The Forbidden Kingdom

Most helpful review The Forbidden Kingdom

• superb....................................

   

  By williamsgwynfa (627 reviews) from gwaenysgor , 21 May 2008

  THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS Show review anywayHide

  [Highly rated reviewer]

  this film is superb. Jason Tripitikas (played by Michael Angarano), makes his way to a pawn shop in Boston's China town to buy some new Kung fu DVD's.
  
  Whilst he is there, he talks to Hop (played by Jackie Chan), the shop's elderly owner, and, whilst Jason is looking through some DVD's, he is drawn to a room full of antiques and notices a golden staff.
  
  Hop tells him that the staff is to be delivered to its rightful owner and then closes the door.
  
  On his way back home, Jason is attacked by a local bully called Lupo (played by Morgan Benoit) and his gang who force him to take them to the store so they can steal some money from the old shopkeeper.
  
  Feeling betrayed, Hop tries to attack the thieves with the staff, but is shot by Lupo. This shocks both Jason and Lupo's gang.
  
  Hop tells Jason that he must deliver the staff to its rightful owner. Jason takes the staff and runs from the thieves.
  
  On top of a building, he is surrounded by the bullies, with Lupo warning Jason that he 'saw nothing' (out of fear Jason may turn them in to the police).
  
  Before Lupo can shoot Jason, he is suddenly pulled off the roof by the staff and travels back through time, to ancient China, dressed in old-century clothing.
  
  There he is attacked by Jade Warriors who try to take the staff away from him. He is helped by the Drunken Immortal, Lu Yan (also played by Jackie Chan).
  
  Later that night, seated in a restaurant, Lu tells Jason a story of how the Monkey King caused havoc at the banquet, celebrating the Jade Emperor's forthcoming 500 year period of meditation and drank of the elixir of immortality.
  
  The Emperor took a liking to the Monkey King, and decided to award him a heavenly title, much to the annoyance of the Jade Warlord (played by Collin Chou), a heavenly general.
  
  The Emperor then left the Jade Warlord in charge of heaven before retreating to his period of seclusion.
  
  The Jade Warlord later challenged the Monkey King to a duel, and turned him into stone, by tricking the Monkey King to set aside his magic staff.
  
  But before he was fully immobilized, the Monkey King cast his staff into the ordinary world.
  
  Lu ends the tale by stating a person known as the 'Seeker' will be the person to find the staff and free the Monkey King.
  
  Lu and Jason then get into a fight with the Jade Warriors who track them to the restaurant and are saved by a mysterious woman, who turns out to be the Orphaned Warrior, Golden Sparrow (played by Liu Yi Fei).
  
  Golden Sparrow's family was killed by the Jade Warlord, and she has vowed vengeance against him.
  
  The Jade Warlord is notified by his men that they have seen the magical staff.
  
  The Jade Warlord then sends his bounty hunter, the white-haired assassin Ni-Chang (played by Li Bingbing), to retrieve it for him.
  
  When Jason wakes up in the morning he is attacked by a person dressed in white clothes, who takes the staff away from him.
  
  Jason, Lu, and Golden Sparrow follow the trail of the mysterious man. They reach a temple where the man is meditating.
  
  There, Lu confronts the Silent Monk (played by Jet Li), who was the mysterious man. There they both fight for the staff. The Silent Monk later learns that the staff is meant for the traveller.
  
  The four head towards the Five Elements Mountain in a quest to free the Monkey King and destroy the rule of the Jade Warlord.
  
  Will they succeed. Watch the film to find out.

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