By Robert Sims
Story
How refreshing that
Chan’s gone public in dismissing
John Fusco’s script to this fantasy epic as unimpressive. He’s right. But what difference does it make when all we want to see is
Chan and
Li kicking butt? And
The Forbidden Kingdom offers plenty of opportunities for them to do just that. So what whimsy excuse has
Fusco and director
Rob Minkoff come up with to unite
Chan and
Li? Well, they have essentially fused the Chinese literary classic
Journey to the West--which features the mythical hero Monkey King--with
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. Only this time, Mark Twain’s “curious stranger” happens to be a wimpy kid (
Michael Angarano) who’s whisked back in time to ancient China with the aid of the magical staff belonging to the Monkey King (
Li). For no other reason than to pander to American audiences, Jason’s charged with the task of freeing a trapped-in-stone Monkey King from the grasp of the powerful Jade Warlord (
Collin Chou). Jason may possess a
Quentin Tarantino-esque knowledge of kung fu movies, but he’s no Bruce Lee. Enter Lu Yan (
Chan) and the Silent Monk (Li, again), two mighty warriors who not only join Jason’s quest to defeat the Jade Warlord but also make like Mr. Miyagi to train him in the way of the martial arts.
Acting
Chan rehashes his
Drunken Master shtick, so there’s much humor to be found in his wine-guzzling immortal’s efforts to vanquish his foes while fighting under the influence. And, as usual,
Chan makes inventive use of the props that he gets in his hands. He even shows off his aerobatic moves while caked in old-geezer makeup as the owner of the store where Jason finds the staff. As the Monkey King and the Silent Monk,
Li throws more punches than he utters lines of dialogue.
Li, though, has twice as much fun as
Chan with his two different roles. The Silent Monk lives up to his name, but when the action starts, the wushu-trained
Li comes across as stronger, swifter and nimbler than the older
Chan. Looking very much like Curious George with his pulled-back hair and lengthy sideburns,
Jet Li reveals a charming playfulness as the giggling Monkey King that we’ve not seen in his Hollywood-produced bloodbaths.
Angarano, though, is bland and boring. He’s
Shia LaBeouf without the personality, depth or comic timing.
Yifei Liu, as the vengeful Golden Sparrow, proves to be as much a lethal weapon as her male counterparts. Decked out like
Halle Berry in
X-Men,
Li Bingbing is delightfully malicious as Golden Sparrow’s nemesis Ni Chang. She also exudes more menace than the oily Chou.
Direction
So it remains unsettled as to who would emerge victorious if
Jackie Chan and
Jet Li duked it out for bragging rights (my money’s on
Li because his characters possess a killer instinct that
Chan’s nice guys lack). But director
Rob Minkoff--responsible for
The Lion King and
Stuart Little--knows what’s important when it comes to
The Forbidden Kingdom . It’s all about the big brawls, baby. With the invaluable assistance of
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon marital arts choreographer Woo-Ping Yuen,
Minkoff ensures that
Chan and
Li are always busy doing what they do best. He doesn’t reign in
Chan and
Li--whose easy rapport is evident from the beginning--or cut short the furiously executed skirmishes that boast everything from stick fighting to wire fu. Then again, that only appropriate considering
The Forbidden Kingdom sets itself up from its funky opening credits as a homage to Hong Kong action cinema. Still,
The Forbidden Kingdom does grind to a halt whenever
Chan and
Li take a breather. The story’s tired and predictable, the dialogue’s grating, and the comedy’s forced--though it’s quite amusing and cathartic to watch
Chan and
Li knock around the ineffectual Jason. For all its flaws, though,
The Forbidden Kingdom offers the priceless spectacle of
Chan and
Li kung fu fighting. And those cats really are as fast as lightning.