Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro in “Heat,” Freddy Krueger and Jason Vorhees in “Freddy Vs. Jason,” Alien and Predator in “Alien Vs. Predator.” Now we have another meeting of two legends in the same movie. Jackie Chan and Jet Li join forces together in the latest mystical martial arts adventure called “The Forbidden Kingdom.” This was another meeting of legends that was years, maybe even decades in the making. From the trailer though, it felt like it was just another formulaic action movie. It may have been just as well because it lowered my expectations to the appropriate level.

“The Forbidden Kingdom” is essentially a cross between “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and “The Karate Kid” as it follows Jason Tripitikas (Michael Angarano), a diehard kung fu movie fan who ends up falling inside another world he is completely alien to. Jason continually visits a store in Chinatown that is run by Old Hop (Jackie Chan) who never hesitates in offering Jason the best deal possible on DVD’s of Bruce Lee’s “Enter The Dragon” or something by the Shaw Brothers. While at the store one day, he discovers a legendary stick that once belonged to the legendary Chinese warrior, the Monkey King (Jet Li). But he ends up being accosted by the town bullies who end up taking him to Old Hop’s store to rob him. When things go bad, he ends up taking the legendary stick of the Monkey King, and he falls into the past and ends up in China on the run.

While in China, he runs into Lu Yan (Jackie Chan again) who is an immortal kung fu warrior whose elixir is wine, and that makes him an alcoholic for survival. How many movies have you seen where one of the heroes has to be drunk to stay alive? It gives you a new appreciation for wine, that’s for sure. Lu Yan ends up telling him the story of how the legendary Monkey King lost his stick and has been frozen Han Solo style for 500 years. So with the mission set, you know how the movie is going to end.

Along the way, they meet up with The Silent Monk (Jet Li again) whose living proof that actions can speak louder than words, and the Golden Sparrow (Yifei Liu) who joins the gang to avenge the murder of her family. During that time, they teach young Jason kung fu, and he somehow becomes a master in record time. As Jason improves in his skills, we get to see more of his chest and abs which show how much he has been working out. Keep in mind, this is largely a fantasy movie. They head off to defeat the evil Jade Warlord (Collin Chou) and to return the legendary stick back to The Monkey King. What do you think happens.

I wasn’t all that excited about seeing this movie, but some friends of mine were eager to see a mediocre martial arts movie, and I figured it would more fun to watch it with them. At the very least, we expected the choreography to be good, and that would be enough for us. The studio advertised this movie correctly. They didn’t make it look like it was astonishingly original or on the level as movies like “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.” In the end, “The Forbidden Game” is an ok movie, but that’s if you are coming into it with low expectations.

We do get fight scenes between Jackie Chan and Jet Li, and they are easily the highlights of the movie. Even as they are reaching the points in their lives where their bodies should be giving out on them (especially all the injuries and broken bones they have endured), they still have some kick ass moves that serve them well. I am especially impressed with Jackie Chan because he is in his 50’s now, but he still kicks ass like nothing’s wrong with him. Jet Li is a few years younger, and he moves even more fluidly than Chan. He also performs great moves with the sleeves of his robes. Just when you thought people couldn’t improvise with objects or clothing in martial arts movies, then got something new up their sleeves (pun intended).

But aside from the two of them, the fight scenes didn’t too much for me. The choreography was well done, but it didn’t blow me away like in other movies like “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” or just about any Bruce Lee movie. It’s not enough that it’s just okay. I want it to move me and excite me, and while the action here certainly didn’t bore me, this felt rather ordinary and uninspiring. I guess I was expecting more from this movie than I originally thought.

The young kid in this movie threatens to usually be the most annoying person in the entire movie, but Michael Angarano manages to keep him from being completely annoying. When it comes to the moves, he gets them down well enough. This is irregardless that there is no way he could learn all the martial arts in the time given. It’s when you end up asking these questions to yourself during the movie that you realize this film has problems it can’t avoid.

The other thing I kept wondering about is why the villain of the movie enjoys all the power he has, and yet does so little with it. If I were the Jade Warlord, I would be bored shitless! Nothing to do but stay on your throne and rule from afar. No chance of going out every so often because of the risk of assassination. Who would ever think that power could be so boring. But then again, we saw this through Tony Montana in “Scarface.”

Anyway, there’s not much more that I can say about this movie other than it was alright. But I don’t know about you guys, but I am starting to get a little sick of movies that are just alright. I want to see great movies that move and excite me. “The Forbidden Kingdom” is not a bad way to past the time, but it is no extraordinary feat of filmmaking. Even with lowered expectations, you still would expect more from the pairing of these two stars of martial arts movies. A film with the meeting of stars that was over a decade in the making; they were bound to screw it up somehow.

** out of ****

The Spiderwick Chronicles

Director: Mark Waters

Starring: Freddie Highmore, Mary-Louise Parker, Nick Nolte, Joan Plowright

Rated PG for scary creature action and violence, peril, and some thematic elements

Having to deal with a new and painful separation, a mother and her three kids move into an old house in the woods. Mallory (Sarah Bolger), the oldest and only daughter, seems the strongest and the one who helps her mother out the most in dealing with this difficult situation. Twins Simon and Jared (both played by Freddie Highmore) couldn’t be more different. Simon is straight-laced, with tucked in shirts and khakis, and is a self proclaimed pacifist. Jared is a bit of a rebel. He misses his dad and lashes out at his mother and his siblings, even punching and kicking objects around him. He’s mopey and moody, and wants his dad to come take him away.

Their first night in the house, Jared finds a dumb-waiter in the kitchen and finds that it leads to an attic full of cool stuff. He finds a key and discovers it opens a dusty trunk. Inside the trunk is a mysterious book with a warning note on it, and even though it warns of impending doom, Jared reads it. It’s called “The Spiderwick Chronicles”, written by Jared’s great-uncle Arthur Spiderwick. Eighty years ago, he wrote down all of the secrets of the world of goblins and pixies and fairies that he discovered and put them all in this book. The minute that Jared reads this information, the house is in danger. The goblin king Mulgarath wants these secrets so that he can become powerful and take over these hidden worlds. The house in under constant attack by his army of goblins who want to take the book from Jared. Jared, Simon, and Mallory must band together to defeat this army and keep the book and their house safe.

If I lost your attention when I said “goblins and pixies and fairies”, let me attempt to rein you back in. This is not Happy Rainbow Unicorn Land where everyone stops to frolic through the tulips to “Dance of the Sugarplum Fairies”. When those goblins attack the house, it’s all out war. The kids get scratched, bit, and hurt by these things. They ain’t playin’ around. The goblins and all the other types of mythical creatures who make up Mulgarath’s army are scary. Mulgarath himself? Not so much. Mulgarath, a shape shifting baddie who strikes fear in everyone because he kills anything and everything that gets in his way, is played by Nick Nolte. There is only one scene where he is not shape shifting and appears in human form, and Nolte appears disheveled. Not too far from his famed arrest picture, and not very scary looking. He does provide the voice when Mulgarath takes his other forms, and he is very effective in this way.

Freddie Highmore is impressive in this film, tackling two very different roles. When he started out, I didn’t give him much thought. Another child actor, whoopee doo. But since his turn in last year’s “August Rush”, where he learned several musical instruments WELL, I’m a fan. He does run the risk of overexposure, a la Dakota Fanning. He’s been in so much recently. I still really like him. Sarah Bolger, who was in “Premonition” and “In America”, is great as older sister Mallory. She added a lot of life to the film and was fun to watch. Mary-Louise Parker, whom I’ve adored since “Fried Green Tomatoes” and whom everyone loves from “Weeds”, has become one of those actresses that I’m just excited to see no matter what she’s in. She adds depth to a character that could be overshadowed amidst the kids and the goblins. Rounding out the cast is Andrew McCarthy who I completely did not recognize while he was onscreen. He's in the movie for no more than 5 minutes, but his scene is crutial to the story and character development.

Now for the question I was most interested in hearing the answer to when I was considering taking my kids: Is it too scary? Well, it depends. My seven year old son was scared during most of the movie. He covered his eyes and curled up in his seat, but when it was over, he thoroughly enjoyed it. My five year old daughter? She loved every minute. Every time my son cowered, I’d turn to her and ask if she was OK. Her eyes were wide as she stared at the screen and every time she said, “No way, mama! This is great!” So really, it just depends on what your kids can handle. Every parent should have a pretty good idea. Overall, it’s harmless fantasy fun.

“The Spiderwick Chronicles” isn’t as kid-oriented as you may think. It’s deep and tackles issues such as divorce and the disappointment associated with it. But it handles its issues in a way that doesn’t talk down to kids and still makes everything very easy to understand. There have been several children’s movies lately that have far exceeded my expectations. This one falls in the same category as “Martian Child”: must-see family entertainment.

4 out of 5 stars

Jenny Rushing

beccajane67@yahoo.com