If you are a martial arts fan a la “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” you’re sure to enjoy the beautifully choreographed fights in “The Forbidden Kingdom.” The added pleasure is seeing Jackie Chan and Jet Li, together for the first time, in a solid fantasy adventure. Jason (Michael Angarano seen most recently in “Snow Angels”) is a fan of kung fu movies and his favorite place to purchase used DVDs is a pawnshop in Chinatown. After bullies force Jason to convince the pawnshop owner to open his door late one night and the pawnshop owner is shot, Jason finds himself in possession of an ancient talisman that transports him to a mythical version of ancient China. There, Jason is thrust into the middle of an ongoing conflict between the Monkey King (Jet Li) and the Jade Warlord (Collin Chou). When the Jade Warlord’s soldiers capture Jason and the talisman, Lu Yan (Jackie Chan), a mysterious drunk, comes to his rescue. They are joined by Sparrow (Uifei Lui), a young woman seeking revenge against the Jade Warlord, and the Silent Monk (Jet Li), who has devoted his life to returning the talisman to the Monkey King.
“The Forbidden Kingdom” contains plenty of action, starting with the fight between Lu Yan and the Silent Monk. When the Jade Warlord calls upon a witch with magical hair to aid him, the bad guys become quite formidable. And all of this turmoil serves to transform Jason from shy boy to confident young man as he does his share of ass kicking. Director Rob Minkoff keeps the tone light and much of Jackie Chan’s role is played for laughs as well as Jason’s kung fu training. This is certainly an entertaining movie and a great way to spend an afternoon at the cinema. (4/25/08)
No comments:
Post a Comment