The Forbidden Kingdom
There’s a moment, oh, say, 30-40 minutes into “The Forbidden Kingdom” when the Drunken Fist Immortal and a Monk dressed in white fight in a temple after the Monk has stolen the Staff of Legend from our hero Jason (Michael Angarano). Of course, this being a Martial Arts movie of the modern era (think “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” “House of Flying Daggers” and the like), one generally wouldn’t be surprised to see such a showdown, or find the fight choreography (by wire-fu master Woo-ping Yuen of “The Matrix” and “Crouching Tiger” fame) so noteworthy- it’s an entertaining scene that would be worth watching even if the participants weren’t Jackie Chan and Jet Li (in their first big screen pairing). That said, these modern Martial Arts masters of the big screen squaring off make the film alone worth the price of admission. That they become allies after the showdown will either be considered a great injustice (for people wishing to see them face off between one another) or another slice of cake for fans of the genre, who can’t wait to see the two pair up against faceless bad guys. Either way, you see the immediate appeal of the film.
The rest of its’ pleasures comes in the story itself (by John Fusco, of “Hidalgo” and “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron” fame), which is part “Karate Kid,” part “Crouching Tiger,” part “Neverending Story,” part “The Wizard of Oz,” part “Last Action Hero” (the rare good parts…lol), even part “Pirates of the Caribbean” (not just in the music- by David Buckley, clearly from the Hans Zimmer/Harry Gregson-Williams camp of composers (the latter of whom produced this score)- but in little touches along the way as well- tell me Chan’s character isn’t inspired by Captain Jack?). Sure, it’s not very original (how many movies are nowadays), but in what it’s setting out to do- be a family-friendly Martial Arts adventure- it succeeds in many ways I wouldn’t have expected. For that, you can thank director Rob Minkoff, who after the success of the animated “The Lion King” has moved effortlessly into live-action family fare like “Stuart Little” (well, ok, let’s pretend “Haunted Mansion” never happened, shall we?) and now “Forbidden Kingdom.”
How Jason came to end up in ancient China and team up with two Kung Fu masters is, well, typical movie magic. Jason is a fanboy of all things Asian, and in particular Kung Fu films both known (“Enter the Dragon”) and obscure (so much so that I can’t even remember their names…lol). He frequents a pawn shop in Chinatown run by Old Hop (Chan) looking for bootleg films and marveling at the old man’s inventory. One day, he catches a glimpse of a particularly intriguing relic in Hop’s backroom- a golden staff said to have been in the store until one comes around to deliver it to its’ rightful owner. Funny thing is, he’s had dreams about this very staff recently. That’ll serve him well when he’s bullied into helping some bullies break into the store so they can take the cash, and through chance (or destiny?), is on the run with the staff. At a moment of particular need, the staff leads him down a wormhole of sorts into ancient China, where the staff is much sought after by the Jade Warlord (Collin Chou), who long ago took power over the land after defeating the legendary Monkey King (Li) in a battle, but not before the Monkey King could send his staff lost into time until one would come to return it. Now with the help of Lu Yan (Chan), a mysterious musician deadly in the Martial Arts known as Golden Sparrow (Yifei Liu), and the Silent Monk (Li) mentioned earlier, Jason is headed to the place where the Monkey King is still frozen in stone to restore order to the land (ok, and of course there’s a little bit of “Star Wars” as well).
The popularity of Chan’s “Rush Hour” films aside, this is probably the best American-based vehicle either him or Li have ever had- an old-fashioned adventure epic with enough of both the Asian and American adventure traditions to feel completely organic to both. While Chan has found some successful vehicles for his more comedic approach to the Martial Arts (and this film is more like one of his films than Li’s in tone, which benefits the film greatly), Li’s more serious mindset has been tough to pindown; only “Lethal Weapon 4”- of all things- seemed to tap into his appeal in a halfway decent film (not including the Chinese-made “Hero” or “Fearless”). That clash of sensibilities serves this film well, with Chan’s fearlessly silly demeanor blending well with Li’s zen-master approach to his characters (although his charisma as the appropriately-named Monkey King is undeniable). And when they go at it (whether against one another or against others), it’s hard not to want to hear “Kung Fu Fighting” blaring out of the theatre speakers, such is the fun their film becomes. They don’t get all of the Kung Fu glory, though; Liu (a newcomer primed to be the next Zhang Ziyi of the genre) and Angarano (an appealing protagonist this fanboy identified with) even get in on the action, and do themselves proud.
Recently it’s seemed as though decent action-adventure yarns have had to sneak up on the audience, that is, when it’s not based on popular books (“Lord of the Rings,” “Harry Potter”), established movie series’ (“Star Wars” anyone?), or a never-ending supply of comic book heroes (“Spider-Man,” “Batman Begins”). The first “Pirates of the Caribbean” film was like that, and the audience returned in kind for more. I hope for the same success for “The Forbidden Kingdom,” which nailed down all the elements- story, characters, and a sense of heedless fun- that made that film more than just a cash grab. Sure, in their prime Chan and Li made better films, but it’s hard not to get caught up in their love of their craft when watching their first collaboration together. That alone makes the film worth watching; everything else is just icing on the cake.
