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Forbidden Kingdom
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray ALL - America - Lions Gate Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Pat Pilon (25th September 2008). |
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The Film
 The story of the Monkey King and his journey to the West is as famous in China as the tales of King Arthur are in the West. The story has been told and retold, including filmed many times. From Shaw Brothers and 'Monkey Goes West' – the movie on the TV near the start of the movie – to more recent movies like 'A Chinese Tall Story', the story has been entertaining moviegoers for decades. It's, then, a good idea on paper to have this story come to American audiences with juggernauts Jackie Chan and Jet Li as stars. These two legends have never worked together. Though there have been plans since the early 1990s to have these two cross paths, some possible bad blood between, among other, more probable, reasons, them prevented them from ever making a movie together. Having such a great story and such great actors together for a film is a dream come true. The only problem is that the movie is American. The plot has little to do with the actual Monkey King story and the main character is utterly pointless, added for no other reason than to create a main character Americans could identify with. Jason (Michael Angarano) is bullied, falls three stories off a building and lands on his back. Instead of waking up dead, he wakes up in China, where he learns he has to get a special staff to the Monkey King (Jet Li), to save the kingdom from the evil Jade Warlord (Collin Chou). This is as silly as having 'Romeo & Juliet' about an Asian butler liasing between the two lovers. It's completely out of place and instead of coming off as an homage, it comes off as pedantic. By the same token, the two stars take up the persona they've taken here in the West. Jackie Chan plays the drunken master/goof characters he's become famous with in 'Drunken Master 2' and any number of his comedies. Jet Li plays the wise monk, not unlike his Wong Fei-hung character from 'Once Upon a Time in China'. This leads me to believe the filmmakers have ignored movies like 'Heart of the Dragon' and 'Last Hero of China'. Having the roles reversed would have been a lot more interesting. However, there are far more enjoyable elements of the movie, especially if you're familiar with classic Hong Kong movies. For starters, fans of old Shaw Brothers movies will definitely get a real kick out of the opening credits sequence, as about two dozen iconic moments from various movies (mostly Chang Cheh and Lau Kar-leung vehicles) are shown as the credits roll. Ronny Yu's 'The Bride with White Hair' also shows its influence in Li Bing-bing's character, and Liu Yifei shows shades of King Hu's 'Come Drink with Me'. Locations are also very famous, as they filmed some scenes in sets constructed for 'The Emperor and the Assassin' and locations from 'Fearless' and 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'. (In fact, in the commentary, they mention that the Boston Chinatown scene was actually shot in China.) Mention also has to go cinematographer Peter Pau, who once again brings out the best of the gorgeous locations. The action is also spectacular. It's abundantly clear that martial arts choreographer Yuen Woo-ping didn't let director Rob Minkoff anywhere near the set when filming the action sequences. There's a sharp contrast between the silly character beats and the professionalism of the action sequences. They show Mr. Yuen's mastery of movement, editing and energy. He knew that when Jet Li and Jackie Chan finally fought, it would have to be something spectacular, and he delivers. The scene shows the two giants doing what they're famous for. It's not their best work, but it's still very impressive. Various styles from various regions in China are shown in all their glory. It's not as pronounced or as much in focus as the old school martial arts flicks, but it's well done, and nice to watch. I'm not spending a lot of time on the American side of the movie (the movie is bookended by Jason's story in Boston) because quite frankly it's awful. I'm not talking about the movie's plot or the relationship between the characters because they're simple and silly. I'm also not talking about Collin Chou because his character is a caricature. Basically, it's not a particularly good movie when it comes to emotions or character competence. I am a big fan of all Asian cinema and I was able to see the many references to various Hong Kong movies from years gone by. As such, I enjoyed the movie more than most other people, but I enjoyed the movie not in the way it was intended to be enjoyed, which I'm not sure is particularly possible.
Video
2.35:1 widescreen, using the MPEG4/AVC codec. Lionsgate gives this movie a very good transfer. The colours are bright and accurate, though not too vivid. They're natural, and the varying greens of the various forests come out clearly. The level of detail is very nice, with very good sharpness. Skin tones are accurate, and the Monkey King has the appropriate yellowish tinge. The print obviously has no problems whatsoever, and compression is stellar, without any artifacts, edge enhancement or anything of the kind. This is a very good transfer.
Audio
The main (and only) track is an English DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track. The audio track is very impressive. The dialogue is very clean and very clear and is mixed in with good levels. The action is fast and furious, and the mixing follows suit. There are many small sounds that poke through amid the big, loud bangs, which adds interesting layers to the mix. The positions are very nice and show some nice accuracy. The hits come heavy at times, but it just adds to the impact of the fights. Overall, it's a very good mix sure to please anybody, especially if they have a system equipped to handle lossless sound. English (HoH) and Spanish subtitles are offered.
Extras
Lionsgate was extremely nice to this movie, releasing a completely packed 2-disc set, sure to please fans of the movie. First up is an audio commentary by director Rob Minkoff and writer John Fusco. The commentary starts off with the director saying 'The Emperor and the Assassin' is a movie from 1994 or 1995. He's actually a few years off (the movie is from 1998.), which doesn't bode well for the authenticity of the information given in this track. The track does get a bit better after this, pointing out the various locations (that I took to add to my review). They also talk at length about the Chinese participants of the movie, be them actors or crew. Some of the comments do come off as being a bit ignorant. About Jackie Chan's action sequences, the director says that he's better here and he's been in years. This leads me to believe they haven't seen 'New Police Story', which shows off Mr. Chan's skills (both acting and physical) much better. They do, however, provide a pretty consistent flow of information, and you do learn that they know Hong Kong cinema and its influences, especially Mr. Fusco. If you enjoy the movie, this is a nice listen. A slew of featurettes follow this. First is Storyboarding and Previz: The Movie Before the Movie (6:28). This featurette focuses on various shots and sequences that were a bit complicated and required previs. You also see some of the previz footage, while the director explains everything about presentation and shooting. The Kung-Fu Dream Team (10:37) focuses on the two stars and their finally working together after all these years. The producer talks about how he got them both to sign on for the movie. Jackie Chan and Jet Li talk about working on the movie and finally working together. Yuen Woo-ping is also discussed. The master himself even has a few nice words about thes two stars. The director of photography is also mentioned briefly. The featurette's companion piece, Dangerous Beauty (5:46), focuses on the two leading leadies of the movie. They both talk about making an action movie, while the makers talk about how they chose the two ladies. Discovering China (8:06) and Filming in Chinawood (7:43) talk, respectively, about location and set shooting. There's some gorgeous on-location and on-set footage. The filmmakers talk about their trips across China and how lucky and impressed they were to be shooting in various locations in China and in Hengdian Studios. Monkey King and the Eight Immortals (9:12) is a very short and very, very sparse overview of the story of the Monkey King. John Fusco talks about his interest in this story and the way he wanted to integrate it into his script. It's a bit general, but I suppose just having this on the disc is a good enough. The Blooper Reel (7:39) is next, and it's got some pretty funny goof-ups. Every actor seemed to have a great time and messed up a line or two. A lot of this is probably funnier for the people on the day. I enjoyed this, though, and laughed a few times. A few Deleted Scenes are included. They don't add much and the fourth scene takes out a completely useless moment that shouldn't have even been written in the script. The scenes are: 'River Boat Escape' (2:49), 'Jade War Lord Kicks Warrior Down Stairs' (1:49), 'Desert Trek' (0:39), 'Moonlight Kiss' (1:41), 'Li and Yifei in Caves' (0:23) and 'Li and Yifei Take Out Guards' (0:26). There's also a commentary by the director and writer, where they explain why the scenes were cut and what scenes they wish were still in the movie. Also From Lionsgate are also start-up trailers: 'Bangkok Dangerous' (2:14), 'War' (0:38) and 'The Bank Job' (2:30). There are a few High-Definition Exclusive Extras. Bonusview Picture-in-Picture is the first. As you may expect, this picture-in-picture commentary contains some interview footage with various cast and crew (including both Jackie Chan and Jet Li), location shots and on-set footage. As you see some effects-heavy scenes, you see how the scene was created, while some crew member talks over the footage. All the aspects of the movie are covered, such as locations, action and Jet Li and Jackie Chan working together for the first time. There are a few lengthy stretches where nothing is on screen, but the information there is pretty good. It's as enjoyable as you want it to be, and the information given is, again, very nice, and not too repetitive from other extras in the packed disc. To view this feature, you need a BonusView-capable player. There's also Lionsgate's Molog feature. You need a BD-Live-capable player, which I don't have, so I can't comment on it. Disc two has a Digital Copy of the film to download on your computer and your portable media viewing device.
Overall
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