This weekend I watched 'Forbidden Kingdom' at PVR Naraina. The movie is loosely based on characters from the Chinese book 'Journey to the West' which I used to read over and over again as a child. The 'Monkey King', I thought was quite cute, though I always imagined him to be thinner and less hairy. Pigsy and Sandy were missing from the movie, though still pictures of them were shown in the opening credits.
Forbidden Kingdom - 8/10 - Kung Fu Fantasy Classic - starring Jackie Chan (double role), Jet Li (double role) and Michael Angarano. The movie is about an American kid - Jason, who is obsessed with classic Kung Fu movies. One day, he witnesses some school bullies shooting the owner of the Chinese video shop. Before loosing consciousness, the store owner gives him a golden staff and tells him to 'return it to its rightful owner.' Jason runs away from the thugs and ends up falling from the roof, entering a new dimension.
Here, Jason meets Jackie Chan, a drunken beggar who informs him that the staff has to be returned to the 'Monkey King' who has been turned into stone by the Jade Warlord. As he and Jackie make their way to the mountain, they meet the Quiet Monk (Jet Li) and the Golden Sparrow (a girl whose parents were killed by the warlord). Together, they go about on their rescue mission armed with nothing but their stunning Kung Fu moves and lots of comedy.
The locales of Forbidden Kingdom were stunning. Screenplay was good. The Director stressed more on realistic Kung Fu action rather than the fake special effects we have come to expect from most Hollywood movies. The acting and comedy were great. With CGI being used sparingly, the movie seemed more natural, believable and full of life than hits like the 'Lord of the Rings'.
All in all, Forbidden Kingdom is an awesome paisa vasool summer flick that you just should not miss. Have you seen Forbidden Kingdom??
Any movie that has both Jackie Chan and Jet Li has to be interesting...
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I believe most of Jackie Chan's movies have action sequences that are filmed without much help from computer graphics. In fact, Chan has often sustained injuries while filming such scenes.
My kids were dying to go see, so I took them. It's like fusion movie, China and US, didn't appeal to me unlike other J Chan's movies, authentic Chinese!:))
ReplyDeleteHaven't had a chance to see it yet, but few friends who saw this did not rate it high.
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Rosh