THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM (Theatrical Release USA 2008)

Ben Meyers’ rating: 3.6|5.0 Starsììì

The Forbidden Kingdom—good Chinese culture fantasy film—involves the Monkey King myth. For full enjoyment of this movie, do a little research on the significance of the Monkey King in Chinese lore before you invest time and money in this entertainment. The special effects behind the action scenes lack realism and need a reboot; but, the overall story flows smoothly partially due to the choice of Jackie Chan and Michael Angarano as backup to Jet Li, who acts the part of the Monkey King. Michael Angarano shows good onscreen charisma in this film.

Film Poster Courtesy of Wikipedia

Storyline

Teenager Jason Tripitikas (Michael Angarano) finds a magical staff that involves him in an adventure far beyond what he would have expected.

Additional Thanks

Thank You to Director Rob Minkoff for directing effort. Thank you to Executive Producers Raffaella De Laurentiis, Ryan Kavanaugh, Michael Paseornek, Lynwood Spinks, Zhongjun Wang, and Woo-Ping Yuen for making the film possible. Additional characters/cast include: The Monkey King/The Silent Monk (Jet Li), Lu Yan/Old Hop (Jackie Chan), Southie Girl (Juana Collignon), Lupo (Morgan Benoit), Southie (Jack Posobiec), Young Southie (Thomas McDonell), Old Woman (Zhi Ma Gui), Farmer (Shen Shou He), and Young Village Man (Bin Jiang).

Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?

Yes. It stands as an interesting dip into Chinese fantasy.

Video Critique Available Here:

Ben Meyers