The work of director Robin Minkoff, released in 2008, is a unique movie masterpiece. The Forbidden Kingdom is the first project in the history of the world film industry, in the creation of which two stars shining in the martial arts genre, Jackie Chan and Jet Li, simultaneously participated. The meeting on the screen of two Kung Fu masters for fans of the genre is a grandiose event comparable to the joint work in the frame of Al Pacino and Robert De Niro.
Creators
The screenwriter John Fusco and director Rob Minkoff worked on the creation of The Forbidden Kingdom (2008). During the work, the cinema dramatist had to redraw the script five times in order to fully realize the original plan. Therefore, the adapted retelling of the epic "Journey to the West" with the introduction of mythological, historical and literary characters does not cause any particular complaints. The script is written properly.
The director's chair of the project was taken by director Rob Minkoff, the most well-known to the public in the animated-feature film "Stuart Little." According to the critics ’expert assessment, The Forbidden Kingdom (2008) is a movie for children and adolescents, since the main components of the narrative of the picture are true friendship, selfless mutual assistance, courage and honor.
All the fighting scenes in the picture were staged by Yuan Heping. A native of Guangzhou began his creative career as a director of combat choreography in Hong Kong action films, in the early 90s he received worldwide recognition by taking part in the production of fights for the films “The Matrix” and “Kill Bill”. Each fight that Hepin worked on is a real performance, full of complex drama and an entertaining semantic game. While watching battle scenes, it seems that not the heroes are fighting, but their souls. In the film "Forbidden Kingdom" (2008), first-rate actors and performers of secondary roles obeyed Hepin implicitly.
Briefly about the plot
The actors of the film "Forbidden Kingdom" (2008) realized the idea of the authors in full. The story that formed the basis of the script received a decent adaptation. The protagonist, teenager Jason (Michael Angarano), a native of the southern outskirts of Boston and an ardent kung fu movie fan, regularly buys disks with films of this genre in Chinatown from Chinese Hu (Jackie Chan). Once in a cluttered room he finds the illustrious Six King of the Monkeys. This incident will entail a series of magical events, during which Jason will prove to be a real hero, overcoming all the trials and difficulties.
Main characters: Hu and Taoist Lu Yan
He initiated the creation of the film "Forbidden Kingdom" (2008), the actors and roles of which were selected very organically, Jackie Chan, who played the role of one of the key characters in the movie. Who really is the hero of Chan is not easy to understand. The owner of the pawnshop with Hu disks is fluent in martial arts, dressed like a homeless person, and sometimes behaves like a real nutcase. In the process of narration, it turns out that this character is Taoist Lu Yan, and adherents of this religion have always been distinguished by unconventional behavior: superpowers, an enviable sense of humor and a penchant for jokes. The image of such a character could be embodied on the screen only by Jackie Chan, known for his unsurpassed acrobatic fighting style and an outstanding comedic gift. A martial artist, director of martial scenes and spectacular stunts, an actor, stuntman, producer, screenwriter, film director, along with a team of like-minded people, invaded Hollywood and turned everything upside down. Having shaken all Western prejudices about the East, the film crew of the film “Forbidden Kingdom” (2008): actors, creators, technicians, presented authentic Chinese ideas and ideas to the audience.
Sun Wukong (Monkey King) and Monk
A more restrained and serious Jet Li, who still has the imprint of noble roles like the healer Huang Feihun or other real heroes, acts as a Buddhist monk. The character is fair, strict, selfless, constantly meditating - the ideal reincarnation of the Monkey King. According to the idea, the hero of Jet Li initially prevents the magic staff from returning to China, but this author’s move was deliberately introduced into the story. All obstacles contribute to the occurrence of skirmishes between two unfading stars. Wushu master Jet Li is famous for his non-standard approach to the choice of roles. He rejected the offer to take part in the production of the Matrix movie trilogy, as he considered that his skill was not required there, because actors who did not have the appropriate training could appear in computerized blockbusters.
In the movie "Forbidden Kingdom" (2008), actors Jackie Chan and Jet Li composed a chic on-screen duet. But if some of the most sophisticated admirers of martial arts are not inspired by their fights, then the final battle, in which Jet confronts Colin Chow, who played the role of the Jade Warlord, will certainly not leave you indifferent. By the way, Chow, before participating in Rob Minkoff’s project, already had experience working with Lee in the movie “The Bodyguard from Beijing” (1994). The battle between their heroes was then many times more dynamic and aggressive.
Jason
American actor Michael Anthony Angarano got into the picture after a serious casting. Producers opted for a young actor who does not know the martial arts and was prompted by the fact that his family owns several successful dance studios called Reflection in Dance. A guy who grew up in a creative atmosphere, had good choreographic skills, which contributed to the rapid development of the basic elements of kung fu and the successful setting of battle scenes. The breakthrough in the artist’s creative career is considered to be “Aerobatics” tape, in which he played the main role. After the film "Forbidden Kingdom" (2008), the actors continued their creative careers, Michael Angarano was no exception, but he still had no chance to play the main role again.
Female characters
Liu Yifei (“Once,” “Love or Money” reincarnated as a heroine who calls herself the Golden Sparrow and mentions herself only in the third person. The Chinese performer is little known in Hollywood, as she prefers to work in the national film industry.
The role of the beautiful witch was played by Li Bingbing. The spectator could watch the mastery of the Chinese actress in the blockbusters “Resident Evil: Retribution” and “Transformers: The Age of Annihilation”. In 2018, a fantastic horror film “MEG” will be released for rent on the tricks of giant megalodons, where the performer will transform into Xuying (a minor character in the project).
The actors and roles of the film "Forbidden Kingdom" will certainly be remembered by the viewer. Professionalism, dedication and skill of performers can serve as a model in demonstrating the canons of devotion to their profession. Reviews of moviegoers are mostly positive, despite the IMDb rating: 6.60. In any case, the picture can be safely recommended for viewing.