Originally published Friday, April 18, 2008 at 12:00 AM
Movie review
"Forbidden Kingdom": Martial-arts titans Jet Li and Jackie Chan join forces
Jackie Chan and Jet Li join for the first time in the cheesy but visually striking "Forbidden Kingdom" MOVIE REVIEW Martial-arts fans, rejoice...
Seattle Times staff reporter
"The Forbidden Kingdom," with Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Michael Angarano. Directed by Rob Minkoff and written by John Fusco. 113 minutes. Rated PG-13 for sequences of martial-arts action and some violence. Several theaters.
Martial-arts fans, rejoice ... if you're 13.
Jet Li and Jackie Chan, the genre's two greatest living stars, finally face off onscreen. But it's essentially a kids' movie, and a cheesy one, even if it does look terrific.
If only they could have gone toe-to-toe 10 or 20 years ago. But that's a different fantasy. The one at hand involves a boy named Jason (Michael Angarano, who looks like the love child of Shia LaBeouf and Steve Guttenberg) obsessed with kung fu flicks. (According to IMDb trivia, he was one of the three finalists to play young Anakin Skywalker in that miserable "Phantom Menace" movie. Way to dodge a bullet, kid.)
Anyhow, young LaGute gets worked over by a group of sneering bullies fresh out of Stereotypeland who force him to help knock over his elderly pal's (Chan) pawn shop. After he promises the wounded old man to return an ancient staff to its rightful owner, the kid's magically transported to ancient China — where most people happen to speak English and the CGI is top-notch.
Jason needs to get the staff to a Monkey King (Li) imprisoned in stone by the evil Jade Warlord (Collin Chou, who played Seraph in the final two "Matrix" movies — a role Li famously turned down). He gets help from a drunken master (Chan) and a silent monk (also Li), who teach him martial arts on their journey. At the risk of displaying a foolish consistency, the kid learns it all in what seems like a few days.
Also in their posse: the beautiful dart-wielding Golden Sparrow (Liu Yifei), who's obsessed with revenge and refers to herself in the third person. In pursuit, a witch (Li Bing Bing) with magic white hair and lots of minions.
Devotees who want to see Chan and Li really throw down have to settle for the flying wire-work (and heavily edited) type of wuxia action seen in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" — also choreographed by the legendary Yuen Wo Ping. But Chan's in his mid-50s, and that ship has sailed. Their initial Battle of Titans unfolds like a typical superhero meeting (which is what wuxia movies are): a huge brawl over a misunderstanding before they team up.
Among the other entertaining dust-ups is a hilariously choreographed one in which Chan clears out a restaurant full of bad guys using the untrained Jason's body as a prop. Good humor breaks up what often threatens to be some tedious corn-fu, particularly when Chan's character goes through a mumbo-jumbo rain ceremony and gets a shower he didn't expect.
Kung fu junkies will also elbow each other over the many references to classics, from the first sight of the reeling, tippling Chan (whose astonishing "Drunken Master II" is required viewing) to Golden Sparrow's invitation to "come drink with me" (the title of another wuxia landmark).
Whatever actual lesson Jason learns about the precepts of martial arts is unclear at the hands of "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron" writer John Fusco — although he gets handy with a stick. And the film's denouement is a painful trial in itself. It might take a Zen master to explain exactly what audience this is aimed at.
Mark Rahner: 206-464-8259 or mrahner@seattletimes.com
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
'The Road' takes Viggo Mortensen to Mount St. Helens and Astoria, Ore.
Director John Woo's 'Red Cliff' is an epic whose time has come
An epic revival for 'Gone With the Wind'
At a Theater Near You: Polish, Italian festivals lead weekend's films
Movie review: Bella + Edward + Jacob = a pale 'New Moon'

LA Galaxy's David Beckham
Los Angeles Galaxy's David Beckham talks about the upcoming MLS Cup final during after a team practice.
nwjobs

Post a comment

Michelle Goodman blogs about work/life balance.
How to tell your office you're gravely ill
Post a comment
nwautos

Choosing a new sedan? Weigh the impact of your choice on your wallet and on the planet.
Post a comment
- 'The Road' takes Viggo Mortensen to Mount St. Helens and Astoria, Ore.
- Craigslist adoption ad: A plea by young mother-to-be? A scam?
- Italian lead prosecutor argues Knox motive was hatred
- Italian prosecutors request life sentence for UW student
- Tugboat sinks on Seattle's waterfront
- Child-support error costs nearly $21,000
- Man shot in chest on E. Union Street in Capitol Hill
- Washington state wines make annual best-of list
- Chase shrugs off loss of CD investors
- Mariners Blog | A Mariners-Tigers swap makes a whole lot of sense for both teams
- Senate vote clears hurdle
236 - Tight Senate vote launches health care over hurdle
119 - Child-support error costs nearly $21,000
118 - Vikings easily beat the Seahawks
116 - Palin excitement builds in Tri-Cities
116 - Prosecutor requests life in prison for Amanda Knox
87 - Cutting through breast-cancer confusion
86 - Game thread
70 - New York terror trials will restore faith in rule of law
53 - Chase shrugs off loss of CD investors
48
- Washington state wines make annual best-of list
- Nonprofits get creative using Twitter and Facebook to make donation easier
- It's possible to recover a life lost to hoarding
- Lynnwood is reinventing itself — again
- Great places to cross-country ski for free (or almost) in the Methow
- 'The Road' takes Viggo Mortensen to Mount St. Helens and Astoria, Ore.
- Child-support error costs nearly $21,000
- Recipes: Sesame Pork Roast, Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes, Gingerbread with Lemon Sauce and more
- Banff: powder, peaks & purity
- 175 foster kids in Washington get 'forever families'





