Current Release: April 28th, 2009 | Vol. XXX Iss. 10

Ticket

By Katie Morris

kemorris@vwc.edu

Only one phrase is needed to advertise the DVD sales of  The Forbidden Kingdom, which came out Sept. 9. The phrase consists of three words, no adjectives, no verbs. The film s appeal can be summed up in just two names and an abbreviation:

Jet Li vs. Jackie Chan.

It s an epic battle and collaboration that has been a long time coming. This epic, highly anticipated class of the Kung Fu titans is choreographed by Master Yuen Woo-Ping, who worked with Li when he choreographed  Fearless (2006). It is filmed by the Oscar-winning cinematographer, Peter Pau, who photographed legendary Chinese director Zhang Yimou s  Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000). Just to give you a scope of that statement, Yimou also did  Curse of the Golden Flower (2006),  Hero (2002), and the 2008 Beijing Olympic ceremonies. The film was written by John Fusco ( Hidalgo, 2004), who is a long-time martial arts practitioner and is well read on Chinese culture, cinema and mythology. Yimou didn t direct, though. That was Rob Minkoff, ( The Lion King, 1994). But hey, four out of five s not bad.

Chan plays Lu Yan, a drunken  immortal, reminiscent of his famous  Drunken Master (1978). Li plays the Silent Monk, a role he is loved for in several films. The two have great chemistry, whether they re working together to whip American teen protagonist Jason Tripitikas (Michael Angarano) into shape as a Kung Fu master or antagonizing each other.

One of the best parts goes to Bingbing Li, who plays Ni Chang, a villainess known as  the white-haired demoness and  the witch who was by wolves. Fans of classic Kung Fu will recognize the character from the  The Bride with White Hair (1993).

Angarano plays Tripitikas, a Kung Fu-obsessed American teen who falls into the world of Ancient China after coming into possession of a bo staff that belongs to the Monkey King, now encased in stone by the Jade Warlord.

 The Forbidden Kingdom is a proverbial yin and yang. The film was obviously intended as a Hollywood blockbuster, but the influences of the classic Chinese Wushu films are present. The film is centered around the legends of the Monkey King, a central character in Chinese lore. Kung Fu references pepper the scripts. Though the story might seem cheesy to American audiences, fans more familiar with the sources will be willing to let it slide.

The film is worth at least one viewing, even for those of us not, eagerly snatching up the two disk special edition with digital copy. So, grab your Chinese dish of choice and a bottle of immortality elixir and enjoy. Gambei!