How can you possibly go wrong with Jackie Chan AND Jet Li? Oh and that’s what the producers are thinking...they’re even on the front page of the Hollywood Reporter pro-jected to take the top grossing spot this weekend.

I’m always a little bit skeptical, after all I’m a critic right? But I have to say I was thor-oughly and completely captivated and entertained by this Hong Kong meets Southie outing and it’s not just because I happen to be from Boston. So here’s the premise: poor white youngster (yes they do exist, haven’t you seen The Departed?) from South Boston, a particularly crime infested neighborhood is a 90 pound, martial arts loving, weakling. Well that is until he happens to find an ancient Chinese staff while he’s troll-ing around in a dusty Chinatown shop. Later he is vaulted back in time with a mission to return it to it’s rightful owner, The Monkey King. That’s right...Monkey King, you know, from the ancient Chinese legend. Okay, so they’ve Americanized it a bit...what Jackie Chan and Jet Li not enough to get us into the theaters?

ason (Michael Angarano late of Snow Angels) is plopped down right in the middle of rural China where no one seems to notice he’s not Chinese. Luckily just as he’s about to be annhilated by the bad, bad Jade Army, a “Drunken Master" in the form of Jackie shows up and in his inimitable Gene Kelly meets Bruce Lee way kicks some butt. Along the way they pick up a lovely Golden Sparrow (Liu Yifei), a poison hairpin throwing kung fu teen queen and the Silent Monk (Jet Li) who’s not entirely silent. Ultimately they have to face the eeevil but sexy Jade Warlord (the gorgeous Collin Chou) and the equally evil but sexy platinum haired witch Ni Chang (Li Bing Bing). Okay Hollywood, it’s time to put that pocket protector Asian geek stereotype to bed and share these Asian hunks with the world.


There’s lot’s of humor and amazingly choreographed fight scenes thanks to Wo Ping (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, The Matrix) and breathtaking, on location in China cinematography by Peter Pau. And there’s even a somewhat silly training montage where Jason seems to get his kung fu shit together. But since you obviously can’t turn a 16 year old softie into Bruce Lee in a week, we don’t see him really show his stuff until he’s back in the U.S. and forced to face down the neighborhood bullies. Besides if he was really that good, we’d all be denied the pleasure of watching Bruce and Jet come to the rescue again, and again, and again. A pleasure that none of us will ever get tired of.
I say Merchant Ivory don’t give up on literature and literary adaptations even if you sometimes miss the mark. Never forget Howard’s End, A Room With a View and Re-mains of the Day.

Forbidden Kingdom opens nationwide, April 18, 2008.

Directed by Rob Minkoff, written by John Fusco, produced by Casey Silver. Released by the Weinstein Company.

With: Jackie Chan, Jet Li (Silent Monk), Michael Angarano (Jason Tripitikas), Collin Chou (Jade Warlord) Liu Yifei (Golden Sparrow), and Li Bing Bing (Ni Chang).