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The Forbidden Kingdom (2008)

The Forbidden Kingdom
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Bingbing Li, Collin Chou, Jackie Chan

An American teenager who is obsessed with Hong Kong cinema and kung-fu classics makes an extraordinary discovery in a Chinatown pawnshop: the legendary stick weapon of the Chinese sage and warrior, the Monkey King. With the lost relic in hand, the teenager unexpectedly finds himself traveling back t... (read more)

Flixster Users

65% liked it
302,472 ratings

Critics

64% liked it
123 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 53 min.
Directed by: Rob Minkoff
Release Date: Apr 18, 2008
DVD Release Date: Sep 09, 2008

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Flixster User Reviews

2 days ago
Though I've never been a fan of plots focusing around Chinese mysticism, this one pulls it off with unexpected skill. Whereas movies like "The Myth" took the legend to ridiculous levels, "The Forbidden Kingdom" keeps it mostly grounded in reality, al... (read more)
2 days ago
i love this movie, entertaining, good story line
2 days ago
you'd think a martial arts movie with jackie chan and jet li would be good. you'd think
2 days ago
I give it two stars simply for the fact that it had great fight scenes that included Chan and Li. Everything else like a white kid being the chosen one was fucking ridiculous.
3 days ago
Hieman pettymys, odotin enemman noilta taistelun mestareilta.

Critic Reviews

View more The Forbidden Kingdom reviews at RottenTomatoes.com
593 days ago
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com
When Chan and Li match wits, each celebrates the other's presence. This isn't just a martial-arts display; it's generosity and camaraderie in motion.
full review
593 days ago
Kyle Smith, New York Post
Forbidden Kingdom is chop-socky bordering on chop-schlocky, but it's good-natured myth-making cut into kid-size pieces.
full review
593 days ago
Colin Covert, The Minneapolis Star Tribune
Unfailingly lighthearted, the film's fight scenes are stylized, soaring wire work and gravity-defying digital sorcery rather than blood-and-bruises beatdowns.
full review
593 days ago
A.O. Scott, The New York Times
Forbidden Kingdom is a faithful and disarmingly earnest attempt to honor some venerable and popular Chinese cinematic traditions.
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593 days ago
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail
The Forbidden Kingdom...offers the first-ever on-screen pairing of martial-arts legends Jackie Chan and Jet Li, but it's a bit of a bait-and-switch. Both stars get plenty of screen time, yet their fight scenes feel routine.
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Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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