Remember The Lion King? Rob Minkoff directed it. So did he Stuart Little. He then made the disastrous Haunted Mansion but he gets back in gear with an altogether different genre of kung-fu in a fantasy epic atmosphere with The Forbidden Kingdom. *The highlight of the movie? Jackie Chan and Jet Li for the first time together, kicking btt!
An American kid, being the fan of kung-fu in Hong Kong cinema discovers a lost relic from a pawn shop that transports him back in time to a kingdom in ancient China where the relic was infact, the stick weapon of the warrior, Monkey King who is under a spell that froze him to stone for years in the halls of the menacing warlord. The kid is now entrusted with the mission to break the spell, relieve the kingdom from the evil warlord and get back to his world. To assist him is Jackie Chan who plays a comic drunkard but is in great form with his art even at 50 years of age. Soon, they encounter a monk who steals the stick and what follows is an epic fight sequence between the two martial arts superstars. The team then unites on a quest that takes them to the very heart of the evil in the kingdom.
What most people will fail to notice is that the film draws too many similarities from the Lord of The Rings. The’one ring’ concept has been imitated into the magical stick, the warlord has been inspired by’Sauron’ and his lair resembles mordor and its large army, Jet Li appears like the monk dressed in white with the glow that resembles Gandalf the white, the gardens of the Gods resemble Elven places such as Lorien and Rivendell and even the pit in the warlord’s lair resembles the fires of mordor! There are many other instances that will strike a cord or two but having said that, there is no denying the fact that the Forbidden Kingdom has appealing aspects.
Primarily, the aura of Jackie Chan and Jet Li on the same screen in an epic battle justifies the money paid for the film. The sequence is brilliantly choreographed and with Chan’s comic spurts in between, keeps the audience engaged. The chemistry between the two actors is entertaining and their scenes with the kid in training are also hilarious. Apart from the jaw dropping action sequences and comic elements, the film succeeds with its fantasy style far better than what crouching tigers and hidden dragons could do. The action is real yet unimitable, the plot is fantasy yet credible and the performances are praiseworthy for all actors.
The Forbidden Kingdom *may not be the ultimate kung-fu showdown but it is worth an entertaining watch for Chan and Li, the fantasy plot, the superb visuals of China and other locations and in the end, we all know that it is going to be action, crazy action, kickass action!