The Warriors Gate

It may wear its tag of being the first significant 'French-Chinese co-production' proudly on its sleeve, but 'The Warrior's Gate' is really no more than a rehash of another East-meets-West action comedy that you may remember from about a decade ago called 'The Forbidden Kingdom'. Like the latter, it sends an American teenager back to ancient China where he learns to summon the warrior inside of him and teams up with a noble companion to save a kingdom from the clutches of an evil warlord. Like the latter, its humour is based on self-aware anachronism and its action of the traditional 'wushu' variety. And last but not least, like the latter, it lets its modern-day Caucasian male protagonist fall in love with a steely yet gentle female from that era, the inter-ethnic coupling not only to pander to the teenage demographic but also to ensure its appeal to audiences on both sides of the continent. And yet, if you're willing to put aside the obvious similarities, you're likely to find this reiteration more entertaining than you're expecting it to be.

Such faint praise however is also premised on little expectation at the start, which is a prerequisite for any manner of enjoyment. You should not, in the first instance, expect it to make much sense, for it gives scant regard to logic or coherence. As its hero Jack Bronson (newcomer Uriah Shelton) does, you should simply accept with little question that the English-speaking Chinese warrior Zhao (Mark Chao) in steel armour and straw hat who suddenly appears next to his bedside one evening has indeed travelled through a time portal in a waist-height drum-shaped chest he had received as a gift from the antiques dealer he helps out at after school. You should also accept the warrior's explanation that the young lady who shows up with him dressed like a princess (Ni Ni) is indeed one, and that she is on the run from some very terrible people. And while we're at it, you should accept that you are the hero they seek called 'The Black Knight' – because that is the name of your avatar in a similar video game – and not hesitate to journey back in time to fulfil your destiny. Like we said, disbelief is pointless if you intend to buy into its premise.

And so begins a fantasy adventure that sees Jack jump into the portal when said Princess Sulin is kidnapped by fierce-looking Mongol and Viking-like warriors and taken back to ancient China, where the barbarian named 'Arun the Cruel, the Horrible, the Terrible, the Miserable' (or 'Arun the Cruel' in short, played by Dave Bautista) has arranged their forced marriage in order to become Emperor. Jack thus teams up with Zhao to journey across the undulating lands to Arun's lair, with some timely help here and there from a trickster wizard named Wu (Francis Ng) who may or may not have something to do with Jack's current predicament. Theirs is a buddy trip, where encounters with a vile mountain spirit (Kara Wai) and a trio of wicked witches (think Macbeth) will foster the bond of brotherhood between them, such that Zhao will come to teach Jack the basics of kung fu and Jack will impress upon Zhao how the latter's life could be a happier place if he simply learnt to have fun from time to time.

It is no mystery whether Jack and Zhao will rescue Princess Sulin in time before her fateful marriage with Arun, or for that matter if Jack will eventually turn out to be the valiant 'Black Knight' that prophecy had foretold. Neither the climactic rescue on the morning of the forced union nor the ensuing one-on-one between Jack and Arun will raise your pulse – you've probably seen bigger, better and more exciting ones from China/ Hong Kong period war epics like this year's 'Call of Heroes'. Indeed, what's more notable is how director Matthias Hoene balances comedy and drama to keep the tone jocular without being satirical and thoughtful without being melodramatic. That is really more difficult than it looks, considering its far- fetched premise and the tendency of such East-West mishmashes to end up reinforcing the worst cultural stereotypes of each. It is these same sensitivities that inform the somewhat multiple endings, which suffice to say are specifically crafted in order not to land up forcing Jack and Sulin to choose his or her world over the other.

In the end, the fact that it doesn't take itself too seriously is essentially why this potential misfire turns out a pleasant surprise by being mildly winning. Like we said at the start, we weren't expecting much from this rip-off of 'The Forbidden Kingdom', which was itself diverting but disposable entertainment. The same can be said of 'The Warrior's Gate', but at least not Hoene or its French co-writers (Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen) or its East-West cast deny. Heck, even the typical over-the-top villain such as Arun gets in on the fun with a running joke about his over-enthusiastic but dull right-hand man Brutus who keeps executing the wrong person. The young lead cast of Shelton, Chao and Ni Ni also have good chemistry between them, such that we root for the Shelton and Chao as well as Shelton and Ni Ni as buddies and lovers respectively from two different eras. As long as you keep your expectations right, you won't end up disappointed, which is pretty much already an accomplishment for a movie like this that you're probably thinking will bomb.

Definitely more of a kid's film but still could have been better.

Seemed like a kids film to me, so don't be too harsh on it. Bad things: some very artificial ADR, average casting, odd blend of language accents, lame bad guy jokes, average acting from the lead, which could have something to do will lazy actor direction. Great things: the concept, the music, the costumes and there would have been a good script in there somewhere.

Kids will love it. Not too much violence and very little blood seen. Has a gorgeous young lady that boys will want to fall in love with. Nice romantic escapism.

Action , adventure , romance , drama , heroes , heroines, tradition and martial arts blend in this attractive movie that belongs to Oriental genre. The Dark Knight, a great warrior in the world of video games, isn't doing well in real life: there he is simply Jack Bronson (Uriah Shelton) , a bullied teenager who works at Mr. Chang's shop. The teen lives with his Annie (Sienna Guillory) who has economic problems. One day, Mr. Chang gave him an object that has always belonged to his family. Accepting a gift from his Chinese-American boss, American teen Jack Bronson gains a portal to Ancient China, where he teams up with a royal bodyguard, Zhao (Mark Chao), to save a feisty martial-arts-trained princess called Sulin (Ni Ni) from an evil foe (Dave Bautista) and a forced marriage.

Luc Besson co-writes and produces this film, aimed at a young audience; it combines fantasy, action, adventure, and martial arts to tell the story of a young American-an expert video game fighter and a perfect victim in the real world-who finds himself magically transported to ancient China, where he must become a hero.

This charming film is packed with fights in Jackie Chan-style, fantasy, humor, magic, betrayal, great entertainment and lots of fun. A fantastic film including deadly confrontations and martial arts that satisfies on both accounts, concerning some heroes on a dangerous and long-awaited search for freedom, as well as enthrone the legitimate heiress to the throne.

This is the second film by director Matthias Hoene, following 'Cockneys vs Zombies (2012)' and he after made 'Little Bone Lodge (2023)'. Lavishly produced by Luc Besson, winner of the Cesar for best director for 'The Fifth Element', and the script is by Besson himself together with Robert Mark Kamen. Although professionally directed by Matthias Hoene, this film is clearly a work of Luc Besson, as evidenced by his usual trademarks and ordinary visual pyrotechnics, such as: unstoppable action, luxurious sets, exotic environments, peculiar romances and attractive dramas. Besson often features fully enclosed sets with no natural lighting and typically, during the opening-titles, the camera moves towards something important for the movie, but looks down until the important part of credits was shown, then swings up, now looking at a place or character. Luc often casts Jean Reno and music always by Eric Serra. Besson is the greatest producer and director from France with hits as ¨Leon¨ , ¨Joan of Arc¨ , ¨The fifth element¨ , the ¨Taxi¨ series , ¨Big blue¨ , ¨Lucy¨, ¨Malavita¨, "The lady¨,¨The extraordinary aventures of d'Adèle Blanc-Sec¨, "Arthur and the Minimois¨, ¨Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets ¨, ¨Anna¨ and , of course , ¨Nikita¨, among others . Rating 'Enter the Warrior Gate': 5.5/10 . Well worth watching . The pic will appeal to fantasy movies fans.

This must be appealing to the younger crowd but I'm a senior and have always loved fantasy books and films! I don't care if so many things are impossible and incorrect , the point is it's an entertaining fantasy feature. Sure it's been done before but so many other movies too!

The acting is good, there is lots of humor and the SFX are nice too! Beautiful landscapes add to the quality of the film! I had fun watching it and I'm sure ,if you're a fantasy lover , you will too!