Forbidden Kingdom (2008)
Forbidden Kingdom (2008) 4/10
Forbidden Kingdom might actually have been a good movie if (1) the dialog was in Mandarin and (2) they had a proper script. As it stands, the only reason to watch it is the vaunted pairing of Jackie Chan with Jet Li. Unfortunately, this pairing comes at least 10 years too late. If it had been a joust during the prime of their careers, it would have been a sight to behold. Unfortunately, they are no longer at the peak, and the centerpiece action is solid but nowhere near the best action sequences of either star.
The single most jarring part of the film is the decision to make the characters speak english. No doubt, it is an attempt to appeal to the western demographic, but this makes the film quite painful to watch because both Chan and Li are clearly uncomfortable in English (although i’ll grant that Chan’s english has improved greatly over the years). Having them narrate significant portions is simply grating. It doesn’t help that they have terrible, pseudo-zen dialog. It seems as if the dialog was written in chinese then translated to english which make them sound particularly corny. Dialog which might have sounded poetic in Chinese becomes very kitschy when directly translated, and the entire dialog of the film should have been reworked.
Another bone of contention is the ridiculous mishmash of plots which riffs amongst other things the Journey to the West storyline. But it has been so utterly jumbled that the plot becomes a campy and ridiculous affair. The end result is an uninteresting and largely campy film that has too much stilted dialog and not enough action.
As for the action, the highlight is a single combat sequence between Li and Chan which is fairly well crafted, although it is nowhere near their personal bests. The other action sequences however, are too often CGI enhanced and are mediocre at best. The supporting cast is largely forgettable, although Liu Yifei makes for great eye candy and Colin Chan looks ridiculous with way too much eyeshadow. Overall, the film might please Western audiences unfamiliar with the best works of Li or Chan but longtime fans will undoubtedly be disappointed by this campy, lacklustre effort.
