by rick grant rickgrant01@comcast.net
C+ Rated PG-13 113 min
* this article is web-exclusive
Jackie Chan and Jet Li teamed up with filmmaker Rob Minkoff to make yet another kung-fu film full of the now cliché wire stunts and choreographed fight sequences. Of course, it will be the number one movie when it’s released because there are innumerable karate students who can’t get enough of martial arts movies.
After seeing umpteen martial arts movies, I’m bored by the endless fight sequences, which now all seem the same. However, at least Jackie Chan plays his role of the drunken kung-fu master with his tongue firmly imbedded in his cheek. His humorous characterization of Lu Yan upgrades the film considerably.
Effectively, the whole kung-fu genre has become a parody of itself happening in a cartoon world of mystical white-haired witches and other worldly characters, such as the Silent Monk (Jet Li). In fact this film opens with a CGI animated sequence featuring the mythical Monkey King. The characters defy gravity in these kung-fool scenes that are right out of a comic-book consciousness.
The story focuses on a teenage boy, Jason Triptikas (Michael Angarano) who is obsessed with martial arts films. He gets his films from an old man, Old Hop (Jackie Chan) who runs a pawn and video shop. One night a bunch of bullies attack Jason and make him go to Old Hop to open the store so they can rob him. Jason is terrified and runs up to the roof where the gang forces him to jump. During his fall he is transported back to ancient China where the immortal Monkey King (Li) has been imprisoned in stone until Jason brings back his golden staff. Getting the staff to the Monkey King is the trick and the journey is fraught with danger. Jason hooks up with Lu Yan, the faux drunken kung-fu master and his protégée–a pretty girl with advanced martial arts training. Ah yes, for Jason, there is a spark of romance in the air, if he can learn to defend himself.
Jason is a fan of kung fu but he has zero skill. He asks Lu Yan to teach him, which seems like an impossible task. Nonetheless, the three unlikely travelers set out to the Forbidden Kingdom to return the staff to its rightful master. Ah, but standing in their way is the evil Jade War Lord (Collin Chou) and his white haired witch attack dog, Golden Sparrow (Liu Yifei). Let the games begin as much footage is devoted to the kung-fool fights with the exaggerated foley effects and impossible moves. Ho hum, it’s just another kung-fake film–wake me when it’s over.
To be fair, in this movie, the choreographed fight sequences, that seem to go on forever, are sometimes exciting to watch. And, that’s why the kids go to see these films. But ever since Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was released in 2000, it became the model by which all these kung fu sequences were shot. Frankly, I’ve had enough of the high flying wire gags and “whap, whap” sound, amplified tenfold. However, it feeds an insatiable fan base that eats-up this kung-fu candy.
Oh yeah, and all these mystical adventures are predictable. The kid learns quickly to master the staff and kick butt. And the group fights its way into the Forbidden Kingdom to confront the Jade Warlord, where the Monkey King is still locked in stone. “Whap, whap, whap” and the fight is on as the action builds to a crescendo of ridiculous martial-dance-arts. Minkoff’s pacing was even and his scenecraft was elaborate with many flashy FX shots as a backdrop for the action. The fact at Lu Yan can fight drunk is amazing, but that’s part of Jackie Chan’s shtick.
The truth is: There have been way too many martial arts movies made in the last ten years, but as long as they fill up theaters, then filmmakers will keep shooting them.
Article Published in the April 2008 Issue of EU Jacksonville
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