The Forbidden Kingdom

The Forbidden Kingdom (2-Disc Special Edition) [Blu-ray]
Directed by Rob Minkoff

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #493 in DVD
• Brand: Lions Gate
• Released on: 2008-09-09
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
• Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 104 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Getting martial-arts superstars Jet Li and Jackie Chan together in the same action film is like a fantasy come true, even if The Forbidden Kingdom is more of a children's movie than an instant kung-fu classic. Yes, Li and Chan square off in a lengthy, acrobatic fight scene that is a lot of fun, though it can't be what such a scene might have been even a decade ago: careful editing now compensates for the 54-year-old Chan's slower moves and reflexes. Still, Chan doesn't disappoint as Lu Yan, a drunken immortal in ancient China who mentors a modern-day American kid, Jason (Michael Angarano), the latter having slipped into the past while in possession of a magical staff that belongs to the imprisoned Monkey King (Li). In order to get back to his own time and help an old friend (also Chan) wounded by thugs, Jason accompanies Lu Yan and a lovely warrior, Golden Sparrow (Liu Yifei), on a journey to return the staff. Along the way, a (mostly) silent monk (Li, again), who has spent his life in search of the staff, joins their mission. He helps Lu Yan train Jason in fighting and adding more muscle to the party as it comes under siege from a violent witch (Li Bing Bing) and pathological warlord (Collin Chou). Screenwriter John Fusco (Hidalgo) and director Rob Minkoff (The Haunted Mansion) have made a slightly chintzy, Western version of a Chinese swords-and-sorcery tale. The gravity-defying, flying-through-the-air-while-fighting choreography looks pretty choppy and graceless compared to, say, the martial arts films of Zhang Yimou. But The Forbidden Kingdom is really aimed at kids, not aficionados of epic fight movies. On that score, the movie aims to please and does so for the right audience. -- Tom Keogh

Beyond The Forbidden Kingdom on DVD

The Forbidden Kingdom Soundtrack

Stills from The Forbidden Kingdom (click for larger image)

Customer Reviews

fine
The disc was disconnected from the case when I received it. I had to open the dvd (It was a gift for someone else) to reset it in place. There were fine scratches on the disc from being shakes around during the shipping process.

no "eye of the tiger" moment here.
Plot: Jason, a kid from the city who is well versed in kung fu movies, gets transported to some parallel Chinese universe so he can return a staff to the Monkey King (played by Li). The Monkey King was tricked and frozen in stone by some other evil kung fu guy. Along the way, Jason meets a drunk (played by Chan) and monk (also played by Li) who help train Jason in kung fu fighting so he can return the staff to the Monkey King.

The camera work was not too crazy so you could actually see the artistry in the fights. The best fight scene had to be the one, mid movie, b/n Chan and Li's characters. I wish there were a little more laughs, better script, and the English was a little easier to hear (thick accents). The wirework in the fight scenes was pretty obvious during some parts (and not just during the Monkey King scenes where it seemed to be intentional). Chan's drunk character was a little too slurry for me and Li's Monkey King character was a little too flippant. I thought the third person talk by Golden Sparrow and the hair parts at the end of the movie were pretty random and out of the blue.

Jet Li Rocks as does Jackie Chan
Great movie. Something for everyone in this fun movie. Blu-Ray takes it up a visual notch as well.

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