the Mind’s Chew Toy

Synopsis:

An American teenager (Angarano) 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 (Li). With the lost relic in hand, the teenager unexpectedly finds himself traveling back to ancient China to join a crew of warriors from martial arts lore on a dangerous quest to free the imprisoned Monkey King.

Our Thoughts:

Jet Li and Jackie Chan are together for the first time ever in The Forbidden Kingdom! These two have made names for themselves in the US and overseas, but always separately. Teaming them up is like the martial arts version of the DeNiro/Pacino team-up we saw for the first time in Heat - a dream come true.

With a story that seems to be a mix of Heroes Season 2, The Mummy and Mortal Kombat, this seems like it’s going to be worth the wait. But, it’s possible that director Rob Minkoff could screw this up, as his normal fare tends toward the more kid-friendly - and animated - likes of Stuart Little and The Lion King. Maybe his Haunted Mansion did give him a push in the right direction, but that’s a large step away from this type of pic.

Or, maybe I’m getting the gist of the movie wrong, and they’re going to keep this kid-oriented and family friendly. Let’s hope they at least give us a PG-13 rating, or this martial arts dream team-led film could be a major disappointment.