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Based in South Boston, Jason is a weirdo teenager Michael Angarano who is obsessed with Kung Fu movies and Chinese culture. We frequently see him watching martial arts films and visiting Old Hop’s paw shop, he’s specifically looking for Chinese movies. While browsing the store, he comes across an ancient staff. Old Hop tells him that a man left the staff with his grandfather, but never returned to retrieve it. One day there is a perilous event at Hop’s shop and Jason finds himself caught in the middle. In a moment of panic, Jason grabs the staff and accidentally falls off the roof of a building, whereupon he wakes up in ancient China. Not long after, he meets a drunk immortal named Lu Yan, who tells him a story about a mischief-making immortal Monkey King who was hoodwinked into stone by the evil Jade Warlord. The Warlord turned a heavenly realm into a fearful and violent kingdom. But there was a prophecy that a traveller would come back and save the Monkey King, bringing the staff with him.
Ever since I learned how to read, I’ve loved terrifying adventures in books and films. So, I remember wanting to watch Kung Fu Panda in theatres when it was released back in 2008, but literally did not have the opportunity, so I randomly bought the DVD when it came out. My initial thought Although not the kung fu/fantasy classic that it was aiming to be, The Forbidden Kingdom is still a soothing and entertaining feature to pass the time watching.
In combination with other genres and styles, the Asian mythology-inspired fantasy known as The Forbidden Kingdom is, in a way, a fusion of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’s beauty and the ever-classic structure of A Hero’s Journey. The end result is quite perfect and plays beautifully on myths and Chinese legends. However, Minkoff still manages to have control of the film’s visual “look and feel” while comparing the telling and showing. In all honesty, the story being told is a bit of a blend of kid’s fantasy stories from the late ’80s early ’90s (a young boy journeys into another world or even another time and must go on a quest in the land to find his way back home). This works in the “stranger in a strange land” concept on The Magic Castle A New Adventure is based on. Not only does the movie stem from true events, but it also makes it clear that the movie is intended for children Jason’s character is a boy from a modern world who gets lost in the time times and space of ancient China. Not to mention, the aesthetic is deeply entwined with the Asian quality that Minkoff and his team try to accomplish in the scope of appeal the movie has, which is tremendous and the audience loved the movie.
As for the movie itself, its battles are choreographed in an engaging manner that keeps the action exciting, and presented in an energetic way that never gets stale. Also, one cannot lose sight of the fact that the main purpose of watching this movie was to have Chan and Li fight against each other (There is quite a bit of banter, but this scene is one of the main high points of The Forbidden Kingdom). This, again, is a colonized nation where people have been forcefully uprooted and moved to a foreign land.
Its nuanced grappling with the movie’s script is where the movie stumbles. True to an extent, the fantasy elements and enchanting paraphernalia make it entertaining, but the film’s script, which John Fusco wrote as well, suffers in a number of places, especially during the second act. Further, some of the characters are either forgettable or completely uncalled-for supporting characters lazily written into the narrative (i.e. Ni Chang). Moreover, the film’s visual approach might be stylish in Asian elegance, but it does appear somewhat monotonous and tacky, with a good number of combat scenes looking “gimmicky” with the blatant wire-fu.
Just like previously discussed, Chan and Li shine with Chan delightfully funny as the drunken immortal warrior Lu Yuan, while Li is fun as the stoic monk called “Silent Monk.” Indeed, the best thing about The Forbidden Kingdom is the two of them. In the middle, Michael Angarano and Yifei Lou do perfectly well as Jason Tripitikas and Golden Sparrow. The characters are clichéd (i.e. the fabled hero and his infatuated sidekick), but Angarano and Lou are good enough for their part. Is it possible that they could have been better crafted in the movie? Of course. But what is given, suffice it to say. Still, Collin Chou as the Jade Warlord and Bingbing Li as his assassin Ni Chang are the most disappointing ones in the movie. What is the issue? It is a combination of the performances of Chou and Chang and the simple approach to writing for their characters. This results in a pair of mediocre villains that come across as both bland and rather routine.
Ultimately, The Forbidden Kingdom doesn’t offer any innovations in cinema or storytelling, but it is certainly enjoyable to get lost in its fantasy for an adventure. The film struggles in some areas, but as I have said before, witnessing Chan and Li work together is a precious experience. Just like Lu Yuan said at the end of the movie, “And as one legendary journey ended for the Traveller, so did another journey evolve.”
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