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Forbidden Kingdom, The

Mixed or average reviews
Based on 27 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 52 votes
Read user comments
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Movie Info
Genre(s): Action | Adventure
Written by:
John Fusco
Ch'eng-En Wu
Directed by: Rob Minkoff
Release Date:
Theatrical: April 18, 2008
DVD: September 9, 2008
Running Time: 113 minutes, Color
Origin: USA
Summary
RATING: PG-13 for sequences of martial arts action and some violence
Starring Jet Li, Jackie Chan, Michael Angarano, Collin Chou, Crystal Liu Yi Fei, and Li Bing Bing
While hunting down bootleg kung fu DVDs in a Chinatown pawnshop, Jason Tripitikas makes an extraordinary discovery that sends him hurtling back in time to ancient China. There, Jason is charged with a monumental task: He must free the fabled warrior the Monkey King, who has been imprisoned by the powerful Jade Warlord. Jason is joined in his quest by wise kung fu master Lu and a band of misfit warriors including Silent Monk. But only by learning the true precepts of kung fu can Jason hope to succeed--and find a way to get back home. (Lionsgate)
Also On Metacritic
FILM: Stuart Little Stuart Little 2 The Haunted Mansion The Lion King
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database View The Trailer Official Studio Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow
Kung fu purists may scoff, but escapists with a sense of humor should romp through The Forbidden Kingdom.
Read Full Review >ReelViews James Berardinelli
For martial arts action fans, The Forbidden Kingdom may be the best fantasy story since the genre was opened to a wider audience by "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon."
Read Full Review >TV Guide Maitland McDonagh
To see the two of them on screen together, even past their primes, is a delight.
Read Full Review >Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez
The Forbidden Kingdom may be nothing but disposable fun, but it is a great, heaping, overflowing helping of fun. If you're 10, it may also seem like "Citizen Kane."
Read Full Review >The New York Times A.O. Scott
A faithful and disarmingly earnest attempt to honor some venerable and popular Chinese cinematic traditions.
Read Full Review >New York Magazine David Edelstein
Once past the clunky prologue, the film is great fun, with a good balance between computer effects and athleticism.
Read Full Review >Salon.com Stephanie Zacharek
Lavish in its approach -- it attempts some rather extravagant battle scenes -- yet it still seems modest in its goals: It's more interested in being a Saturday-afternoon entertainment than a blockbuster.
Read Full Review >Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov
The plot is negligible, but that's fine since it's really only a way to get from one set-piece to another.
Read Full Review >The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Liam Lacey
Although veteran choreographer Yuen Woo-Ping ( Kill Bill, The Matrix) handles the wire action, the camera work is merely okay and the sequences are on the familiar side. Still, it's fun to see Chan resurrect his loopy, staggering "drunken master" fighting style.
Read Full Review >Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea
The special effects are effective, though not terribly special. While director Minkoff pays homage to past masters of the genre, the past masters were better at this game than he.
Read Full Review >Boston Globe Ty Burr
Unashamed about giving its audience a good time, and the high spirits go a long way toward counterbalancing the cliches.
Read Full Review >New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman
The wisecracking Chan and the stoic Li play off their on-screen images with good humor, and if they don't have the agility they once did, it's still a joy to watch them make the most of Yuen Woo-ping's impressive choreography.
Read Full Review >Film Threat Matthew Sorrento
A dance of combat and humor saves a contrivance from drowning. Or, rather, Chan and Li elevate it enough to make it into a good time.
Read Full Review >Empire Helen O'Hara
The missing link between '00s wushu, '80s kids' fantasy and '70s chop-socky, this manages to be thoroughly entertaining - and the face-off between Chan and Li is worth the entrance price alone.
Read Full Review >Village Voice Nick Pinkerton
Taken as a whole, though, it's an amiable lost-and-found of epic-adventure tropes. As I still illogically treasure "Willow," many a 10-year-old who sees Forbidden Kingdom will remember it fondly in spite of its flaws.
Read Full Review >Portland Oregonian M. E. Russell
Minkoff lets the fight scenes go on for a while, which is nice, and all the best bits are in the middle, when Jackie and Jet spend a lot of time playing off each other.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan
There's nothing really wrong with all this in theory, but the overall doofiness of the execution is finally too much to overcome. The filmmakers come off like their protagonist, wide-eyed tourists in an exotic realm. If you've been looking for a martial arts film to take granny and the kids to, this might be the one, but a Jackie Chan-Jet Li collaboration deserves better than that.
Read Full Review >San Francisco Chronicle Peter Hartlaub
Feels a bit too much like six hours of movie packed into 113 minutes - imagine if New Line had made Peter Jackson cram the entirety of "Lord of the Rings" into one film.
Read Full Review >Variety Dennis Harvey
On its own terms, it's a handsome albeit unexceptional juvenile adventure shot on some magnificent Chinese locations.
Read Full Review >The Hollywood Reporter Stephen Farber
Will please its core audience but won't enthrall anyone over the age of 16. (Even that might be stretching the point.)
Read Full Review >Chicago Tribune Tasha Robinson
It's perhaps best suited for genre vets who can be satisfied with spot-the-reference games and Chan and Li's chemistry, or for undiscriminating kids who'll enjoy the "Karate Kid" vibe. But it's less a culmination of Li and Chan's careers than a passable footnote to better things.
Read Full Review >The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias
At best, The Forbidden Kingdom counts as an amiable time-waster for kids, but much more should be expected from the momentous union of two kung-fu titans.
Read Full Review >Chicago Reader Joshua Katzman
Pairing Jackie Chan and Jet Li would seem like a slam dunk, but this big-budget martial arts drama, which borrows liberally from "The Wizard of Oz," is something of a disappointment.
Read Full Review >Washington Post Desson Thomson
A movie that jumps between two worlds can be a powerful experience, as any fan of "The Wizard of Oz," "Back to the Future" or "The Terminator" can tell you. But this phoned-in epic is simply a celebration of the inauthentic.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 7.7 (out of 10) based on 52 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Jason A gave it a10:
I love this movie, it's alot of fun for the whole family. Enjoy it for what it is a saturday morning kung fu flick on steroids.
Jay H gave it a6:
A pleasant surprise, I am not at all into martial arts/kung fu films, but the production was excellent, great special effects and a good story. The cast was fine. Good plot and enjoyable, very entertaining.
William gave it a3:
I desperately looked forward to this and was thoroughly disappointed. The story was garbage, the kiddie lead annoying, and they didn't give Li or Chan enough quality fighting time.
Benjamin S gave it a9:
I liked Jackie Chan and Jet Li in one great kung fu fighting movie. I recommend it to everyone who love's this type of movie.
William S gave it a10:
This is the perfect escapist Far Eastern fantasy. For anyone (like myself) who has read lots of Eastern philosophy and mythology, this movie is an excellent blend of humour and fantasy. There are plenty of humorous references to Toaist and Zen Buddhism texts and legends. I loved when Jackie Chan mistaked a boy's stunned silence for complete understanding ("He speaks does not know, he who knows does not speak"). In this movie you will see characters and places from the Seven Taoist Masters, ancient Chinese folklore, and hear teachings from Zen Buddism. Its really alot of fun, with beautiful scenery, cool fight scenes, and plenty of comedy.
Nicholas D gave it a10:
Fricking amazing, can't believe didn't get an official box office release here in Oz (or did and I somehow missed it). I also kinda can't believe it got such a low score here on metacritic... Ah well I guess an ode to classic kung fu is not everyones idea of a great film... but Jet Li and Jackie Chan (especially without a bad Hollywood comedy script) was my idea of cinema gold.
Cat S gave it a10:
I thought this movie was tremendous. I love martial arts flicks, and this one was funny, well-acted, and had lots of nods to fans of the two leads. I enjoyed the heck out of it!
