... has fun with the tale and Americanizes the genre without losing the pleasures of its Asian inspirations.

| Sep 8, 2023

Why would a Jet Li/Jackie Chan picture actually star a scrawny American boy instead?

| Original Score: 4/10 | Nov 28, 2020

The Forbidden Kingdom spins a web of fantasy and enchantment. A gift for the ages. A timeless classic. A masterpiece. Pure Oscar gold.

| Nov 8, 2019

Is this Hollywood championing relativism, or is it just lazy writing?

| Oct 11, 2018

Nothing quite like the entertainment value of bloodless mayhem.

| Aug 26, 2018

Surprisingly a lot of fun, with a simple good vs. evil plot, nice action sequences and a battle of the ages between two of the biggest martial art movie masters.

| Original Score: 6.5/10 | Oct 18, 2012

| Original Score: 2/4 | Nov 24, 2011

| Original Score: 3/5 | Apr 4, 2011

If you're a big Jackie Chan and/or Jet Li fan this movie was made for you and you should go see it on the big screen once. But because of a complete lack of storytelling effort from the filmmakers, there's no reason to ever see it more than once.

| Original Score: 6.5/10 | Mar 22, 2011

Kung fu fever and fluff mix it up with hordes of floating knights in shining armor with bad attitude, and just a little heavy on the dressing, courtesy of the costume department.

| Sep 9, 2008

Think of it as a kung fu fairy tale almost anyone can appreciate.

| Original Score: 7/10 | Aug 28, 2008

The first onscreen meeting of screen legends Jackie Chan and Jet Li is possibly reason enough to see this fantasy, whose extravagant martial arts sequences are choreographed by Woo-ping Yuen, whose signature was inked in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon

| Jul 18, 2008

... despite falling prey to some of the anticipate problems, it ultimately emerges victorious, perhaps wobbling a bit, but only in the giddy manner of the drunken master played by Chan.

| Jul 4, 2008

Fans of either martial artist will probably find enough to enjoy out of this, and will even like it more if they like 80's fantasy films.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Jun 8, 2008

Fueled by Jackie Chan and Jet Li, this enjoyable romp has plenty of kick.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Jun 5, 2008

An unapologetically old-fashioned fantasy ... solid enough entertainment for grown-ups, but something that many kids will absolutely adore.

| Original Score: B | Jun 3, 2008

If The Forbidden Kingdom missteps, it's by assuming that its digitally enhanced stunts are more impressive than they are and, therefore, lavishing more attention on the kinetics than the story.

| Jun 2, 2008

Welcomed doses of slapstick and winking humor are sprinkled throughout rescuing the film from the occasionally heavy but never overbearing exposition.

| Original Score: B | May 25, 2008

When I say the movie is cheesy, I am talking provolone, American cheese, Swiss cheese; cheesy.

| Original Score: 2.5/5 | May 17, 2008

Yeah, it's a dopey kid's movie, but -- significant detail -- one that feels like it was actually written for kids ... Also, whenever things threaten to get too schlocky, this amazing villainess with a magic bullwhip shows up.

| May 15, 2008