The Forbidden Kingdom
Finally the much anticipated movie pitting the two kings of kung fu popularity against once another was released. Quite eager to see the face-off occur with a bit of reluctance due to the American kid being written into the film, I sat down amongst my fellow movie-goers and watched it unfold.
The Forbidden Kingdom is a fantasy tale of a weak young man’s journey into a magical world of Kung Fu masters, mythical gods and vengeful hotties. Utilizing the stunts and drunken style of Jackie Chan across the mega intense animal forms of Jet Li made this film a winner from the first confrontation to the last. My only misgivings were the American shots which detailed a more outdated bullies versus the nerdy kid story which only makes sense when the movie is seen in it’s entirety. Do not go in expecting a sophisticated story like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, or the fighting intensity of a Fist of Legend. What you will get is a simple storybook plot of gods and men, akong with some over-edited fighting scenes along the way. The one crowning feature that made the movie however is the first fight between Jet and Jackie. The shots are reminiscent of the old Kung Fu cinema and the accents and broken English gives this one a twinge of authenticity despite the clueless American Kid bumbliing into every scene.
I think that The Forbidden Kingdom is worth a ticket and it will join the other Jet Li greats in my collection when it comes out on DvD/Blu-Ray. My favorite things were the opening credits (paying homage through old poster art, to the cinema kung fu masters ie: Gordon Liu, Bruce Lee etc.), the fights that involved Jet Li or Jackie and I loved the closing scene of the rooftop kata. Please go support this film, I hope this isn’t the last time these two guys cross fists and it is always a pleasure to see collaborations work. Mega props on the cinematography… it was a beautiful setting within the kung fu world, the rice fields and the lush green in everything takes your breath away when it is first revealed. The soundtrack was decent and the direction was smooth. Not original in writing but entertaining nontheless, your older kids will like this movie.
STAR RATING: (6/10) ★★★★★★★★★★
Filed under Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Romance · Tagged with drunken style, jackie chan, jet li, kung fu
