By: debbie lynn elias
Let me start by saying this – WOW!!!!! Not a big martial arts fan but appreciative of the skill and knowledge associated not only with the arts themselves but the discipline and skill of two of the greatest martial arts masters of all time, Jet Li and Jackie Chan, I wasn’’t expecting much when I sat down to screen this film but for the film being a martial arts showcase for the first ever pairing of Li and Chan. Boy, was I wrong. From the opening frame, THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM literally and figuratively blew me away. For the first 15 minutes, I sat like a little kid with my mouth agape and my eyes not even blinking I was so mesmerized by the etherealness, fantasy, myth, visual spectacle and beauty of what was unfolding on the screen. And my appreciation, fascination, pure unadulterated joy and awe only grew with each passing scene.
Jason Tripitikas is your average geeky gawky teenager. Although not the least bit athletic, he is obsessed with martial arts. His bedroom walls are plastered with movie posters (including countless ones of Jet Li and Jackie Chan, two of his heroes). Chinese icons and artifacts litter shelves, dressers, and the top of the tv, while martial arts movies play on the tv 24/7. His only activity involves scouring the stores in his local Chinatown looking for used or, ahem, “bootleg” martial arts videos. His favorite shopkeeper is Old Hop who owns a very eclectic antique and pawnshop that also carries some more modern products, like DVDs.
Snooping around in the store, Jason finds tucked away in the backroom, a treasure trove of Chinese artifacts, among them an antique staff which Old Hop says he is keeping for its eventual return to its rightful owner. As luck would have it (or not) an incident occurs at the shop leaving Old Hop injured and Jason mystically spiraling through time and space armed with a mission – to return the staff to its rightful owner, the Monkey King – and to find his way back home.
Jason’s landing in ancient China is as fantastical as Dorothy landing in Oz. And although laced with the grandeur and beauty of China and its lore, Jason too has his own wicked witch to defeat – the Evil Jade Warlord. Once a peaceful, prosperous and happy land, things have never been the same since the Jade Warlord defeated the ruling Monkey King in battle, intending to take possession of the Monkey King’s magical staff so he can forever rule the world. But, as legend has it, in his final act before being turned to stone for 500 years by the Warlord, the Monkey King propelled the staff into the cosmos, knowing that one day it would be returned to him. And when it is, he will be set free and can banish the Warlord forever, restoring peace and prosperity to the land.
Only wanting to go home, but also wanting to fulfil Old Hop’s wishes and return the staff, Jason sets out on his own yellow brick road to the Warlord’s palace high up in the mountains (particularly once he learns that his ticket home is the return of the staff to its rightful owner) and along the way meets up with his own band of rag tag warriors all of whom want to aid in Jason’’s quest to return the staff and free the Monkey King. Lu Yan, a drunken vagabond, is actually a kung fu master whose specialty style is that of the Drunken Fist. Silent Monk, with the tacit wisdom of that famous Jedi master Yoda in that galaxy far, far away, practices more high flying martial arts. Golden Sparrow, a seemingly innocent child left alone after the Warlord murdered her parents, is herself a warrior honing her skills to destroy the Jade Warlord with deadly accuracy by a jade hairpin carved in the fashion of a sparrow.
As their journey progresses, Lu Yan and the Silent Monk train Jason in not only the physical but the mental and emotional discipline of the Eastern arts, although they continually squabble over who is the better teacher and who has the better methods. Facing insurmountable odds and countless attacks from the Warlord’s disciples and army, no holds are barred when our little foursome arrive at the Warlord’s palace for the battle to end all battles.
What can I possibly say about Jackie Chan and Jet Li. Individually each is formidable. But together, they are unparalleled and mind-bogglingly amazing. They aren’t just “acting” out these characters of which each takes on dual roles – they embody them. Quite frankly, they ARE these characters. Chan, a natural jokester and funny, funny guy, plays the drunken Lu Yan and Old Hop with hysterical aplomb. Over the top and larger than life as Chan himself is in real life, the characters are tailored to his persona and his martial arts styling. Likewise, Jet Li, as the Silent Monk and the Monkey King, is a mystical, magical force that steals in and out like a cat tip-toeing on fog. And yet, he has his own brand of “monkeyshines” that he adopts into the characters’’ personas, and particularly that of the Monkey King, which is not only entertaining but endearing. There is not a kid on this planet that will not want a Monkey King for himself. (Do I hear the ch-ching of merchandising around the corner?? I hope so!)
Collin Chou has the daunting task of assuming the identity of the Jade Warlord and is supremely commanding and rather intriguing. Crystal Liu, who has never done any sort of martial arts, more than holds her own with her male companions and appears effortless in her command of scenes. And did I say she is a flawless beauty to boot?
Michael Angarano, clearly a fish out of water coming into this project and someone I have raved about in several films this past year, comes into his own here as Jason in what is actually his most complex role and character to date. You not only see him change physically and beef up as he – and his character – go through the rigors of martial arts training, but his emotional intensity takes on new depth and strength as Jason learns the wisdom and ways of the East. Michael is most impressive and making his work even more jaw-dropping is that he had no martial arts experience before this film. Leading the casting calvary charge for Angarano was Rob Minkoff himself. From day one, he knew this was his Jason. Eventually whittling down the field to only six candidates, it was a grueling compacted intensive martial arts training session that was the deciding factor as Angarano’s natural athletic ability (which he so adeptly demontrated as a baseball player in “The Final Season”) carried the day.
The story itself is enchanting. With many scenes so reminiscent of Frank L. Baum’s “Wizard of Oz”, you feel an immediate connection to the story, the fable and the film. Chan as the drunken bum is so clearly the Scarecrow; Golden Sparrow is like the Tin Man, and Li’s Silent Monk is similar to Glinda the Good Witch with sage wisdom and timing. And of course, Jason is the quintessential male Dorothy. Visually, as you watch our heroes arrive at the palace and begin their walk across the bridge hanging high above a bottomless canyon, and troops standing at the ready to combat them, you can’t help but recall the Wicked With and her flying monkeys, just proving that legend and lore not only have a universal commonality, but are interwoven and concurrent taking on more expansive, deeper richer meaning with each generation. It is this lore and legend, and keen imagination, that binds us all together through the ages.
When I asked screenwriter John Fusco his impetus for the story, I was charmed by his candor and warmth. “This started as a bedtime story for my 11 year old son who started to show and interest in martial arts, which excited me. But I wanted to introduce him to the legends and lore and the classics behind martial arts literature and cinema. I tried reading Journey to the West to him and Romance of the Three Kingdoms and it was a little over his head at 11 years old. So I started making up a time travel journey into the mythic China of kung fu legend and lore that he could relate to. It just grew night after night and then grew into a screenplay.”
But beyond the story, Fusco, himself trained in martial arts since age 12, went even further to ensure a clear vision – he wrote out the fight sequences dictating styles and actual choreographing so as to include street fighting style, wire-flying and Qi Magic with different types and levels of fighting, choreography and sensibility, all of which came together with the collaboration between Fusco, legendary martial arts artist Yuen Wo Ping, and Rob Minkoff.
I bow to the talents of director Rob Minkoff. He has taken a multiplicity of elements and crafted a masterpiece. Starting with Fusco’s charming fanciful script, in addition to lensing from 26 exquisite locations in China, Minkoff incorporates and honors China and its traditions, lore and ancient customs, truly conveying the majesty of its myth and legend. Aiding in this achievement is the pristine photography by the acclaimed Peter Pau, himself a legend in the Hong Kong film industry, and production design by Bill Brzeski whose extensive research on Chinese style led to the highest level of beauteous fantasy. Particularly eye-dropping is the elaborate and elegant costume design by Shirley Chan which should bring her Oscar gold to match some of those golden costumes. But kudos upon kudos go to Ron Simonson and his FX team who worked with 3 FX companies in Seoul, Korea to incorporate over 800 special effects. Truly an international crew, not even the language barriers among key personnel dampened the spirits or delayed production of this film. In fact, in listening to Minkoff, producer Casey Silver and Jackie Chan, I got the sense that this international flavoring may have aided in the production as visuals were a common tie when spoken ro written words were not.
Rarely, if ever, do I talk about producers of a film, but here I have to mention Casey Silver and executive producer Rafaella DeLaurentis, the latter of whom both Minkoff and Silver attribute as being instrumental in securing the countless locations around China including, the spectacular waterfalls at Kianji, the Wuyi Mountains, Nine Bends River, the Bamboo Camp at Anji, the Gobi Desert in Dunhuang and the exquisite Plum Blossom Garden at Fangyan.
From the opening visuals of mystical mountains in the clouds and the delightful fun-loving, benevolent, magical Monkey King, THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM spins a web of fantasy and enchantment. A gift for the ages. A timeless classic. A masterpiece. Pure Oscar gold.
Lu Yan/Old Hop – Jackie Chan Monkey King/Silent Monk – Jet Li Jason – Michael Angarano Golden Sparrow – Crystal Liu Jade Warlord – Collin Chou Written by John Fusco. Directed by Rob Minkoff. Rated PG-13. (113 min)
