The Forbidden Kingdom (2008)

64% of critics liked it
(126 reviews)
65% of users liked it
(302,472 ratings)

Legendary martial arts stars Jackie Chan and Jet Li come together onscreen for the first time ever in director Rob Minkoff's time-traveling take on the Monkey King fable that finds an American teen transported back to ancient China after wandering into a pawn shop and discovering the king's fighting… More Legendary martial arts stars Jackie Chan and Jet Li come together onscreen for the first time ever in director Rob Minkoff's time-traveling take on the Monkey King fable that finds an American teen transported back to ancient China after wandering into a pawn shop and discovering the king's fighting stick. Once there, the adventurous teen joins an army of fierce warriors who have sworn to free their imprisoned king at all costs. In addition to appearing as the mythical Monkey King, Li assumes the role of a silent monk, and Chan appears in the role of kung fu master Lu Yan. Famed action choreographer Yuen Woo Ping presides over the fight sequences. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 45 min.
Directed By: Rob Minkoff
Written By: John Fusco
Genres: Action & Adventure

In Theaters: Apr 18, 2008 Wide
On DVD: Sep 9, 2008
Studio: Lionsgate

Critic Reviews

Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
One of the more entertaining movies we've seen in recent months.
Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle
It's difficult to resist, especially if you're a 12-year-old boy whose parents won't let you rent Once Upon a Time in China or the Kill Bill movies.
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com
When Chan and Li match wits, each celebrates the other's presence. This isn't just a martial-arts display; it's generosity and camaraderie in motion.
Rafer Guzman, Newsday
Thanks to the two stars' disparate styles - the laser-like focus of Li and the whirlwind whimsy of Chan - The Forbidden Kingdom makes up for its flaws with plenty of eye-popping moments.
Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger
Chan seems to be having fun in a comic part that, unlike his Rush Hour paydays, doesn't make him the butt of ethnic jokes. Li is as stalwart as ever.
Kyle Smith, New York Post
Forbidden Kingdom is chop-socky bordering on chop-schlocky, but it's good-natured myth-making cut into kid-size pieces.
Joshua Starnes, ComingSoon.net
If you're a big Jackie Chan and/or Jet Li fan this movie was made for you and you should go see it on the big screen once. But because of a complete lack of storytelling effort from the filmmakers, there's no reason to ever see it more than once.
Prairie Miller, NewsBlaze
Kung fu fever and fluff mix it up with hordes of floating knights in shining armor with bad attitude, and just a little heavy on the dressing, courtesy of the costume department.
Prairie Miller, NewsBlaze
Kung fu fever and fluff mix it up with hordes of floating knights in shining armor with bad attitude, and just a little heavy on the dressing, courtesy of the costume department.
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
...clearly made for a wide, general audience rather than exclusively for die-hard kung fu fans. (Blu-ray Edition)
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
Think of it as a kung fu fairy tale almost anyone can appreciate.
Urban Cinefile Critics, Urban Cinefile
The first onscreen meeting of screen legends Jackie Chan and Jet Li is possibly reason enough to see this fantasy, whose extravagant martial arts sequences are choreographed by Woo-ping Yuen, whose signature was inked in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
Steve Biodrowski, ESplatter
... despite falling prey to some of the anticipate problems, it ultimately emerges victorious, perhaps wobbling a bit, but only in the giddy manner of the drunken master played by Chan.
Austin Kennedy, Sin Magazine
Fans of either martial artist will probably find enough to enjoy out of this, and will even like it more if they like 80's fantasy films.
Lori Hoffman, Atlantic City Weekly
Fueled by Jackie Chan and Jet Li, this enjoyable romp has plenty of kick.
Michael Dance, The Cinema Source
An unapologetically old-fashioned fantasy ... solid enough entertainment for grown-ups, but something that many kids will absolutely adore.
Robert Davis, Paste Magazine
If The Forbidden Kingdom missteps, it's by assuming that its digitally enhanced stunts are more impressive than they are and, therefore, lavishing more attention on the kinetics than the story.
Bruce Bennett, Spectrum (St. George, Utah)
Welcomed doses of slapstick and winking humor are sprinkled throughout rescuing the film from the occasionally heavy but never overbearing exposition.
Kevin McCarthy, WJFK-FM (CBS Radio)
When I say the movie is cheesy, I am talking provolone, American cheese, Swiss cheese; cheesy.
Andrew Wright, The Stranger (Seattle, WA)
Yeah, it's a dopey kid's movie, but -- significant detail -- one that feels like it was actually written for kids ... Also, whenever things threaten to get too schlocky, this amazing villainess with a magic bullwhip shows up.

Read all 23 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

John M

A decent martial arts flick int he tradition of the old Crouching Tiger feel, Li and Chan have both done better but this was not bad.
Phil H

Hmmmm the usual curious mystic Honk Kong phooey chop sockey spiritual action flick based in the Orient. What can I say...it looks lovely with beautiful green vistas and magical splashes of light and sorcery...but the story is the usual weird and wonderful mess which is kinda… More
Hmmmm the usual curious mystic Honk Kong phooey chop sockey spiritual action flick based in the Orient. What can I say...it looks lovely with beautiful green vistas and magical splashes of light and sorcery...but the story is the usual weird and wonderful mess which is kinda unoriginal and boring. Its the usual wizards, martial arts, magic and evil henchmen by the numbers haha The heroes (Jackie and Jet) train and make a martial arts expert outta of useless 80's lookin American kid who somehow travels to another world of mystic wizards and monkey kings and of course..manages to save it no worries, surprise surprise hehe. There's nothing special here a tall really, its all been seen before and is rather cliched. Chan and Li are good together for sure but they need to do something more original.
danny d

the first time i saw this film i was disappointed, the second time i saw it i fell in love with it. the film is beautiful, with amazing scenery, great cinematography, and fun characters. i was initially disappointed in the silliness of the film, but for some reason i embraced the… More
the first time i saw this film i was disappointed, the second time i saw it i fell in love with it. the film is beautiful, with amazing scenery, great cinematography, and fun characters. i was initially disappointed in the silliness of the film, but for some reason i embraced the siliness by the second time around. really good flick if you know what youre getting into. im now four viewings in and the film improves each time.
Brad W

A cheesy and boring movie with no point at all to it. As the plot was stupid and felt like a chesy comedy, the action was lame and a copy of the genius movie Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. The makeup and production was okay I guiess, I can't neccessarly say it was bad. And by… More
A cheesy and boring movie with no point at all to it. As the plot was stupid and felt like a chesy comedy, the action was lame and a copy of the genius movie Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. The makeup and production was okay I guiess, I can't neccessarly say it was bad. And by during the movie I fell asleep and woke up later and reversed it back to where I fell left off, then I almost fell asleep again, at 3:00 PM, thats how boring it was.
Wildaly M

A bit ridiculous.
Bently L

Despite cool martial arts scenes, The Forbidden Kingdom is just a bit too silly to be a martial arts film. But Jackie Chan and Jet Li make a good team. If you decide to see it, only do so once.
Conner R

I'm not totally sure why, but I really liked this a lot. It has a lot of great elements and feels like a more epic version of The Karate Kid. However, the main reason it's as cool as it is was due to the fact that it's Jackie Chan and Jet Li together. While the story is… More
I'm not totally sure why, but I really liked this a lot. It has a lot of great elements and feels like a more epic version of The Karate Kid. However, the main reason it's as cool as it is was due to the fact that it's Jackie Chan and Jet Li together. While the story is much more about Michael Angarano (who is great in it by the way), their chemistry together is the crown jewel. It's a beautiful looking, sometimes weird and always fun world. The fight scenes are great, the story is well done and not second rate and the characters are treated with the up most respect.
Richard C

really fun movie. B+
Brian D

Great fantasy movie with chan and li starring together for the first time.They are pretty fun to watch.Martial art and stunts are fantastic but maybe a little violent for younger viewers.And the whole movie was beautiful shot and some impressive visuals to show.Well worth a look.
Dean !

Jet Li v Jackie Chan ...well for one scene at least. This is a great martial arts, fantasy film that seemed to not get a cinema release?! I find that very strange considering this is the first film to feature Chan and Li together. It has the same fight choreographer from The Matrix,… More
Jet Li v Jackie Chan ...well for one scene at least. This is a great martial arts, fantasy film that seemed to not get a cinema release?! I find that very strange considering this is the first film to feature Chan and Li together. It has the same fight choreographer from The Matrix, Kill Bill and Crouching Tiger! The fights are truly awesome. Add some humour, a little adventure, good SFX and an all round good cast, makes for a great film. The start reminds me of some of the great fantasy films of my childhood like Never ending story. It's no coincidence that the old martial arts series Monkey is on the TV towards the start as this film has a similar feel to it as that. So if you like the sound of any of that check this out.
xGary X

An American kung fu movie geek is entrusted with an ancient staff which transports him to a magical world where the mystical kung fu characters of his movies are real. The Forbidden Kingdom is a throwback to the wish fulfilment fantasies of the 1980s, sharing a lot in common with the… More
An American kung fu movie geek is entrusted with an ancient staff which transports him to a magical world where the mystical kung fu characters of his movies are real. The Forbidden Kingdom is a throwback to the wish fulfilment fantasies of the 1980s, sharing a lot in common with the likes of The Karate Kid, Big Trouble In Little China and even Indiana Jones. Making the hero of the film an American will no doubt irritate many and he is certainly the least interesting character in the film, but he is for the most part a figure of fun in the same way as Jack Burton was in Big Trouble. Jet Li strikes up a great buddy partnership with Jackie Chan who revives his Drunken Master routine, and their face off is impressive as you'd expect. And having grown up on cheesy 70s TV show Monkey, I'd have to say that he makes a brilliant Monkey King; I'd go as far as to say that I'd love to see a film version with him in the role. I would have to say that it is inevitably very formulaic, and Yefei Liu's superfluous character only seems to be there to make sure that there's an even distribution of hotties (although I've unfortunately always gone for the bad girls *bites knuckle at every sight of Bingbing Li*). As a whole it's a funny, exciting family friendly fantasy with a knockabout charm that is clearly pandering to the Pirates Of The Shaolin crowd. But it works. Almost certainly the best thing Jackie Chan has done since he first started bending over for the Hollywood buck, hating this film for the "homogenization of Chinese culture" is basically like calling Mr. Miyagi an evil traitorous sell out c**t. Completely missing the point.
Dead A

I love Jackie Chan :)
Lenny M

Decent for an English language martial-arts film, but flawed. I haven't seen Seraph in a movie since Matrix Reloaded.
paul s

Is it "Crouching Tiger"? Not close; but was it meant to be - that is the question. What you have is a fairy tale, rift with cliche, but with enough humour and nice fight sequences to save the day (not to mention the sets and scenery are fabulous). Chan is hilarious… More
Is it "Crouching Tiger"? Not close; but was it meant to be - that is the question. What you have is a fairy tale, rift with cliche, but with enough humour and nice fight sequences to save the day (not to mention the sets and scenery are fabulous). Chan is hilarious as the drunken master, deadpanning some very funny lines, while Jet Li is his stoic self in his monk incarnation, but shows a very playful side as the immortal Monkey King. There's fu a plenty - just love the witch with the bullwhip and long white hair (which she also uses as a whip). The Jade king is suitably arrogant, and the Brooklyn kid plays the fish out of water rather well (and it's his growth that gives the film some reason). Just remember going in - it's a fairy tale and written as such - all the moral messages are brazenly displayed - nothing subtle about it - and yet, for all that, it works.
Stuart B

Decent martial arts fantasy tail that is enjoyable without ever being hard work on the brain
Luke B

Chan and Li should have teamed up for something more epic, something more serious. It's like if DeNiro and Pacino had teamed up for a family friendly crime comedy. At least The Forbidden Kingdom stays fairly true to many classic Kung-Fu films. Yes, it's lighter in tone and… More
Chan and Li should have teamed up for something more epic, something more serious. It's like if DeNiro and Pacino had teamed up for a family friendly crime comedy. At least The Forbidden Kingdom stays fairly true to many classic Kung-Fu films. Yes, it's lighter in tone and is too concerned with making the cool American teen the hero, but there's plenty of action and impressive choreography. Li is excellent in a double role, relishing his opportunity to play the Monkey King. Chan does his usual stuff and also doubles up as an old man in very bad make-up. Forbidden Kingdom is a great film for kids and young teens and they wont feel embarrassed for liking it, when they grow up.
Thomas B

this movie, whilst along the right track, was doomed from the get-go with it's choice of lead actor, a teen who has had no experience since a minor role in seabiscuit and a terrible lead in sky high.
Emile T

A complete waste of time.
Film C

This film was ok really i mean jet li and jackie chan are masters of the martial arts so it was impressive and not a disappointment the storyline was ok but i was boring in places but i guess its qorth a watch!!
Josh L

Great fight scenes, juvenile story. Not as good as it could have been given who's in it.