The Forbidden Kingdom
An American teenager who is obsessed with Hong Kong cinema and kung-fu classics makes an extraordinary discovery in a Chinatown pawnshop: the legendary stick weapon of the Chinese sage and warrior, the Monkey King. With the lost relic in hand, the teenager unexpectedly finds himself travelling back to ancient China to join a crew of warriors from martial arts lore on a dangerous quest to free the imprisoned Monkey King.
Critics Sentiment
Jackie Chan and Jet Li duel each other for the elixir
The group travels across the desert toward Five Elements Mountain
The film recovers dramatically from its slow middle section when Jackie Chan and Jet Li finally fight each other, jumping from 5.8 to 8.4 in their spectacular duel.
The Forbidden Kingdom starts promisingly with Jackie Chan's classic drunken master performance and the exciting pairing of two martial arts legends, but sags in the predictable middle act. The film redeems itself spectacularly with the long-awaited Chan versus Li fight scene, which reviewers universally praise as worth the wait, before settling into a satisfactory but formulaic conclusion.
Full cast
Jackie Chan
Old Hop / Lu Yan
Jet Li
The Silent Monk / The Monkey King
Michael Angarano
Jason Tripitikas
Liu Yifei
Golden Sparrow / Chinatown Girl
Li Bingbing
Ni Chang a.k.a White-Haired Witch
Collin Chou
Jade Warlord
Morgan Benoit
Lupo
Jack Posobiec
Southie
Thomas McDonell
Young Southie
Juana Collignon
Southie Girl
Zhi Ma Gui
Old Woman
Shen Shou He
Farmer
Bin Jiang
Young Village Man
Shaohua Yang
Jade Soldier
Yu Yuan Zeng
Inn Keeper
David Will No
Jade Officer (voice, uncredited)
Sam Wong Ming-Sing
Shi Xiao Ju
Sparrow's mother
Wang Deshun
Crew
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