For Hong Kong film fans, one of the all-time dream match-ups has long been Jackie Chan versus Jet Li. Well, now those prayers have been answered -- in a way. The Forbidden Kindgom was done probably about ten years too late, so this isn't going to blow the roof off of anything, but it's still a solid movie that should please fans of both Li and Chan.

The story is pretty silly rubbish, with it centering around a white kid from modern-day Boston (Michael Angarano) who gets sent back to ancient China after grabbing a magical staff in a pawn shop. It turns out the staff belongs to the mystical Monkey King, who is being held prisoner by the Jade Warlord (Ngai Sing, aka Collin Chou). So, after being trained by a drunken master (Jackie Chan) and a stoic monk (Jet Li), the kid heads off to save the day.

Actually, for how goofy and improbable the story is, the script is actually quite good for a movie of this type. There are a few inside references to other movies that'll bring a few laughs, and Chan and Li's bickering back and forth is actually quite entertaining, instead of the annoyance it could have been. Once you get past nitpicks like people speaking in both Chinese and English, but everyone being able to understand each other, The Forbidden Kindgom's exposition becomes quite enjoyable.

Which is good, because the fight scenes here are disappointingly really nothing special. Don't get me wrong; there's nothing bad about them at all, and I'm sure newer and/or younger viewers will get a kick out of them. But this is all stuff that's been done many times before, especially by Yuen Woo-Ping. In the face of more "serious" martial arts films like Flash Point, Yuen's floaty style seems somewhat out of place in today's world.

Overall, though, it should be noted that The Forbidden Kindgom is really a kid's movie, and it succeeds at that. Sure, it's not something on the level of Drunken Master II or Fist of Legend, but it is an enjoyable enough way to spend an afternoon, and perhaps introduce somebody to the world of martial arts movies.

RATING: 7