Forbidden Kingdom

What's it all about?
A kid, who looks remarkably like a second-rate Shia LaBeouf, finds a magical staff that teleports him to a kingdom far away.

There he meets a drunk immortal, a monk and a beautiful girl, who help him on a quest to return the staff to its rightful owner, the Monkey King.

Looks Like...
Nothing special.

At no point does the film look bad but it mostly just gets along doing average. Colours are colourful and darks are dark (occasionally TOO dark). The CGI was passable. That is all.

Special mention does have to go to the costume design however, who managed to crystallize each of the characters with the costume they wear.

Sounds Like...
Despite having quite the famous composer (A Mr. Gregson Williams, I'll have you know), the music itself was generic and just got the job done, without flash or brilliance.

Feels Like...
Now I must repeat myself again. The story was nothing special, just merely passable.

We've all seen these type of stories enough times to quote them off by heart. Kid has trouble in real world, travels to mystical realm, defeats great evil and then uses the things learnt to sort out their real life. All it is is "The Neverending Story" all over again, with a Chinese twist.

But the film knows what it is, and also knows why people are coming to see it. The reason is right up there on the film poster. Jet Li and Jackie Chan. This is the first, and possibly only time, we can come and see two great film martial artists fight in the same film. It's the most important day for these types of film for the foreseeable future. It'll sit high until a certain Mr. Lee rise from the dead.

And it is here that the film rise past passable and into kickass territory. When they fight inside the temple, it is like watching masters at play. It can be argued that neither is in their prime, but the kick, punch, tumble and fall better than any of these new pretenders to their throne.

It is when these two are on screen that the film hits its stride. They have chemistry and seem to be enjoying themselves in a way that almost breaks the forth wall. They look like they're enjoying their first chance to work together.

It is just a shame they have to choose this film to do it in. As mentioned, the story is predictable and cliche, yet still full of plot holes. The hammy plot is complimented by pretty hammy dialogue and acting. There are laughs, but not enough considering the material. At times it takes itself WAY too seriously. And characters aren't fully developed or properly explained (Why exactly does the girl refer to herself in the third person?).

Despite all this, it IS watchable. The tone is childish and simplistic, but also fun. And it also never patronises, which earns it bonus points.

And if anything, it should be seen for one of the pivotal fight scenes in movie history.

Verdict...
Not great, but not terrible either. If you're a fan of either Chan or Li, their fight is worth the ticket price alone.