Forbidden Kingdom

I think The Forbidden Kingdom is a darned good movie. I took the stepsons - 6 and 12 - to see it and they had a great time. It also passed my basic test for a movie: I forgot how much I paid to see it.

Not that I am a great fan of the Chinese mythology movies. I got into Hong Kong movies with John Woo's The Killer and still prefer the gangster movies to the outright martial arts movies. I doubt I fit into any of the demographics for The Forbidden Kingdom.

Yet, I a big fan of Jet Li and a bigger fan of Jackie Chan. Neither have done as well in American films as they did in Hong Kong. Chan has probably fared the worst. For someone who seems to have translated Buster Crabbe into Chinese martial arts, American directors never seemed to know what to do with him. The best scene in Rush Hour is the scene when Chan and Chris Tucker bond during War. I am not sure if the Shanghai movies work better than The Rush Hour movies because they are better or just because Chris Tucker is absent.

I think some reviews made a big deal about the convoluted plot involving Chinese mythology. The marketing made a big deal about the pairing of Li and Chan. Neither seemed a big deal during the movie. Yes, the big fight scene was cool but it did not stop the movie. I cannot remember where I read that these fight scenes are like the dance scenes in an Astaire-Rogers movie but this one shows the idea's soundness.

Here is what the movie is about: stranger in a strange land gets handed a task for which he is supposed to accomplish but is inadequate to accomplish but learns from his friends the skills needed for the struggle and the character to win. Think King Arthur, think Star Wars, think The Three Musketeers, and all kinds of stories from whenever and where ever. The Chinese mythology acts as an exotic backdrop for the story.

The story that came to my mind and remains there is The Wizard of Oz. The American boy is the lion, tin man, and scarecrow wrapped up into the body of a dreamer fixated on martial arts movies.

For the fans of Chinese martial arts movies will have a lot of fun. I am sure that I missed a lot of references but I also am sure that there was a reference to The Karate Kid.

I need to say one thing about the Li/Chang match up, I keep thinking of the movies pairing Spencer Tracy with Clark Gable. The characters and their interaction function the same as Gable and Tracy did in something like Boom Town.

For another view, take a look at The Forbidden Kingdom Review. If you like movies, bookmark The Movie Blog. It is worth keeping an eye on it.

By the way, the kids were surprised that Applewood was closed. If you are not aware of this, the only Anderson movie theater is at Mounds Mall. The old theaters are still there, too. Empty, looking a bit forlorn and worn, and I wonder why no one has thought to recycle the buildings. I like the new theater - clean, lots of space - but I spent a lot of time in the old ones. They hold memories of movies gone by, friends no longer here and dates that probably would prefer to go unmentioned here.