El reino prohibido

¨Forbidden kingdom¨ is a rich , enjoyable and romantic take on the Chinese Martial Arts genre with inventive choreography and it also belongs to ¨Wusia¨ theme, China's heroic swordsman subgenre. Regarding a kung fu obsessed American teen, Jason Tripitikas (Michael Angarano), makes an extraordinary discovery in a Chinatown pawnshop run by an elderly man (Jackie Chan): the legendary stick weapon of the Chinese sage and warrior, the Monkey King. And he then escapes into a world of romantic adventure with mysterious and strange characters. With the lost relic in hand, the teenager unexpectedly finds himself traveling back to ancient China and sends him on a risked adventure, where he joins up with a band of martial arts warriors (Jackie Chan, Jet Li) in order to free the imprisoned Monkey King (Jet Li) and along the way facing off villainous Jade Warlord (Collin Chou) and Ni Chang (Bingbing Li) . All of them clash over a magic staff, a stealen priceless old relic as a mark of defiance. Meantime, they have to reach the mountain of the five elements. The path is unsafe !. The place is unknown !. The journey is unbelievable !. The battle for eternity is the fantasy of a lifetime !.

This amusing film is packed with fantasy, magic, art martial fights, silly laughter, great entertainment and lots of fun. A fantastic film including a deadly confrontation and a martial arts love story that satisfies on both accounts, concerning some heroes on a dangerous quest to free the imprisoned Monkey King. Rob Minkoff imbues every look, every gesture with grace and resonance, he has always been a filmmaker of finesse and fine feeling, directing competently this film, but his touch is just as deft even as he extends his grasp to show the timeless Chinese legends, being based on the enjoyable script written by John Fusco. The first fifteen minutes offer dense exposition, introducing the naive young Michael Angarano, the righteous pawn shop seller and the legendary alcoholic warrior Lu Yan, his steemed partner of adventures. This is an immortal story of strength, secrets, and dealing with some warriors who would never surrender. Action , adventure , romance , drama , heroes , heroines, tradition and martial arts blend in this attractive movie that belongs to Oriental genre. Providing overwhelming images, impressive production design, sense of style and revealing the breathtaking vistas of mythic China. The emotional impact of the fantastic adventure is as real and spectacular as the choreographed figh scenes are grateful and brilliant. The magnificent fight scenes were choreographed by Yuen Wo Ping who performed the same duties for ¨Brothers Wachowski's Matrix¨ and ¨Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill¨and the Oscarized : ¨Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon¨. Providing gorgeous chases in glamorously modulated set pieces across the palaces, and forests, while defying the gravity in exhilarating leaps and bounds . Once it takes flight the film never touches the ground , spinning myriad duels of the body and spirit ; only relaxing to stage with some touches of slapstick and ironical aplomb . Stars a stunning cast with notorious Chinese and American actors , such as: Jackie Chan in a double rol as Old Hop and drunken immortal Lu Yan , as well as Jet Li as The Monkey King/ The Silent Monk , Bingbing Le as nasty contender Ni Chang and Collin Chou as Jade Warlord, but the real starring is Michael Angarano as an american teenager who is obsessed with Hong Kong cinema and kung-fu classics to join a crew of warriors from martial arts. Most of them performed their own stunts, CGI was used to remove the wires holding them up. A great and successful movie which was a complete hit on Western/Eastern screens. Adding a spectacular y luxurious photography by cameraman Peter Pau who previously won an Oscar for 'Crouching tiger, hidden dragon' ; furthermore, a nice artistic direction, and great musical score David Buckley,

This decent motion picture was compellingly directed by eclectic filmmaker Rob Minkoff, but nothing special, because the situations we see we had already seen before, and there're too much struggles. Minkoff is a successful filmmaker with several hits, such as: "The Lion King", "Haunted mansion", "The Forbidden Kingdom", "Stuart Little I and II" , "Adventures of Peabody and Sherman", "Flypaper" and his last one: "Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank" (2022). Rating: 6/10. Well worth watching. Essential and indispensable watching for Jackie Chan and Jet Li fans, it's a feast for the senses and 100 per cent sheer cinema.

I had some pretty high expectations going into this movie. Knowing Jackie Chan and Jet Li were finally going to be going at it together on the big screen was an awesome feeling. The Forbidden Kingdom is really funny. I had no idea it was even going to be a comedy until I saw it. The fight scenes were AMAZING! Jackie and Jet did spectacular acting jobs. Some of the best stuff I've seen in awhile. The worst thing about the movie was the story. It was awful. It was one of the stupidest movies I have ever seen. If it wasn't for the fight scenes and the great acting this would be one of the worst movies ever. If you like kung fu, you should like this film.

The movie was great. Initially, we get to know where the journey will head to. It has lots and lots of Kung Fu, Action. It's filled with beautiful scenes and compelling locations. No doubt, the journey is adventures, with a few drops of comedy. However, considering it's predictable it's kinda boring in the middle with way too much of Action, feels a little sleepy. Overall, it's enjoyment, the characters played it incredibly well. Michael, Jackie and the ones on the positive side of coin were good. Recommended. 6.5/10

I'm writing this review after having read many others at this site and after having seen the film.

It's a blatant tribute to many kung fu movies, and that makes it fun for buffs. However, don't think that it's as deep or serious as "Crouching Tiger," "Hero," or even "Enter the Dragon." It's a coming of age story set in a mythological environment, and so wire-tricks abound.

I enjoyed it though. The fight scenes really are superb and wonderfully choreographed. The scenery is impressive, but at times it feels a bit cliché.

Really, that's what drags the movie down - it's very, very predictable. However, I don't think it was meant to be anything more than a fun pretext for Chan and Li to co-star, and they do a good job. It's worth a watch, or at least a rent.

The Forbidden Kingdom strikes me as a Kung-Fu version of the brilliant "The NeverEnding Story" I saw as a kid in the 80's. The parallels are obvious.

Like "NeverEnding Story", it's a fantasy movie that tells the tale of a boy's coming of age journey, from picked-on weakling to warrior and savior. On the way friendships are woven, difficulties are overcome, and lessons are learned. Both films cater to children audiences, but will satisfy grown-ups as well. Both bring to the table a good mixture of fantasy, action, comedy blended with a dash of romance and drama - Baked just right and garnished with magnificent special effects and stunning visuals.

The Kung-Fu battles are dazzling, and having both Jet Li and Jackie Chan sparring in this movie is just the sugar on top of the wholesome family fun.