The Forbidden Kingdom is a fun, light-hearted film for people interested in Chinese culture and its representation in popular culture in the West.  The movie features big names in Chinese cinema, including Jacky Chan and Jet Li, and both make the movie lots of fun.

The movie centers around a boy, Jason, who is something of a misfit because of his interest in kungfu movies and other geeky sorts of entertainments.  He gets sucked into his fantasy world via a DVD he finds in a pawn shop, the classic kungfu film The Ten Tigers of Guangdong.  It is fun to watch him try to make his way through the world of old China, as much as it is fun to see how that world looks through Western eyes.

The overall plot is a little cheesy, but that’s OK.  It’s not really about an impressive plot, but about the fun aspects of a good Jacky Chan and Jet Li movie — outstanding choreography in the action scenes, and a lot of laughs.  It is a fun movie all round.  Not a bad way to while away a couple of hours.