in an action film… but he proved me wrong.

The Forbidden Kingdom would be a great film to introduce kung fu films to preteens. The violence might be too strong for kids younger than 10-12. The film has the morals/philosophy of kung fu in balance with the action. There’s no sex/nudity and you could count all the foul words spoken on one hand, with fingers to spare. The presence of a westerner would also help allay the cultural differences. The fantastic action along with the mystical elements would certainly hold the attention of young eyes.

Thankfully, the film is not just for younger audiences. The Forbidden Kingdom can, and should, be enjoyed by everyone.