Forbidden Kingdom is a fun project from Jackie Chan and Jet Li. It is not intended to be a classic in anyway. This is one-time off movie. This movie was released in a time when producers or the studio was not keen on building cinematic universes. I could easily see this would bee stretched thin to multiple movies leading to forbidden kingdom. Thank God, that was a simpler time.
I am not as much familiar with Jet Li's works as I am of Jackie Chan, but I am pretty sure that Jet Li went out of his comfort zone to potray the Monkey King. While the Silent Monk was right up his alley, Monkey King seemed to be more "fun" than the usual Jet Li. Eventhough this effort was noticeable, it was not so bad. Jackie Chan as usual plays to his strengths. Casting his as the drunken master was a no-brainer. The casting of Jade Warlord and the seeker was the disappointing one. To know that Donnie Yen was rejected as the Jade Emperor, broke my heart. The Seeker was sub-par to say the least. He lacked the charisma of protagonist. Meanwhile Golden Sparrow just existed.
The highlight of the movie was undoubtedly the showdown between the two masters. That long action sequence was why I decided to rewatch the movie. The dance between the two legends was a treat to see.
The action sequences are filled with wirework, the plot is not bare minimal, just enough to make it work. Watch it for fun and don't expect a classic.
I am not as much familiar with Jet Li's works as I am of Jackie Chan, but I am pretty sure that Jet Li went out of his comfort zone to potray the Monkey King. While the Silent Monk was right up his alley, Monkey King seemed to be more "fun" than the usual Jet Li. Eventhough this effort was noticeable, it was not so bad. Jackie Chan as usual plays to his strengths. Casting his as the drunken master was a no-brainer. The casting of Jade Warlord and the seeker was the disappointing one. To know that Donnie Yen was rejected as the Jade Emperor, broke my heart. The Seeker was sub-par to say the least. He lacked the charisma of protagonist. Meanwhile Golden Sparrow just existed.
The highlight of the movie was undoubtedly the showdown between the two masters. That long action sequence was why I decided to rewatch the movie. The dance between the two legends was a treat to see.
The action sequences are filled with wirework, the plot is not bare minimal, just enough to make it work. Watch it for fun and don't expect a classic.