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The Forbidden Kingdom

Finally, the pairing of Jackie Chan and Jet Li—in a story about someone else

By Matt Pais

Metromix
April 18, 2008

Critic's Rating:

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During a fight with local Boston bullies, high school kid/kung fu movie buff Jason (Michael Angarano) magically disappears and reappears in ancient China, where a kung fu master (Jackie Chan) says that he must free the long-imprisoned Monkey King (Jet Li) by bringing a powerful item to a dangerous mountain. Jason’s allies are the not-so-silent Silent Monk (Li) and the mildly flirtatious Golden Sparrow (Yifei Liu) as they take on hordes of soldiers, an immortal war lord and an immortality-seeking witch—whose hair looks stolen from Halle Berry’s “X-Men” wardrobe.

Big question: Is the first-ever flick starring two martial arts legends as exciting as it could be?

Skip it: Apparently someone thought it was more entertaining for Li to urinate on Chan than for the two to square off. (No joke.) The masters fight each other only once, early on, which eliminates any anticipation and leaves the pair to battle stock villains in support of a story that feels like a mix of “Lord of the Rings” and Chuck Norris’ “Sidekicks.”

Catch it: If you agree with Golden Sparrow’s claim that, “It is said that music is a bridge between Earth and heaven.” Ancient disclaimer: Myth may not apply if the bridge is built with Daughtry songs.

Bottom line: The one Li-Chan showdown delivers, and Angarano’s (“Man in the Chair,” “Snow Angels”) good at controlling the wonderment of an innocent kid learning the ways of the world (or a warrior). But whether or not a teen can take down a bully after learning from great teachers isn’t especially compelling when those teachers have bare-bones backstories and comic timing that's not nearly as precise as their moves.

Bonus: An elderly salesman of bootleg kung fu movies (Chan) assumes the only martial arts film a teenager like Jason cares about is “Crouching Tiger, Spanking Monkey.” It’s the epic tale of a technique that many practice but few truly master.

What do you think of 'The Forbidden Kingdom'? Email me: mpais@tribune.com