The Forbidden Kingdom
Lionsgate | Release Date: April 18, 2008
7.1
USER SCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 115 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
77
Mixed:
29
Negative:
9
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User scoreBy dateMost helpful
6
PaulS.Apr 20, 2008
I wanted to like this movie -- I really, really did. Jackie Chan and Jet Li are (well, were) the best at martial arts action films, and the prospect of them as a kind of chop-socky Odd Couple was irresistible. I'd been looking forward I wanted to like this movie -- I really, really did. Jackie Chan and Jet Li are (well, were) the best at martial arts action films, and the prospect of them as a kind of chop-socky Odd Couple was irresistible. I'd been looking forward to it for months, and went to see it on opening day. What I didn't realize was that this was neither a martial arts comedy (like Chan is known for) or an epic (like Li has done) but rather, at its core, a children's movie. It's like The Karate Kid meets The Neverending Story -- complete with training montages, "real world" bookends, and a gawky hero that was a little too aggressively banal to like. There are moments of excellence; Jet Li's exuberance as the trickster Monkey King is genuinely delightful, and both the good-girl and bad-girl characters are ridiculously attractive. In the end, though, all I could think about was how much I would've enjoyed the film if I were 11. To be fair, parents of 11-year-olds should definitely consider this one for a Saturday afternoon. The rest of us, however, should save our money.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
5
ErdnaSApr 30, 2008
Those rating this movie above a 7 are, well, let
0 of 0 users found this helpful
6
DarvellHMay 25, 2008
It was not as good as I expected it be. You would thin that the two greatest martial artest would have been in a better. It was just not a good. I didn't understand anywhere it was coming from. The plot seem unreal. The only good thing It was not as good as I expected it be. You would thin that the two greatest martial artest would have been in a better. It was just not a good. I didn't understand anywhere it was coming from. The plot seem unreal. The only good thing that I like about the movie is that Jackiee Chan and Jet li was in it. It is about time that we saw a movie with the greatest Martial Art stars togther. It was a good movie but not the best.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
4
JohnM.Apr 19, 2008
Fighting is fine, but not a believable story. Don't take your watch with you, you'll be looking at it regularly.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
6
JayHAug 26, 2008
A pleasant surprise, I am not at all into martial arts/kung fu films, but the production was excellent, great special effects and a good story. The cast was fine. Good plot and enjoyable, very entertaining.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
4
BroyaxJul 30, 2017
On se réjouit de voir enfin réunis les deux virtuoses du Kung Fu dans le même film (non, ce n'est pas le mariage pour tous...) ; les deux stars s'affrontent gentiment mais spectaculairement, puis se taquinent mutuellement pour la plus grandeOn se réjouit de voir enfin réunis les deux virtuoses du Kung Fu dans le même film (non, ce n'est pas le mariage pour tous...) ; les deux stars s'affrontent gentiment mais spectaculairement, puis se taquinent mutuellement pour la plus grande joie du spectateur.

En même temps, on regrette que cette superbe occasion soit si mal organisée, si niaise et si maladroite... car dans le "Royaume interdit", nos héros sont déjà bien vieux et s'effacent devant le véritable "héros" de l'histoire (à dormir debout), en l'occurrence un jeune gogol double combo (tronche de cake -et- tête à claques) qui doit remettre le bâton perdu au Roi-Singe prisonnier...

L'occasion en tout cas de moult combats très correctement filmés qui n'abusent -pas trop- des câbles... et outre nos deux vieux (pas si vieux tout de même, j'exagère...) la présence de deux beautés chinoises ravissantes (une gentille et une méchante...).

Trop bêbête et trop grand public, le film ne convainc jamais et se révèle un rendez-vous manqué, vite oublié mais qui restera dans les rouleaux de l'anecdote super...ficielle.… Expand
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5
DawdlingPoetNov 28, 2021
Watching teenage oriented Jackie Chan movies is a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine at times and I had seen an advert for the movie so I though it might be of interest, now having seen it, I'm left with the usual feeling that it was neither aWatching teenage oriented Jackie Chan movies is a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine at times and I had seen an advert for the movie so I though it might be of interest, now having seen it, I'm left with the usual feeling that it was neither a bad nor a particularly good movie. I can't decide how to feel about such movies, their the kind of movie where you feel when your watching it that its quite entertaining and interesting but a day or so afterwards, you struggle to remember most of the story and its highly doubtful that I'd want to watch it again. The movie is quite fantasy based with the scenes with 'Golden Sparrow' (the female love interest, who appears like an angel) for example and some of the landscape shots and im sure it would look quite impressive if played on a large widescreen TV, the cinematography in itself is pretty good, although equally it doesn't have the feel of being a film where the largest budget was spent either (its somewhere inbetween, if that makes any sense), its not quite Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, the scenes in mythical China have an almost animated feel to them. I thought that it reminded me of the Final Fantasy console games perhaps. The characters were interesting at first but the story seemed to lack something and thats what lets it down, I feel. I'm pretty sure that a good amount of young teenagers will enjoy this movie for the fighting scenes, which are quite good and the whole coming of age element to it but if you analyse the movie in terms of the character development and what substance there is other than the pretty good scenery, your not left with all that much. The story just seemed too much of a 're-hash' job, I mean there are so many similar movies really and I feel this had the potential to be better. The main character of Jason I didn't feel was overly likeable either, not much is really told about him until quite far into the movie and I think perhaps if more was somehow told and there was more background information provided on both Jason and his small group of followers that end up joining him on his quest, then that would add quite a bit to the movie, it certainly helps when the viewer feels sufficiently keen to see a good outcome for those involved but there didn't seem to be enough details provided to make the viewer feel particularly strongly either way, IMO, which is perhaps a little cruel but either way I do think this movie badly lacked enough character development to give us viewers a strong enough vested interest in the result of 'the big finale'.

As it turns out, Jackie Chan is joined by Jet Li in this movie, both of which are, obviously, very successful actors but yet they only play secondary roles as Jasons companions and it did feel as if their potential hadn't been fully used, which was a shame. Watching the scenes where they all walked through deserts and other landscapes on their way to fight the Jade Warlord, it dawned on me that this movie is perhaps somewhat also like the Lord of the Rings movies/stories perhaps, in that its trying to be an epic comg of age type adventure or discovery or something, so it certainly had lofty ambitions, you could say, it just doesn't quite come up to scratch somehow. Its not a very long movie, however, at under two hours long and it would probably keep the attention of a younger audience (its rated 12 so young teenagers, which is clearly the intended audience anyway, I guess im getting old to be watching such movies lol) compared to the Lord of the Rings movies and it is just one movie and not three, which is perhaps an advantage to some! I just felt that it wasn't anything particularly new, story wise really, its a movie that feels like it has potential and they tried to make it seem quite fantastical, indeed the scenery is quite impressive at times and the acting is pretty good but the characters lack real depth and the story is somewhat formulaic, plus the ending I felt was rather unfulfilling and might disappoint others. I can't say that I feel this is an awful movie because I did enjoy some aspects of it, some of the scenes such as the fight scenes, were done well and the landscapes are quite impressive, there's a pretty good cast and its entertaining enough to pass the time it just could have quite a bit better and its a shame it wasn't I think. Its quite possible that younger people (ugh I really must be getting old lol) will enjoy it more than I did and I wouldn't say its not worth giving it a chance if it comes on TV but its not a movie I'd rush out to see in itself. Basically it could be better but it could be worse, I'll give it a 5 out of 10 for effort! lol.

If your particularly interested in seeing this due to the cast then I'd recommend you rent it rather than buying it because its really not the sort of movie I think many people would want to re-watch and so I can't recommend purchasing it specifically. Its not really bad but its certainly not memorable either, in my opinion.… Expand
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