I enjoyed seeing Jackie Chan and Jet Li on screen at the same time. The movie is very engaging, and the martial arts are top rate.
If I had any complaint it would be that it was just too short.

Jackie Chan makes a great drunken mystic, and Jet Li is as good as ever in this very entertaining film. The setpieces are great and there are quite a few good laughs involved in this movie. It is aimed at kids, but it's still good fun and well worth watching.

I love me some Crouching Tiger-ish Kung Fu movies. I've had my eye on The Forbidden Kingdom since it came out, considering the film teamed up Jet Li AND Jackie Chan- two favs for me!- in a fantasy type period piece.

I, for one, wasn't disappointed although- because it seemed to be targeting a younger audience- it didn't match the caliber of some other recent martial arts films to hit the theaters.

The story begins with a young boy named Jason who dreams Kung Fu epic battles every night. He's even befriended an old Chinese man he calls Pop, who runs a pawn shop in Boston's Chinatown. When a bunch of bullies force him to get Pop to open the door for them, he ends up running for his life. But during the fray, Jason picks up a magical bo staff that Pop had been holding onto till the one who is supposed to return it to it's proper owner arrives.

To Jason's horror, the Bullies end up shooting Pop, and just when they have Jason cornered as well, the bo staff transports Jason to an ancient Chinese kingdom, where an evil war lord rules and the noble Monkey King has been turned to stone, awaiting the return of his magical staff.

Which of course becomes Jason's mission!

Along the way, he meets a constantly inebriated immortal named Lu Yan (Jackie Chan) who reluctantly agrees to mentor Jason in the martial arts. He also befriends a beautiful young woman named Sparrow, who's family was murdered by the nut case warlord. To round out the group, a mysterious monk (Jet Li) who has dedicated his life to finding the Monkey King's staff, also joins them.

Stunningly beautiful scenery populates the film and crazy acrobatic battles between Li & Chan ensue- as well as between these two and the big bads! The movie even made me chuckle from time to time, thanks to the always enthusiastic, though admittedly getting-too-old-for-this, Jackie Chan.

In the end, The Forbidden Kingdom felt a bit like The Karate Kid for 2008. A cool little fable with plenty of action too boot! (I certainly would recommend it for a younger audience then Jet Li usually draws!)

4 out of 5 from me