A light-hearted entertaining (funny-in-parts) martial-arts fantasy along the vein of 'The Karate Kid'. This movie is NOT a re-telling of the Buddhist/Taoist myth 'The Journey To The West' (note: monk Tripitaka) although some elements were liberally appropriated by writer John Fusco in this bland tale with bad editing. 'The Forbidden Kingdom' is filled with exhilarating fight sequences (non of which are of epic proportions) and showcased the favored combat-styles of both Jet Li and Jackie Chan respectively - choreographed by Wo-Ping Yuen(Matrix, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, and other action-flicks since his 'Matrix' fame). This movie will appeal more to Westerners than Easterners. The first-time HISTORIC pairing of Jet Li and Jackie Chan deserved MUCH MORE than what this movie showcased. NOT director Rob Minkoff's best effort. 'Stormriders', 'The East is Red', 'Legend of Zu', etc. would appeal more to the discerning Eastern tastes. Overall grade: C

good movie, though, I wish jet li and jackie could have fought against each other some more

My husband and I just saw this movie on a whim and were beyond pleasantly surprised. You get Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Woo Ping Yuen together and you are guaranteed amazing martial arts, but this movie also fulfulled all the rules of a great fairy tale. Though its not the same genre as Pan's Labyrinth, it had a similar feel in the bluring between real life and fantasy. Jason, the main character, fulfills the arc of a classic hero from the call to action in the "real" world, thru his training montages in kung fu, to the amazing climax of the movie. The visuals and filmography were stunning. The textures and details of all the sets, costumes and props were reminiscant of the care and love put into the Lord of the Rings trillogy. Clearly the money spent on the film was ALL on the screen. All in all, we could not stop smiling the entire time we watched the movie and we left feeling "KICK ***" and in a terrific mood. SEE IT! and when it comes out on DVD... BUY IT!

i absolutely LOVE jackie chan and jet li combined, it was an awesome movie!!^.^there was lots of funny scenes, the martial arts was engaging, and the special effects put in was really cool!!!*.*..anyways MUST GO!!!!!!I HIGHLY RECOMMMEND IT, because once u start watching your eyes will be glued to the screen and your butt will be glued to your seat!!!!:D..im SERIOUS!!:D..it was THAT AWESOME!!!!!!..for me anyways hahahaha..:)

I saw this movie in a sneak preview and knew in the first 10 minutes that I would need to own it. The movie itself has a great story line filled with terrible dialouge. If someone can tell me why one of the characters speaks in the 3rd person throughout the movie I would really apprieciate it. However, the fight scenes are amazing. The fight with Jackie Chan and Jet Li is something I could watch again and again. Jackie Chan's charactor is extremely funny and Jet Li plays his typical hostile self (with a twist). There are some heavy elements in the movie that might not be good for younger viewers. And the final fight scene is pretty graphic. Oh and if you don't laugh out loud during the desert scene then you have no sense of humor at all.