The Forbidden Kingdom

When The Forbidden Kingdom came out in theaters a while back, I put some serious thought into going to see it. What is interesting about that? Mostly that I haven't seen a martial arts movie in a theater since, I don't know, Karate Kid II?

But this movie had Jet Li and Jackie Chan and Woo-ping and Peter Pau... It's like a dream team of Kung Fu movies. I'm no major devotee, but I know those names! (The two most of you might not know? Woo-ping Yuen is basically a fight choreographer. The best. Period. Peter Pau is the cinematographer behind Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and so many more...)

Eventually, the movie passed the multiplexes without me seeing it, which seems to happen a lot...one of the reason I write a DVD blog instead of a movie blog. But, with my renewed interest in martial arts(I recently started taking TaekWonDo)it was only a matter of time.

The movie is a grab bag of Chinese mythology. Think Clash of the Titans. I imagine that if I knew more about the source material I would groan over this, but I only know enough to recognize characters without knowing how out of place they are.

But really, the story is almost secondary. That said, while it is basic Saturday Afternoon Matinee fare, that isn't necessarily a bad thing. The story follows the hero's journey and is enjoyable if predictable. Don't be looking for any surprises and let yourself enjoy it as escapist entertainment and you will be fine.

Jackie Chan's humor is evident in many places. He was a great choice to play the avatar of Drunken Fist Kung Fu. Jackie makes you believe he could use intoxication as a fighting asset.

Jet Li is more stoic and reserved in his primary character, as you would probably expect. But he does let his personality come through and he has the ability to drop in the wisecrack out of nowhere that brings a smile. His performance as The Monkey King seems almost too fun...Like Jet's enjoyment at not having to play the bad ass for once was breaking through the character. However, I think most of that is not the fault of the actor but the director. The Monkey King spends too much time as the floating king. A little less of the wire work would have been better. Let him be agile, not a master of levitation.

The presence of two great martial artists is what should carry the movie, and it does. The surrounding cast is not bad, and there are several great fight scenes. Plus, with Pau behind the lens you get some wonderful sweeping vistas and angles that show off the artistry and power of the human weapons.

Get this movie for what it is, a fairy tale set in China showing off the incredible artistry of hand combat. Enjoy the humor and the spectacle. If you go into this film looking for realism, you'll be disappointed. This is popcorn, not a five-course meal.

But as popcorn goes, its pretty good.