The Forbidden Kingdom - Mike Gregory
I love this movie. Maybe
I’m just a sucker for this kind of movie, with the little guy standing up for himself, but I love this
movie.
The Forbidden Kingdom is part Karate Kid, part Neverending
Story. Jason Tripitikas, a play on the
name Tripitaka from Journey to the west is a bullied, pushed around nobody
kid. He frequents the local pawn
shop / movie store where he devours any and all old school Kung Fu movies (or
Gong Fu as the movie uses) He dreams of
being a bad ass, “Learn Kung Fu, kick ass, get the girl” as Hop the pawn shop
owner puts it. Jason is forced to help
rob the place by the local bully, things go bad from there and Jason tries to
run away, falls from the roof and wakes up in magical “forbidden” kingdom. Now in this fantasy world, Jason
has to return the Staff, free the Monkey King, and defeat the evil jade warlord
to save the kingdom.
The Story is nothing fantastically new, the Journey to the west story has been used in several movies and games over there years, and I have to admit the first time I watched this movie, I was
a bit let down. I was expecting more
action between Jet Li and Jackie Chan.
That was one of the big selling points of the movie. For the first time ever, the two the most
popular Kung Fu actors teaming up for an epic fantasy film. Fight choreography
was also done by Woo-Ping Yuen, another legend in the business. I was expecting more action between the two stars,
but there sadly was only 1 fight. The
first time I watched the movie, I think I was just waiting for the fights, so
hyped to see how it would go down between the two stars and just considering everything else filler. The 2nd time I watched it, I fell
in love with the movie.
There is just so
much to like here, it’s pure fairy tale wish fulfilment. It’s something I always dreamed of as a kid
myself while watching old Kung Fu movies (5 deadly venoms was always my
favorite). The guy that always gets
pushed around, learning to fight and standing up to his assailants, defeating
them and having them scurry away in shame. I had a blast through the entire
movie. It’s very well executed and paced, never boring. The training scenes (in which Jason learns Kung Fu in about 5 minutes...but lets skip that) with Jackie Chan and Jet Li arguing over how to train this kid who has no skill
at all is great. The two teachers argue with each other, Li trying to teach
striking techniques, Chan trying to teach blocking, with Jason literally caught
in the middle, getting the crap kicked out of him. Both Jackie Chan and Jet Li
seem to be genuinely having fun while making this movie. Jet Li in particular seems to really enjoy
his role as the monkey king.
The setting and scenery in this movie are gorgeous. Lush
forest, valleys and waterfalls look amazing. The battle in the cherry blossom
orchard looks especially beautiful. The
score is equally fantastic. The composer has created some memorable, uplifting,
pulse racing epic themes for the movie.
Any time the main theme song kicks in the smile on my face somehow grows
wider.
I personally really loved this movie. I know it won’t be for everyone, it is more
of a family movie, the fight choreography is nothing amazing and the story is
nothing we haven’t seen before, but this movie just works for me. I just found it to be the perfect combination
of fantasy, fighting, and fun. I could
not wipe the smile off my face through the entire movie; it’s just such a joy
to watch. If you want a light, consistently fun, feel good movie to kill some time with, check out The Forbidden Kingdom. Just don't take it too seriously, and enjoy the ride for what it is.
.........Bonus points for Jet Li pissing on Jackie Chan’s head, yeah....that happened.
Score: 8/10
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