The Forbidden Kingdom Release
Date: April 18, 2008 Studio: Lionsgate Director: Rob Minkoff Screenwriter: John Fusco Starring: Jet Li, Jackie Chan, Michael Angarano, Collin Chou, Crystal Liu
Yi Fei, Li Bing Bing Genre: Action, Adventure MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for sequences of martial arts action and some
violence) Official Website:
ForbiddenKingdommovie.com
Plot Summary: A 21st Century American teenager takes a spellbinding,
dangerous journey into martial arts legend in the new action/adventure epic "The
Forbidden Kingdom."
Shot on location in China, "The Forbidden Kingdom" marks the historic first-ever
onscreen pairing of martial arts superstars Jackie Chan ("Rush Hour," "Drunken
Master") and Jet Li ("Fearless," "Once Upon a Time in China"), and features the
awe-inspiring action choreography of Woo-Ping Yuen ("The Matrix," "Crouching
Tiger, Hidden Dragon").
While hunting down bootleg kung-fu DVDs in a Chinatown pawnshop, Jason
Tripitikas (Michael Angarano - "24", "Will & Grace," "Lords of Dogtown," "Seabiscuit")
makes an extraordinary discovery that sends him hurtling back in time to ancient
China. There, Jason is charged with a monumental task: he must free the fabled
warrior the Monkey King, who has been imprisoned by the powerful Jade Warlord.
Jason is joined in his quest by wise kung fu master Lu Yan (Jackie Chan) and a
band of misfit warriors including Silent Monk (Jet Li). But only by learning the
true precepts of kung fu can Jason hope to succeed - and find a way to get back
home.
EN 5 Second Review:
Good old fashioned butt kicking Jackie Chan fun.
Jet
Li and Jackie Chan partner as heroes in a Hollywood film that respects
Hong Kong action cinema Armond White: NY Press The Forbidden Kingdom’s high-flying exhilaration
strikes the right note for the first onscreen pairing of action-movie
legends Jet Li and Jackie Chan...more
This
is the first collaboration between kung fu's Astaire and
Kelly, and, as that, it disappoints Nick Pinkerton: Village Voice
The plot is pure choose-your-own-adventure: A bullied
wuxia fanboy from South Boston (Michael Angarano) is
teleported back into a LARP fantasia of feudal China, where
he's singled out as the long-anticipated "Chosen One"
prophesied to topple the despotic warlord...more
EN 5 Second Review:
Good old fashioned butt kicking Jackie Chan fun.
This
is the first collaboration between kung fu's Astaire and
Kelly, and, as that, it disappoints