Monday, April 21, 2008
Lost in the realms of the Forbidden Kingdom

I finally watched Forbidden Kingdom!!! XD haha.. Despite the rumors I heard about the movie being boring, I was still in hopes that the movie would not turn out like what they said but sadly, I was wrong.

Well, it was not too boring and not too exciting either.

Somewhere in the middle perhaps?

Truthfully, I was still slightly disappointed with it.

Why? For one, the pace was pretty slow to a point where it felt boring at some parts. Although I find the idea of a young boy who was fanatic of martial arts being transported into another dimension a very creative idea, I don't think it's good to have the audience wanting for the movie to reach its climax sooner so that they can go home, right? To add on to that, it was rather uneventful as well but i guess the wittiness and the jokes in the movie made up for it. HAHA!

And I'll have to give them credit for having just a good cast! I mean, come on! It's JACKIE CHAN and JET LI we're talking about here! Many martial art fans have been waiting for both of them to star in the same movie and I guess their wishes came true when the two living legends finally meet for the first time in The Forbidden Kingdom.


Jet Li: I'm gonna poke your eyes!
Jackie: NOO!

I especially loved the fighting scene between the both of them at the temple. It was amusing to watch!! HAHA!! In the movie, Chan plays Lu Yan, a slightly comical figure who is always drinking wine and does a lot of his fighting "drunken" style, while Li plays a mysterious figure known only as the Silent Monk—and their first encounter, in an abandoned temple, leads to a seemingly non-stop series of kicks and blows, choreographed by The Matrix's Yuen Woo-ping, that looks incredible but eventually begins to seem a little long. But what exactly were they fighting for? That, I won't tell. Watch the movie and find out for yourself.

It begins with Jason Tripitikas (Michael Angarano), a generic youth whose age is up to you - could be 12, could be 20. He loves kung-fu movies but can't defend himself against the local bullies. When a pawn shop owner (Jackie Chan) hands him a magical staff, he's transported to ancient China, where he must return the weapon to its rightful owner, the Monkey King (Jet Li, who also stars as a nomadic monk). But that means getting past the evil Jade Warlord (Collin Chou, the one with cool and cruel in emerald-colored eyeshadow). Basically, the whole movie is about how Jason gets the magic staff to the Monkey King and how the Jade Warlord prevents him.

All in all, the whole movie is packaged fairly entertainingly. There is humor throughout the film, from the mocking laughter of the Monkey King himself to Lu Yan's occasional quips, and the action sequences are a marvel to behold, expertly combining physical stunts with computerized effects. The scenery and everything is rather stunning as well.

Despite the flaws, it is still a must-watch for martial arts fans.

Here's the trailer.


I would rate this movie: 3.3/5

('L' still beats this, I would say. HAHA!)
CLassified at 5:45 PM