Forbidden Kingdom (3 Stars)

This is a film that should thrill all fans of kung fu movies. Jet Li and Jackie Chan in the same film! I have to admit, it thrilled me as well. Or at least, it did until I watched it. The film has a few highlights, such as a dazzling fight between the two martial arts heroes, but the story is disappointing. Added to that, the film is in English, even when Chinese characters speak to one another. That downgrades the film for a purist like me. I admit, the use of English is necessary for the plot, but if that's the case the plot should have been rewritten.

The film starts with the teenager Jason Tripitikas in New York City. He's a big fan of martial arts films, so he often visits a pawn shop in Chinatown to buy second hand DVDs. In the shop he finds a golden staff which is waiting to be collected by its rightful owner. He witnesses the shop being robbed. He grabs the staff, but the robbers beat him up. He's knocked out, and he wakes up hundreds of years ago in China.

He meets two characters: Lu Yan, a drunken master played by Jackie Chan, and an unnamed monk played by Jet Li. They tell him about a prophecy that a messenger will return the golden staff to the Monkey King to help him defeat his enemy, the Jade Warrior. The two men train Jason as a fighter. They're joined by Golden Sparrow, a woman seeking revenge for her parents who were killed by the Jade Warrior.

They're an unlikely assortment. The monk is serious and deeply spiritual. Lu Yan is only able to fight when he's drunk. Golden Sparrow is fuelled by hatred. Jason is just along for the ride, unable to believe he's the hero in an ancient prophecy.

In order to reach the Monkey King, who's been turned into a statue in the Jade Warrior's palace, they have to defeat a witch called Ni Chang. Why are evil women always the most beautiful?

Not that Golden Sparrow is unattractive. I thought I recognised her, so I checked her on IMDB. Of course! She's played by Yifei Liu, the title character in the 2020 version of "Mulan". 

It's not just the infeasible plot that spoils the film; it's also the dreadful English language dialogue. When they're fighting, Golden Sparrow calls Ni Chang a witch, and Ni Chang replies that Golden Sparrow is a bitch. That's just tasteless.

Success Rate:  + 0.3

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