Two of the martial arts genre’s most celebrated sons, Jet Li and Jackie Chan, appear together for the first time in The Forbidden Kingdom. Li had previously stated that he was done with Kung Fu flicks, but the Weinstein brothers must have flashed their cheque books because he’s back again. Chan, on the other hand, is starring in his first Hollywood feature where he’s not also responsible for choreographing the fisty cuffs. That responsibility instead falls to Woo-Ping Yuen, the man behind the fight scenes in The Matrix and Kill Bill. While this assemblage of talent will have kung fu enthusiasts licking their lips in anticipation, the end result will likely be a disappointment to them.
An American teen (Morgan Benoit) obsessed with kung fu films discovers a mysterious fighting staff at his favourite video store. He gets more than he bargained for when it transports him to an alternate fantasy world where only the return of the staff to its rightful owner can end the rule of the evil Jade Warlord. Fortunately, Li and Chan are there to help him out and provide enough star power to detract from a tired, padded out storyline with hit or miss attempts at comedy, aimed squarely at the lowest common denominator.
Despite being a martial arts film, the fight scenes are similarly underwhelming. The drawcard of such moments is the speed, grace and fluidity of the performers. But in these instances, such elements are negated by the shooting style. Close ups and quick cutting short change the spectacle that exists in superior examples of the genre. The only exception is when Li and Chan get their one chance to clash, and director Rob Minkoff steps back to let them do their thing.
Yuen’s contribution is sadly minimal, with the pedestrian choreography an accurate reflection on the watered down, neutered co-option of the eastern style for a presumably teenaged American audience. It’s an approach that even makes homage to previous works like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Drunken Master seem more like lazy plagiarism.
On the plus side, The Forbidden Kingdom may introduce some audience members to an interest in martial arts movies, but considering the names of those involved, it could, and should, have been a whole lot better.
