Recensioni degli utenti

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.

Jackie Chan has to be one of the more likable actors of his generation, a man who can successfully combine martial arts brutality and humor.....and pull it off, each time. "The Forbidden Kingdom" is another example of his talents, geniality and flair for comedy in addition to the obvious martial arts skills he's shown us all these years.

To make long story very short, this is tale an American teen who finds an ornate bo-staff at a friend's shop in Chinatown and the kid's mission winds up to deliver this age-old weapon to its rightful owner across the world in China and in a different time period. Yeah, I know, the story is ludicrous, but who cares? It's an entertaining film with some great stunts and some good humor. We have young people, old people, amateur fighters and pros, pretty girls with pretty moms, exotic locales and a lot of seriousness mixed with goofiness and Chinese mythology.

This is a not a film for "hard core" martial-arts fans, nor is it an "intelligent" film but if you're looking for a fun two hours of total escapism without the story being too stupid to enjoy, this fits the bill. I mean, you get Chan and Jet Li, in the same movie for the first time, too - not bad!

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.

I have been a big fan of Jet Li/ Jackie Chan since I can remember. All I have to say is that they deserve better. A movie that consists of both these remarkable actors should be incredible and unforgettable, but, in my opinion, this movie can only be remembered probably because it's their first tandem. I don't know what the writers in this movie are thinking. They should have watched the old movies of these two and studied it. They should have written a story that will compliment both their strengths in the screen (not just their martial arts techniques), and the tone of the movie is well-off. Needless to say, if you want to see a feel-good, relatively entertaining then this movie is definitely your cup-of- tea.

¨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.

A cowardly, kung fu-obsessed teenager is transported to a mystical kingdom in China, where he is destined to return a powerful staff to it's owner, the immortal Monkey King, who was turned to stone 500 years earlier by the evil Jade Warlord.

If you're not particularly a fan of the kung fu genre, couldn't give a monkey's (pun intended) whether the script craps on a few Chinese legends from a great height, and don't care too much that Chan and Li seem to have sold out to the almighty dollar (again), then this big-budget Hollywood martial arts epic for the masses will probably do fine for a Saturday night, along with a takeaway and a few brews.

If, however, like me, you've been patiently waiting for the on-screen pairing of the legendary Jackie Chan and Jet Li for the best part of twenty years, then this plot-hole ridden, formulaic and clichéd effort (did I really just see the American kid learn kung fu within a week?) will definitely prove to be something of a disappointment.

Although Li and Chan do get to show off their impressive fighting skills (even going one-on-one against each other in order to keep fans happy), seeing Hong Kong's greatest kung fu stars of the last three decades playing second fiddle to an obnoxious wimp from New York is really tough to stomach. Jackie and Jet have proved time and time again that they are more than capable leading men and don't need a Caucasian actor centre stage to help boost ticket sales.

Furthermore, having a family-friendly director like Rob Minkoff calling the shots is also pretty galling; I liked Stuart Little—I really did—but is Minkoff really the ideal choice to call the shots on Jackie and Jet's first fight flick together? Not as far as I'm concerned! I wanted to see Li and Chan in something much more hard-edged—something for those fans who've followed the guys' careers since the early days (rather than those who are only familiar with their Hollywood output) and the man who gave us a talking mouse isn't who I would pick to do it.

Still, it's not all gloom and doom: some of the combat scenes are well handled (and they should be, with industry legend Yuen Woo Ping behind the choreography); there is some nifty wire-work; the CGI backdrops are stunning to look at; and there are a couple of pretty gals for us blokes to drool over (Yifei Liu is hubba-hubba delicious, whilst white-haired beauty Bingbing Li makes for a very watchable villainess).

Perhaps now that Chan and Li have made their guaranteed 'blockbuster'together, they might chance their luck next time with something a little grittier for their long-term followers.

We can but hope.

5.5 out of 10, rounded up to 6, 'cos Jackie and Jet are cool, whatever the film.

In gong-fu movie lore, it has long been foretold that one day two of the greatest stars of the genre would come together one day on the screen. That day has come in "The Forbidden Kingdom," which stars two of the latest and greatest stars of the martial arts movie genre - Jackie Chan and Jet Li.

Combined, both men's careers span over 30 years and over 100 movies, in their native China and here in the United States; that's a lot of kung-pow kicking and punching. They both decided to make their American crossovers around the same time during the 1990s - Chan's first hit in the U.S. was "Rumble in the Bronx" (1995) and became a mega-star due to the "Rush Hour" movies, while Li made his American debut as the lead villain in "Lethal Weapon 4" (1998), received his first English-speaking starring role in "Romeo Must Die" (2000), and earned critical respectability with "Unleashed" in 2005.

Now, we're at "The Forbidden Kingdom." I like both stars. My friends and I, like many other martial arts movie fans, have eagerly awaited this cinematic pairing for some time.

Starting in the present - 2008 - an American teenager named Jason (Michael Angarano) who has an obsession with gong-fu movies is magically transported back in time to ancient China by the long-lost staff of the fabled Monkey King (Li, in one of two roles in the film), where he learns he has been chosen to return it to him. 500 years earlier, the mischievous martial arts master Monkey King had been imprisoned in stone by the Jade Warlord (Collin Chou).

On his journey, Jason comes across the drunken beggar Lu Yan (Chan, in one of two roles in the film), who teaches him gong-fu so that he will be able to take on the Jade Army. They are also aided by The Silent Monk (Li, in his other role) and the orphan assassin Sparrow (Yifei Liu). There is one particularly funny sequence where Lu Yan and The Silent Monk fight over how to train Jason to defend himself - with Lu Yan's unorthodox methods and the Monk's more traditional approach.

"The Forbidden Kingdom" is one fast-paced and entertaining martial arts flick that keeps you watching just because of the know-it-all/seen-it-all before charisma of the star talent. With nods aplenty toward the martial arts movies of yesteryear (chiefly old-school Shaw Brothers movies, as well as plenty of helpings of Taoist philosophy and the Jeet Kune Do teachings of Bruce Lee), "The Forbidden Kingdom" is perhaps what Quentin Tarantino has fantasized about so much during countless cinema grind-house outings as an impressionable teenager and later as an adult realized on the screen in his "Kill Bill" films.

But Tarantino is nowhere in sight. Behind this production, is American screenwriter John Fusco (who based the script on the epic story "Journey to the West," which is cited as one of the four great novels of Chinese literature) and American director Rob Minkoff (of "The Lion King"). This production, put simply, is probably the best combination of American-Chinese talent since "Enter the Dragon" way back in 1973. Choreographing the fights with plenty of wire-work and CGI pizazz is Woo-ping Yuen, known for his work with both Chan and Li, as well as "The Matrix" (1999) and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" (2000). It's pretty impressive that although it's fairly obvious that wires are being used in the fight scenes, it doesn't really take away from the action like it often tends to in American features, but actually enhances their intensity here.

I got a lot of enjoyment from watching "The Forbidden Kingdom" and watching the magnificent grace of Jackie Chan and Jet Li. Despite occasional script deficiencies, I found this picture working from the opening credits, which was a sure sign that what was about to come would surely satisfy the martial arts movie fan inside of me. For many martial arts movie fans, "The Forbidden Kingdom" may perhaps be the movie they've been waiting for since the untimely passing of Bruce Lee 35 years ago.

10/10

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.

If you're not a 13 year-old boy, Forbidden Kingdom was not really made for you. I understand the appeal of Jet Li and Jackie Chan, together at last, and everyone's hopes for a harmonious combination like peanut butter and chocolate. I shared this hope, but was served something more like canned cheese with crackers. It's not that this combination is bad, just that their pairing is framed within a feeble, pointlessly enthusiastic action film.

Forbidden Kingdom follows the story of Jason (Michael Angarano), a die-hard kungfu fan and his concussion-induced journey back in time to a mythical China. Jason must return a golden staff to the Monkey King (Jet Li), who is imprisoned in stone under the evil gaze of the immortal Jade Warlord (Collin Chou). Jason meets a silent monk (Jet Li), drunken master Lu Yan (Jackie Chan), and musical assassin Golden Sparrow (Yifei Liu) who all have a vested interest in the Monkey King or the demise of the Jade Warlord. They accompany Jason on his quest and give him the skills he needs to repel his foes.

The characters are interesting but completely shallow. We're introduced to them as stock. There's an assumed level of familiarity with martial arts movies, which they're directly inspired by, but little more is given than this stereotype. Lu Yan and the Silent Monk profess death threats, engage in playful antics, and display some unknown kinship, sometimes all within the same scene. We like Golden Sparrow because she's beautiful and she's the same age as our protagonist. Beyond an obvious romantic setup, a briefly uttered revenge quest, and a catfight, she's completely pointless. It's interesting that Li and Chan both play secondary characters in this movie, and in roles that are not their traditional typecast fare. Jackie Chan is terribly sympathetic, but by his own undeniable Jackie Chan charm, not on any strength of the movie.

My biggest problem with this movie lies in Jason's story. He's sent to mythical China with more stereotypes than skills, and through truly excessive use of montage, becomes a warrior who can help the Monkey King. I suspend disbelief for fantasy films, but the montages are as repetitive and annoying as the whiny Jason. Since we're so interested in Jet Li and Jackie Chan, why make them secondary characters and give the focus to a coming-of-age quest? My rhetorical question is answered for you in the first sentence of the review. But I think this also skirts the issue of trying to give equal screen time and top billing to the two biggest martial arts stars of our age.

As repugnant as the writing and editing may be, Forbidden Kingdom makes up for this in a good dose of fight scenes. This has some of the best story-to-action ratios of any martial arts movie, hearkening back to the heyday of kung fu, where the story is minimized to make room for more action. Nothing wrong with that! It's still entertaining as always to watch Chan and Li fight. There is one very long sparring sequence and while it's nothing terribly flashy, you do get a sense that the two are very well matched. Some of the editing is sketchy, relying heavily on reaction shots rather than allowing us to see maneuvers connect. Some of the fighting is extremely theatrical and extended, in true wushu style, and beautiful to see.

The visuals have that nearly animated quality, with emphasis on glow and gold, that we've seen so often in fantasy movies lately. Combined with the cutout characters, it gives the impression that you're watching more of a video game than a movie. I like video games, but this is not necessarily a boon. I'd like to see something more original, or maybe something that draws more heavily on Chinese cinema, since the movie already borrows so liberally from those films.

Forbidden Kingdom has all of the good components of a classic action film, but together, these elements work against each other in a big way. The narrative is short, but not short enough. The general tone is more like a poor comic book movie than a kung fu fantasy. This may appeal to some, but dressing up in silks doesn't make this tired thing new again.

I read some of the comments including the one from the user named "AlecBaldwin". He left early because of graphics and too many myths. Another didn't like it because the English was hard to understand. Another said it was a kids movie and Chan/Li were out for the dollars only. I'll tell you that I went to the movie theater and sat back and let the movie go wherever it wanted. I was intending on enjoying it and I downright did. It is a great graphical movie with fantastic choreography and editing, and an acting masterpiece, as well as action packed. If you go into the movie theater and take the negative comments with you, you will not like it. You need to understand that this is a rare appearance by two masters who will probably never get together again. As for the English, don't fret on that. I have a lot of trouble with these kinds of movies. This was the ONLY one where I could understand the English. It's simple. Go to the movie with popcorn and soda in hand and an open mind. Get ready for some fast action and a good story line. And finally, ENJOY!

We can finally see Jackie Chan and Jet Li together in an action packed adventure movie, and for the most part it doesn't disappoint. Although the story, reminiscent to early 80's adventure films about an unlikely hero who overcomes great adversity, was overly predictable, the end result was a visually beautiful and engaging journey through feudal China riddled with the culture's interesting mythology. Jackie Chan and Jet Li, as always, delivered an action packed performance of ballet-like battles that have become popular due to movies like "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon." Unfortunately, this made the fights lack the essence of suspense. They were entertaining, yes – but there were no moments of trepidation or concern for what will happen to the characters. At the same time, the soft and poetic fight scenes rarely made you feel any intensity in the punches or kicks that were often being thrown. For a PG-13 film, however, there was enough mild violence, blood and death that the storyline wasn't overly sugar-coated.

The films fast pace, only briefly slowing down near the middle, as well as the accentuating music, breathtaking visuals, and a simple but effective story-line was able to create a fun filled adventure film that younger and older audiences can both enjoy. In the end, however, because the movie lacked well-formed character relationships and any empathy for our group of heroes, the adventure film will beg us to wonder if this was the best that Chan and Li could fester up.

Watched Forbidden Kingdom yesterday. And I found I really liked it. A lot! I have to admit that I'm a sucker for those zero-to-hero movies and I thought that Michael Angarano did a good job of playing a dorky, wannabe kung-fu fighter. The only thing I thought was dodgy was the fact that the whole movie was in English. It just felt a bit off.

And of course Jackie Chan and Jet Li together on screen? Fantastic. They had one of the greatest choreographed scenes, that were really, really cool. Especially when both of them were fighting together for the staff. I especially like Jet Li's portrayal of Sun Wukong! Jet Li's previous roles were serious warriors, but it was fun to see him act like a cheeky monkey god. And Jackie Chan, he was OK in his own way, but most of the time when he fought he looked sober. Which was odd, considering that he was a master of the drunken kung-fu style.

This movie will be enjoyed by any Jet Li or Jackie Chan fans, certainly. The cinematography is wonderful, with stunning views, excellent use of CGI without overdoing it, and decent acting. Jet Li plays his role marvelously, and the continuity of the various plot themes is fantastic. There are subtleties to this movie that will require multiple viewings to catch! Pros include the acting and scenery, and the way language is dealt with. The only con is that the viewing I attended was a bit rough around the edges, with a couple of minor bobbles in editing and film quality. I'm sure this will be corrected in the final production for the theaters, though! Overall, this is a good action/fantasy movie. For those who like the "chop suey" kung fu flicks, this will be a blast from the past. Jackie Chan shows off his unique style of martial arts, while keeping the laughs rolling. Jet Li is NOT playing the 'baddie' for a change, and has a surprisingly entertaining role in this film. There isn't a lot of wire work in this film, and what is done on wires is done judiciously.

A must-see film for this summer!

After Watching This Film on Opening day, The film surpassed my expectations as I thought the trailers gave out most of the plot. How wrong was I indeed.

The Film was very, very, very Asian with a lot of Martial Arts action. Something you do not see very often now a days with spectacular Choreography. The combination of CGI with the Action was on key and perfect. Looked very real and believable on most parts.

The story was a great introduction to get people to understand the many Buddhist Mythology stories that have been around for decades, long way before Jesus Christ. Buddhism is something people must understand as it is complex yet simple. Clear yet cloudy. Believable but unexplainable. Only true intellectual smart people may be able to understand this religion and it's many great tales that Dragon ball, George Lucas and the Wachowski Bros got most of their inspiration from.

Though at first I thought this movie was going to be hugely Racist and stereotypical, I was very satisfied to see there was none. As an Asian Male, I found it very funny and satisfying to see how our side hero Jason was beaten up LOL. So everything balances, Plus Look out for a Joke from Jet Li!!! OK the FLAWS: Love scenes or near love scenes were corny, some of the Dialog from our Chinese stars were hard to hear and understand, shoulda kept the story more towards the Monkey King, and at times some scenes were useless and didn't help the film.

Overall, This film is a must see! Staring two great Martial Arts legend's, Great Martial Arts Action, and has a Unique story. Though only minor flaws, It's very satisfying.

7/10

'The Forbidden Kingdom' typifies what is wrong with Hollywood these days-disregard and disrespect of originality, truth, tradition and culture all for the sake of churning out cheap, intelligence-insulting, money-spinning over-commercialized films.

Those familiar to the story can easily tell that this movie is loosely based on the popular Chinese fairytale/myth/story 'Journey to the West', which is one of the most famous and most-beloved among Chinese literature. However, this movie made a mockery and insult of it by totally disregarding important elements of the story and blatantly adding other none-relevant Chinese elements making the whole movie an absolute farce. In short, it is akin to a messy collage made up of torn-up pages of several Chinese literature novels and films of old Chinese Kungfu flicks which is thrown into a mixture with a white Chinese Kungfu fanatic teenager's dream to be made into an awfully, horrendously tasting cocktail.

Yes, the movie maybe catered to Western audience who do not posses adequate knowledge regarding simple Chinese literature or culture but the way they made a mockery of it is simply nauseating and unacceptable to those with a slight understanding of it. But still, expect the movie to do well in this part of the world because of the producers brilliant plan to rope in 2 of the biggest Chinese stars to star in it for the first time in movie history - which sadly, makes the fact that this movie sucked even more appalling.

The cinematography comes across as very 'un-Chinese' even thought it is shot in China. One scene even look like they were straight out from a 'Lord of the Rings' movie. The plot, dialog and characters were poorly written, although there were a couple of funny moments here and there.

Overall, if you enjoy mindless 3-in-1(action+fantasy+comedy) movies, are a huge Jet Li or Jackie Chan movie who watches any of their movies no matter how bad they are, and/or have no clue regarding the basics of Chinese fairy tales, literature and films, by no means indulge yourself. However, if you really love old Chinese Kungfu flicks, have been reading Chinese novels throughout your teenage life, or are just looking for an intelligent, thought-provoking movie, stay away from it as far as possible.

Jet Li. Jackie Chan. Jackie Chan and Jet Li! For many people that is all that is needed to elicit a "wow, I need to see that." Beyond star power, the film is a riveting success. This is a kung-fu film with a healthy sense of humor, an epic story and amazing visual imagery. Some people will object to Michael Angarano's character, they will say, the film doesn't need a white lead to keep the audience engaged. That is true, but Angarano plays the role well and the character adds substance to the story. The cultural conflict from thrusting a boy from Boston into ancient China reflects the conflict between his kung-fu masters. His personal growth helps carry the heroes journey through China. This layering of themes works well.

Did I mention that we get to see Jackie Chan and Jet Li spar!?!

I got to see a preview of this movie and I consider my self very lucky. I will go see this film again on opening day!

After reading a brief synopsis of the film with the film I knew not to go into the film with high expectations. Fortunately (or unfortunately) the film was much pretty much what I had envisioned with a few notable exceptions. Much halloo has been made of the fact that this is the first film with Jackie Chan and Jet Li. Both have become international superstars, both have an excellent repertoire with martial arts, both have played Wong Fei Hung (Jackie Chan in Drunken Master (1978) and Jet Li in Once Upon A Time In China (1991)), but neither have the ever appeared in a film together. The reasons are sundry and probably have to do with past egos, but better late than never (Spielberg, it is not too late to hire either one of these actors). Though imagine what could have been made in the late 80s with these two.

What had me most concerned with this film was that it is centered on a milquetoast Hong Kong Shaw Brother's film fanatic Jason Tripitikas (Michael Angarano: Sky High (2005)) who spends his time buying bootleg VCD/DVDs in Chinatown and being bullied by local thugs. Though this might hit the demographic of many martial art film fans, I was ambivalent about its use of a focal point away from Jackie or Jet. Both of these actors can carry a film and the insertion of Tripitikas felt superfluous and relegated this movie to young teen-movie status. His performance was OK though, just nothing that special.

Tripitikas visits his normal Chinatown shop (mentioning Ten Tigers from Kuangtung (1980)) owned by a raspy voiced Old Hop (Jackie Chan in old-man makeup; thank god he did not become a Mr. Miyagi clone) and notices an exquisite staff. Old Hop states that he is waiting to return it to its rightful owner. Later, Jason acquiesces to the gang (about as scary as The Backstreet Boys) and helps them rob Hop. Things go badly as Hop gets shot and just as Jason is about to die he gets transported into a different realm (through the gate with no gate).

Luckily, this is where the story gets more interesting partially because less emphasis is put on the teen and more on the environment and new characters. Jason meets Lu Yan (Jackie Chan: though this character is more like the King of Beggars aka Beggar So played most famous by Simon Yuen in Drunken Master (1978)) whose uses drunken kung fu. Jason learns that he must return the staff to free the Monkey King (Jet Li) who was tricked into being turned to stone by the Jade War Lord (Ngai Sing: Fearless, Flash Point (2007)) and caused 500 years of unhappiness under his realm. However, there is a prophecy of an outsider who will return the staff and restore order (yes a chosen one, guess who that is). Ultimately, the chosen one team up with Golden Swallow (Liu Yi-Fei: yes the same name as the character in Come Drink with Me) who is also out for revenge against Jade War Lord who ruthless killed her family and a wandering monk (Jet Li).

I enjoyed the film for what is was. A nondescript lead does not help with the film as a whole, but there is much to like. The action choreography of Yuen Woo-ping (Hero, Drunken Master) is quite good partially because he has worked before with Jet Li and Jackie Chan. He knows exactly their aging limitations and makes the wire-work look beautiful. The fight scene between Jackie and Jet is a must watch for action fans and exquisitely beautiful. When comedy was applied it worked well. Two of these scenes stood out for me and had the audience laughing with my favorite of the two is when Jackie and Jet used Jason as an unwilling puppet while both masters trying to teach him gung fu. It is nice seeing Jet Li have a fun time with his characters. The other highlight of the movie is the penultimate fight scene between just about everybody including the Monkey King and a very angry hired killer -- the White Haired Assassin (Lee Bing-Bing) She is an homage to The Bride With White Hair (1993) which is also mentioned earlier in the film.

The film is a hodge-podge of Asian stories with the main plot is taken from the Ming Dynasty story "Journey to the West" (published anonymously and is foretold with an showing early in the film of, I believe but not positive since I was partially distracted at the time, Cave of the Silken Web (1967)) and put in a Wizard of Oz (1939) outline. There are some problems with the cohesion of the story, a nondescript lead and several plot problems exist, but it does not distract too much unless you are adamant about your adaptations being faithful. Rob Minkoff's direction (Stuart Little (1999), Haunted Mansion (2003)) is good, but I would have liked a more action-oriented director helming this project. I think most martial art film fanatics will be slightly disappointed by this film, but many will enjoy this movie for what it is – entertainment with a couple of excellent choreographed martial art scenes.

Let us hope that Jet Li and Jackie Chan get together again and get to be the main characters.

As a film considered the ordinary way, this is ordinary. It has a common framing device that folds the narrative: a wimpy kid rents lots of Kung Fu movies. Then he enters those movies which here are conflated with dreams. Pretty ordinary by recent standards. He is amazingly unattractive with the worst skin you will see on the big screen.

But the good thing is the compound choreography. I understand that this is the first Chan film that he has not choreographed. That's a good thing because this time the character choreography is coordinated with the camera choreography. And the cinematographer knew what he was doing.

So as with "Crouching Tiger" we as observers are often involve in the fight as if we were participating as fighters. Its a sort of fold, a trick to put us in the narrative (such as fights can be narrative) and have us invest in the thing. Its less beautiful and graceful than we've seen him do before. I suppose that's because some of the (comparative) lack of energy from these two aging athletes has to be picked up by a more energetic camera. Its a reasonable tradeoff.

I find effects that are not noticeable to be remarkable these days. Sure there are some effects that are not supposed to look real because they represent supernatural events. Even though the story is a mess because of many hands, the art design is amazingly coherent.

Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

This comes close. Jackie Chan and Jet Li played their parts perfectly. A bad script killed this for me. The protagonist doesn't do much to the story and is clearly a plant for crossover appeal.

I've heard that several actors (Gordon Lui) are looking at a script called Masternever. I'm excited about that.

Worth seeing though. Not as good as Crouching Tiger. Better than Hero.

I have to say that Jackie Chan did a wonderful job. It was good to see the "Druken Master" return to the stage.

How could this have been better? Get rid of Michael Angarano. He is a cornball. In addition, this movie should have been done in Chinese.

Crouching Tiger proved that a good movie will work regardless of the language.