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Forbidden Kingdom, The
Lionsgate


7.7

based on 27 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 51 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

FILM:

MPAA 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)

GENRE(S):	Action \| Adventure
WRITTEN BY:	John Fusco Ch'eng-En Wu
DIRECTED BY:	Rob Minkoff
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: September 9, 2008 Theatrical: April 18, 2008
RUNNING TIME:	113 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	USA

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.

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."

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker

The result is joyous and exhilarating.

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

To see the two of them on screen together, even past their primes, is a delight.

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."

The New York Times A.O. Scott

A faithful and disarmingly earnest attempt to honor some venerable and popular Chinese cinematic traditions.

New York Magazine David Edelstein

Once past the clunky prologue, the film is great fun, with a good balance between computer effects and athleticism.

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.

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.

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.

New York Post Kyle Smith

It's good-natured myth-making cut into kid-size pieces.

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.

Boston Globe Ty Burr

Unashamed about giving its audience a good time, and the high spirits go a long way toward counterbalancing the cliches.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Variety Dennis Harvey

On its own terms, it's a handsome albeit unexceptional juvenile adventure shot on some magnificent Chinese locations.

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.)

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.

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.

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.

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.

Entertainment Weekly Adam Markovitz

This kingdom really should be forbidden.

The average user rating for this movie is 7.7 (out of 10) based on 51 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!

Forbidden Kingdom, The Lionsgate

Forbidden Kingdom, The
Lionsgate