It ends up in the possession of kung fu-obsessed Jason (Angarano), who's sucked back in time and into China, where's he's charged with penetrating the fortress of the evil emperor to deliver the staff to its rightful owner, who's locked in stone.
"Forbidden Kingdom" was filmed (breathtakingly) in mainland China, where virtually all of the action takes place. And by action, we mean action. Angarano acquires a mentor-tutor (Jackie Chan) and a posse that includes a fighting monk (Li, again) and a young female assassin (Liu Yifei) who's sworn to kill the emperor with her magical jade hairpin.
This movie is a strange combination of elements - it's visually gorgeous, like the recent spate of high-style martial-artsy films (Li's "Hero"), but takes itself much less seriously. The fight scenes are ambitious and beautifully choreographed, but presented as a matinee-style good time (the tone is more Jackie Chan than Jet Li). And while a martial-arts purist might turn up his nose at digital effects, "Forbidden Kingdom" makes greedy use of computer animation.
Finding the right tone to make all of this mesh can be tough, but "Forbidden Kingdom" is helped on this score by, well, a good score. Composer David Buckley smooths things out with music that combines classic motifs and Ennio Morricone-style guitar riffs that complement the more tongue-in-cheek action, such as when a white-haired witch (Li Bing Bing) uses her long locks as a weapon.
"Forbidden Kingdom" could have been helped even more by a more dynamic lead actor. Angarano's character is meant to be out of his depth here - he gets beaten up a lot in the middle kingdom, and that's always part of the joke. Still, when the movie leaves China and returns to the present-day United States (where Jason must confront a group of toughs), you can feel the air go out of it. *
Produced by Casey Silver, directed by Rob Minkoff, written by John Fusco, music by David Buckley, distributed by Lion's Gate.
