THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM

I also watched The Forbidden Kingdom this weekend and while I enjoyed it and am not ashamed to own it or anything, and will watch it again, it was great or what I really expected out of Chan or Li.

I know that it's been Jet Li's dream to play the Monkey King and I know Chan loved being able to do a little role reversal and be they Drunken Master this time instead of the disciple, and it looked like both were having fun, I have to wonder who this movie is made for?

Hong Kong cinema fans are going to be disappointed because the way the fights are filmed and their length.

Kids aren't going to understand the mythology or the influences (I watched this with my 11 year old sister and she loved the closing fights and was on the edge of her seat, but was confused by why the bad guys had magic but the good guys (except for the Monkey King) didn't--bored by the opening credit sequence, and had some difficulty understanding Chan and Li).

I liked Micheal Argarano in Sky High and thought he was really good in this, but in the back of my mind wondered what it would have been like if the white kid had been the bully and his role was played by an Asian.

I also, unfavorably I know, compared the actor who played The Jade Emperor with James Wong and wondered what it would have been like with him in that role. I thought it would have been a nice little "shout out" to Big Trouble in Little China.

like I said, not bad, but not great either, re watchable but not a classic.