The Forbidden Kingdom (2008)

Director:

Rob Minkoff

Writer (WGA):

John Fusco (written by)

Release Date:

18 April 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Fantasy | Romance

Tagline:

The path is unsafe. The place is unknown. The journey is unbelievable.

Plot:

A discovery made by a kung fu obsessed American teen sends him on an adventure to China, where he joins up with a band of martial arts warriors in order to free the imprisoned Monkey King.

Plot Keywords:

Staff | Martial Arts | Warrior | China | Kung Fu

Awards:

4 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sun. Nov. 29	2:45 PM	SHOW
Wed. Dec. 9	7:00 PM	SHOW
Thur. Dec. 10	5:45 AM	SHOW

Cast

Jet Li	...	The Monkey King / The Silent Monk
Michael Angarano	...	Jason Tripitikas
Jackie Chan	...	Lu Yan / Old Hop
Yifei Liu	...	Golden Sparrow / Chinatown Girl
Collin Chou	...	Jade Warlord
Juana Collignon	...	Southie Girl
Morgan Benoit	...	Lupo
Bingbing Li	...	Ni Chang
Jack Posobiec	...	Southie
Thomas McDonell	...	Young Southie
Zhi Ma Gui	...	Old Woman
Shen Shou He	...	Farmer
Bin Jiang	...	Young Village Man
Shaohua Yang	...	Jade Soldier
Yu Yuan Zeng	...	Inn Keeper

Also Known As:

Gong fu zhi wang (China: Mandarin title)
Gong fu zi wong (Hong Kong: Cantonese title)
Jackie Chan/Jet Li Project (USA) (working title)
King of Kung Fu (Hong Kong: English title) (literal title)
Untitled J&J Project (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sequences of martial arts action and some violence.

Runtime:

113 min

Country:

USA | China

Language:

English | Mandarin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Singapore:PG | South Korea:12 | Malaysia:U | Hong Kong:IIA | USA:PG-13 (certificate #44223) | Philippines:G (MTRCB) | UK:12A | Ireland:12A | Portugal:M/12 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-13 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | New Zealand:M | Argentina:13 | Iceland:12 | Brazil:12

Filming Locations:

Anji bamboo forest, Jiangsu, China

Company:

Casey Silver Productions

Trivia:

This movie went through five script re-writes before it was completed, many of which were done in the middle of filming.

Goofs:

Continuity: Before Jason, Lu Yan, Golden Sparrow and the Silent Monk enter the desert, they were riding horses. As they enter the desert they are suddenly on foot. When Lu Yan wants to make water with magic and the Silent Monk starts urinating on his head from a rock, the Silent Monk tells them there is a body of water and as they run towards the sight they see at the foot of the dark clouded Five Element Mountain. A moment later we see Jason getting trained in a bamboo forest by the Silent Monk and Lu Yan. After those shots Jason walks up to Golden Sparrow playing a snared instrument between blossom trees and he forgets to kiss the fabulous lips of Golden Sparrow. Then suddenly the White Haired Witch comes running over the pink blossomed trees and after a fight with her and her ever oncoming hordes of soldiers, our heroes decide to flee, jump on the suddenly reappeared ready horses and gallop off.

Quotes:

Jade Warlord: Martial art is based on deception, my friend.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Kung Fu Dream Team (2008) (V)

Brilliant.

Jet Li. Jackie Chan. Jackie Chan and Jet Li! For many people that is all that is needed to elicit a "wow, I need to see that." Beyond star power, the film is a riveting success. This is a kung-fu film with a healthy sense of humor, an epic story and amazing visual imagery. Some people will object to Michael Angarano's character, they will say, the film doesn't need a white lead to keep the audience engaged. That is true, but Angarano plays the role well and the character adds substance to the story. The cultural conflict from thrusting a boy from Boston into ancient China reflects the conflict between his kung-fu masters. His personal growth helps carry the heroes journey through China. This layering of themes works well.

Did I mention that we get to see Jackie Chan and Jet Li spar!?!

I got to see a preview of this movie and I consider my self very lucky. I will go see this film again on opening day!