The director and screenwriters have taken every possible cliché of Chinese-American kick-[...]good-guy vs. bad-guy films and packed it into a single movie. Among other things is the '500 years meditation', the 'special-rod-that-must-be-taken-to-its-owner' to the 'elixer of immortality', and the roles of all the characters. Even worse, they stripped Jet Li and Jackie Chan of their dignity by giving them these some-what ridiculous roles. I died a little when I saw that Jet Li had forced himself to be the monkey king but I was a good sport about it and took it for what it was worth. In The Forbidden Kingdom, Jason Tripitikas, a teenage kid from Boston, is obsessed with Chinese kung-fu movies, which he rents from the local pawnshop run by a mystical, bearded, oriental man. Jason is generally a nerdy weakling who gets harassed by a gang of big, mean street punks. He eventually comes upon a mysterious, Chinese staff in the back of the pawn shop (own by Jackie Chan) and is magically transported to ancient China, where he is destined to reunite the staff with the legendary Monkey King. In the journey, Jason allies himself with the goofy Jackie Chan, who also played the Drunken Warrior, and the serious Jet Li, who also plays the Silent Monk. He also is joined by "Golden Sparrow," a beautiful and exotic but deadly Chinese girl, obsessed with avenging her father's murder. By now, you should know if this movie is for you or not. The above plot description either made you nod and exclaim "oh yea," or it made you gag and say "kill me now." Although I'm among the latter, I still found the movie generally entertaining. The movie is competent in delivering all the eye candy and cinematography one would expect in a Chinese epic, such as flowing robes, lush bamboo forests, and misty mountain tops.The much anticipated battle between Chan and Li is entertaining, but anyone who has seen more than a handful of either of their movies will have to admit that the choreography is nothing new and is in fact quite unremarkable. If you haven't seen many martial arts movies, then expect to be impressed. Overall, most audience members should find The Forbidden Kingdom to be a fun, family friendly, action packed, beautiful, and educational tale of West meets East.Read full review
I love Jackie Chan - I have all of his movies and think he is the best thing in Kung Fu; but let's face it, he isn't a stellar actor! He did an excellent job acting in this movie! I was impressed. This isn't my favorite Kung Fu flick but Jackie gets thumbs up for his acting. Jet Li comes in a close second as my favorite Kung Fu star but he is always a good actor - no different here. He stuck with his calm CHI style and Jackie stuck with his wild - drunken boxing style and it made a great film - nice and clean for the whole family!
What an excellent buy for fraction of the cost! This DVD was as it was described as and in excellent condition. Very well packed and fast shipping to boot, and the quality of the feature was not lacking at all. If you have not seen this movie I feel you missed the first ever American martial arts classic that starred two of the biggest icons in Hong Kong today. The most amazing thing about this movie is that it is not about them, but a boy with no confidence and a love for kung fu. With the help of Jackie Chan and Jet Li he discovered that true strength can be achieved through disciple, hard-work, and courage. He also learns that no true victory is won without sacrifice.
Fantasy martial arts movie with great casting and good storytelling.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Enjoyed this movie Jackie Chan, Jet Li together are terrific great story, definitely makes for a really enjoyable family movie night, a must see for all that appreciate this genre movie. I highly recommend.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Best Selling in DVDs & Blu-ray Discs
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Save on DVDs & Blu-ray Discs