Forbidden Kingdom
0
Posted
April 17, 2008 in
Film
Jet Li. Jackie Chan. On the movie poster, their names linked crossword-style by the J as if in a draw. Enter the Two Dragons and a host of references to other classic kung fu flicks. Rob Minkoff’s epic action flick wants to cram it all in—its roots dig through Hong Kong mythology and reach out to fantasy yarns from the opposite end of the globe. Jason Tripitikas (Michael Angarano) is a Boston kid who totally hearts ancient Chinese film exports. He could simply grow up to be Quentin Tarantino. But after an encounter with some bullies at his favorite musty Chinatown thrift shop run by wizened owner Old Hop (Chan), Jason gets transported to a land far far away where he hopes the talisman he clutches—a golden fighting rod he immediately name checks as a “northern emperor style staff”—will help him get home. Already nodding towards Bastian and Dorothy, Jason plops down in a verdant rice patty he only enjoys for 60 seconds before the Jade Warlord (Collin Chou) and his horde of baddies gallop in and slash up the village, thus setting the rapid attack pace for the flick where every two minutes are punctuated by a fight. Jason is saved by a drunken master (Chan again) who claims to be immortal (a crane-kicking Dionysus!) and insists that Jason rescue the land from its evil oppressors by hoofing the staff to the sinister mountains of Mordor—I mean the Temple of the Five Elements. En route to awaken a stone statue of their savior, not a lion but a goofy, blonde-pony tailed Monkey King (Li), they pick up a crew-cutted monk (also Li), a real buzzkill orphan (Yifei Liu), and an enmity with a witch with whiplash white hair (Bingbing Li) whose inspiration I totally remember from a boozy night in college. Those better versed in kung fu will amuse themselves rooting out all of screenwriter John Fusco’s asides; for Chan and Li, when Jason calls them out for quoting Bruce Lee, they squint and shrug. Silly and satisfying, The Forbidden Kingdom is a juggernaut of beloved movie tropes complete with pumping-up montage of knuckle pushups. There are better movies, but few pair so well with popcorn. (Amy Nicholson)
Jet Li. Jackie Chan. On the movie poster, their names linked crossword-style by the J as if in a draw. Enter the Two Dragons and a host of references to other classic kung fu flicks. Rob Minkoff’s epic action flick wants to cram it all in—its roots dig through Hong Kong mythology and reach out to fantasy yarns from the opposite end of the globe. Jason Tripitikas (Michael Angarano) is a Boston kid who totally hearts ancient Chinese film exports. He could simply grow up to be Quentin Tarantino. But after an encounter with some bullies at his favorite musty Chinatown thrift shop run by wizened owner Old Hop (Chan), Jason gets transported to a land far far away where he hopes the talisman he clutches—a golden fighting rod he immediately name checks as a “northern emperor style staff”—will help him get home. Already nodding towards Bastian and Dorothy, Jason plops down in a verdant rice patty he only enjoys for 60 seconds before the Jade Warlord (Collin Chou) and his horde of baddies gallop in and slash up the village, thus setting the rapid attack pace for the flick where every two minutes are punctuated by a fight. Jason is saved by a drunken master (Chan again) who claims to be immortal (a crane-kicking Dionysus!) and insists that Jason rescue the land from its evil oppressors by hoofing the staff to the sinister mountains of Mordor—I mean the Temple of the Five Elements. En route to awaken a stone statue of their savior, not a lion but a goofy, blonde-pony tailed Monkey King (Li), they pick up a crew-cutted monk (also Li), a real buzzkill orphan (Yifei Liu), and an enmity with a witch with whiplash white hair (Bingbing Li) whose inspiration I totally remember from a boozy night in college. Those better versed in kung fu will amuse themselves rooting out all of screenwriter John Fusco’s asides; for Chan and Li, when Jason calls them out for quoting Bruce Lee, they squint and shrug. Silly and satisfying, The Forbidden Kingdom is a juggernaut of beloved movie tropes complete with pumping-up montage of knuckle pushups. There are better movies, but few pair so well with popcorn. (Amy Nicholson)
