Jet Li and Jackie Chan are two of the biggest action stars of their generation. Renowned for their stylish and fast-paced martial arts fighting techniques, Li and Chan have had immense success thanks to several Hong Kong action films, such as Drunken Master and Police Story with Chan, as well as Fist of Legend and the Once Upon a Time in China series with Li.
The Forbidden Kingdom isn't only an homage to Hong Kong martial arts action features but also marks the first time Chan and Li have starred in a film together. However, what is the film about, and why is it vastly underrated?
What is The Forbidden Kingdom about?
The Forbidden Kingdom centers around Jason Tripitikas (Michael Angarano from Oppenheimer), a teenager in South Boston who's a big fan of martial arts movies. Jason purchases wuxia DVDs from a pawn shop in Chinatown owned by an elderly Chinese man named Hop. When a group of bullies forces Jason to take them to the pawn shop to steal Hop's money, Hop is shot by the group's leader. Hop then tells Jason to take the golden staff from the shop and return it to its owner.
After Jason runs away from the bullies, the staff pulls the teenager off the roof, and he finds himself waking up in ancient China. There he meets Lu Yan, a traveling scholar who rescues Jason from soldiers intending to take the staff to their leader (the evil Jade Warlord Erlang Shen). Lu tells Jason that the staff belongs to Sun Wukong aka The Monkey King (a powerful fighter who Shen disliked and challenged in a dual). Sun overpowers Shen, but the Jade Warlord tricks the Monkey King into giving up the staff and turns Sun into a stone statue (since he's immortal).
Lu also explains to Jason that a "Seeker" is the only one who can find the staff and free the Monkey King. Since Jason has the staff, he intends to free Sun in order to return home. Lu, the Silent Monk (who has tried to find the staff and the seeker for years), and the Golden Sparrow (whose parents were murdered by Shen) all help Jason on his quest to fight the Jade Warlord and awaken the Monkey King. Jason also learns martial arts from his new mentors (Lu and the Silent Monk).
Who do Jackie Chan and Jet Li play in The Forbidden Kingdom?
Many of the best moments in The Forbidden Kingdom involve the dynamic bond between Chan and Li (who are funny and sentimental in their roles, while also delivering elegant and high-powered fight sequences). Each actor also portrays two roles in the film. Chan portrays the kind and wise pawn shop owner Hop at the beginning and end of the movie, and Lu Yan in the majority of the feature. Hop and Lu Yan each have a friendly bond with Jason and guide the teenager on his journey of strength and understanding.
Lu Yan is especially funny as he manages to fight his enemies while drinking wine. Jet Li is also very comical as the Monkey King (an unbeatable fighter who constantly smiles, laughs, and jumps around while easily defeating his opponents). Li also portrays the Silent Monk, who has a memorable fight scene with Chan's Lu Yan as they initially battle for the golden staff and banter over how to train Jason to fight.
What is Jackie Chan's Next Project?
Earlier this year, Jackie Chan recently starred alongside John Cena in the Chinese-American action comedy Hidden Strike (which received negative reviews). However, Chan has gotten praise for voicing the mutant rat Splinter in the critically acclaimed animated film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.
Chan will once again voice the character Master Monkey in Kung Fu Panda 4. Master Monkey is considered the funniest member of the Furious Five (the most skilled warriors in China) and is very similar to Jet Li's Monkey King character from The Forbidden Kingdom (including the use of a staff as a weapon for combat). According to Chan, Rush Hour 4 is also in the works with co-star Chris Tucker expected to return (the first film turns twenty-five, which marked one of Chan's first successful Hollywood features).
What is Jet Li's next project?
It's been a while since Jet Li starred in a major motion picture. His last role was in the live-action movie version of Mulan, where Li portrayed The Emperor of China (whose life was in danger and the title character tries to save his life). Mulan was portrayed by Liu Yifei (who portrayed the Golden Sparrow in The Forbidden Kingdom alongside Li and Chan). Before Mulan, Li notably starred as Yin Yang in the first three films of The Expendables franchise with an ensemble cast including Sylvester Stallone and Jason Statham.
While Li has no upcoming film projects at this time, it would be intriguing to see him portray another ruthless villain (reminiscent of his evil characters from Lethal Weapon 4 or The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor). Given that Li has had significant collaborations with other action stars like Chan and Statham, he could reunite with them for future action thrillers and/or comedies. The Forbidden Kingdom may be a replica of previous wuxia martial arts films, but it expertly combines action, adventure, fantasy, and comedy, as well as intriguing characters on a quest for enlightenment and understanding the themes of morality and eternal life.