Review: The Forbidden Kingdom

I've said this before on a different review, but everything you said I've seen coming a mile away. When I saw the white kid in the trailer said, "WTF? That white kid looks really out of place." This movie didn't need a white lead. It had freakin' JET LI and JACKIE CHAN, for crying out loud.

It's really unfortunate that its going to take two more examples, "Dragonball" and "Street Fighter", for Hollywood to learn the lesson that whitewashing just DOES NOT work.

"If the producers had dared to cast an Asian, Asian-American, or African-American, that could have opened up all kinds of interesting twists..."

I agree. TAKE A CHANCE for chrissake!

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And people thought "21" 's casting was just an anomaly?

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I agree with everyone on this. If you're gonna cast some white kid in the movie, better put in someone we know or has some credible acting ability. This feels like "21" where they just dumped a "newcomer nobody" in the lead.

I honestly think John Cho could have played the part in that one, and he has a bigger (growing) following than that guy.

See, I cant even remember the lead guy's name in "21" Im just gonna refer to him as That Guy. Thats how unmemorable, predictable, his performance was.

Im gonna watch this movie for the REAL stars in it (Li, Chan, Chou,) not for that Michael whatshisface kid.

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I think The Forbidden Kingdom looks like one of the coolest action/fantasy films to come out in some time, and it should be really cool to see Li and Chan in the same film for the first time ever! Here's an ebay auction I ran across for the movie for an original theatrical poster signed by the entire cast! All proceeds go to a very noble charity, so I thought I'd pass it along: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=200216997523&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT&ih=010

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It's sad that after the success of Crouching tiger, hidden dragon with an all Asian Cast and in a different language no less. Producers still feel the need to throw a random white guy into a movie where he doesn't belong. Did they somehow believe Asian actors and intricate stories can't carry the movie? Why don't they just throw the white kid into a Tyler Perry film then.

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"If the producers had dared to cast an Asian, Asian-American, or African-American, that could have opened up all kinds of interesting twists..."

You're right on the money with this.

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You're all being backwardly prejudice on the white boy casting. Are you kidding me??? It HAD to be a white person, no way should it have been an african or oriental. You people are blind. First; the fact that he was not asian louldy marked the good character and nobility of the Good Guys. Jackie and Jet, even that God king, all did not raise a single comment about a strange alien white boy being in their land. At most you hear Jet Li's observation of the boy not being Chinese (da funniest part of the whole movie). They accepted him, taught him, guided him, without reservation. They just proceeded along duly noting he was different and keeping the big picture at hand. TRUE good guys.
Second; this tale and story is inherently WESTERN. It is a "white people" story, meaning that africans and even HONG KONG were never any good at the formula of telling a story via cinema; at least until the 70's or even late 80's. WESTERNERS are the boys who made StarWars, who made Superman, things like Goonies, The NeverEnding Story, etc, etc. This form and style of story telling, HELL this cliche story is strictly an invention of white folks. From George Lucas to Speilburg, to Richard Donner, even to Mel Gibson and Clint Eastwood. Think of that movie "Zathura". This very original style of story and form of adventure is inherently WHITE. WESTERN. U.S.A.
And now Asian cinema has learned from it. It only makes sense that the star, by heritage of the genre, BE the white kid. That's where the hell it came from. Try having a movie called KungFu where the tale takes place in china of a master avenging his teachers death and cast a white guy. Wrong! That genre story type is inherent to the Chinese. They invented that. Get it straight.

Thirdly, and most of all, the whole genre of kung fu chop socky films has most of it's influence upon the white folks of the U.S.A, Britian, and the rest of Europe. It's white folks who are blown away by all the chop socky movies. THEY are the audience who find the exotic possibilities of individual power of their inner selves exciting. Well, them and africans. For China, it's just something that's part of their culture. In white land, it's like "omigod, that's the coolest shit!" And the kid they got to play the fanboy fit the part perfectly. Having a white kid is the U.S's testimony to the chinese that they think they're great. For China its' flattering that the civilized Westerners admire and respect this particular contribution of cinema via the ingenuity of martial arts and super human power. It had to be a white kid, people.

Anyway you look at it, it makes sense. Unless you weren't paying attention to what movie you were looking at, or to the entertainment industries activities and hearths. Now John Saxon in Enter the Dragon: THAT was a guy placed their to hold white people's hand. Bruce was too intense and oriental, you needed some white guy to hold the hand of some disorientated, prejudice white bread.

Heck, even the opening title of that movie wouldn't allow Bruce's name to be alone. And he was the STAR! What bullshit, they HAD to put Saxon's name RIGHT next to Bruce's. As if Saxon were a partner in this creation of a badass kung fu movie. Why don't U critisize about THAT. Give critisizm that makes sense.

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I can understand to a certain extent what your trying to get at Paul. It really shouldn't matter what race the lead is in any genre of movie. But you have to admit though..saying its a "western movie" or "white people film" so the lead has to be white,does sound pretty ignorant and some what racist..Though I strongly doubt or imply that you actual are.

And saying that african american and asian are not any good at making a good story-line or movie compared to "whites" is quite ignorant if you ask me. East asian movies have been just as good if not more creative even without the special effect CGI's and involves more in the well writting script. And have been involved in what you called "white genre" style of movie...which I "sci-fi flick" since the late 50's lol THERE no such thing as a white,black or asian style of movies..there just movies to me dude. Theres loads of asian films with crazy storys of war, drama, magic and horror or whatevers. Of course you wouldnt have seen them to judge them since there not in ENGLISH. And the ones that do make it over here or either really old or LOOSELY translated and most of the original meanings are lost in translation, and the habit of americans producers cutting the usually longer asian films SHORT to fit in with americans usual 1hr 30m's films, makes its appear rushed and with all the missing scenes and chinese to english grammer difference takes ALOT from the movies. sometimes making it seem inferior too american films.
Even crouching Tiger,hidden Dragon won academy awards in various catergorys, even though it was considered a failure in asia..giving the impression that there were better produced films in asia then CTHD.

BTW you can't blame some of the people here for noticing how every film made in america almost, about ASIA or some far away place always has to have a white lead in it, learning the "oriental ways" and save the people from a evil asian dude. which is fine with me if the movies good, but to do it in almost every asian based movie is pretty narrow minded and racist of hollywood. Its a shame our asian super stars can't show there true talents in acting due to english not being there FIRST language. makin them seem lacking in most american produced films. But yeah enough with my ranting, Truce is If the movies good then its good, who cares if hes white or asian or pink or purple..just try not to sound so racially supremest, American cinema is'nt all that great, take away the CGI's and you got mostly B rated cheesy plots, with a couple really good movies. =]

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I agree with most of what you say there anh koi. And you were right; of course I am not prejudice. As for african americans and asians not being able to tell a story as good as "whites", I still stick with that but perhaps I should make it a bit more clear so that it doesn't sound TOO racist, it's not suppose to. What I'm saying is that asians certainly have a certain style of story telling and thier own kind of genre's and even the same for some africans.

But the white folk are the ones who made story telling very stylish and always carrying a theme. Asian films can tend to lack a theme or point, long before, it was more of a matter of having a show or a few neat scene's.

For that matter, it was white folks who invented the cinema art of story telling. They were the leaders in that field. And they were usually Jewish apparently. If we get into history, it is actually caucasians who have strongly practiced story telling and theme delivery. From Greek tales of some protagonist journey, to Icarus flying too high in the sky. From vikings singing a story of how a great warrior won his victory to Robin hood saving the day. Whereas most of oriental tales and also african tales were not really tales, with a message or an opening and closing, as stories go.

They were instead just facts. The myths or legends would mostly be descriptions of events or physical facts about whatever legend. So all the legends in the Orient and even AFrica were not like some tale of a journey, but rather just records of history. Of course we don't believe in dragons or flying men, but the way these tales go, they state it like objective memory rather than a ride or journey of a tale.

But definately, the whole science fiction or fantasy tale of a young kid learning a lesson and becoming better or stronger is DEFINITELY White folk. The first being directly from England; Lord of the Rings and Narnia.

So THAT specific genre is invented by British white folk thus the kid in this movie was an obvious play, and we still see it being carried on and practiced today.

Also, what you said is true, asians are generally played as villians and scoundrels, like Ming the merciless or something. But Jackie has really put a nice guy face on the asian stereotype, I think. But Jet makes sure we don't forget that the Asian man can be viciously deadly!

We owe much of that to Bruce. Thanx Bruce!

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Greetings Henry

"Your whole argument just shows that you have not watched much of and even less understand asian folklore", can easily say the same for you. Watch: "Henry, your whole statement just shows that you have not watched much of and even less understand asian folklore". See how unsubstantial that was? Whimsically making statements with no rhyme or reason doesn't qualify it much as worth while statement. Might as well say the moon is made of cheese. "Okay then Henry, I say the moon is made of Potatoes!"

Asian folklore, particularly oriental, does not stand out dominantly as long elaborate stories. A protagonist displaying experiences, epiphanies, severe character change, and carrying a theme. If you think so; name TEN.

And consider how long it would've taken you to collect these ten during your internet research. Or going to a library, a school, or just thinking of them. I hardly doubt U can just think of them though. Again we are only talking of folklore, ancient times; not Cinema or modern novels.

Whereas the caucasian race has a million of them which we could randomly state just by thinking of them without digging and researching, and you'd prolly recognize half of them.

Now, moving on to cinema and modern novels, once again this is STILL lacking. For crying out loud, the only outstanding oriental movie that they made from a novel is "Memoirs of a Giesha" and the irony there underlying my point is that it wasn't even an oriental novel. Some white man wrote it.

It is only LATER, that asian films started ADAPTING the practice of story telling in their movies. Bruce Lee would be one of the loudest to step in that direction. In fact Bruce Lee himself had said that "the quality of asian films are not that good" or words to that effect. With his own films and observing others during the time he did however state that the standard was improving and becoming "taut" as he put it.

This is WAYY after Western Cinema has already lead the way, and provided by example. Thus the orient started following suite. So NOWADAYS you do have good oriental films with a solid theme, and an obvious story. NOWADAYS (esp the Japanese). Sticking with Gong fu, "Robin B Hood" is a clear and mighty example of this starring Jackie Chan.

Back to ancient tales, the orient does in fact state their tales simply as information. Or a matter of fact.

It's like a feat had been performed by some dude and he becomes legend for it; Wong Fie Hung as a case example. Or how about "the green destiny"? Most "stories" in India, China, Africa, etc. are not actual tales. As tales are fabricated, they are FICTION. An artist (who is the author) concocts a story in his creative little head and weaves a piece of fiction with craft, clever literary tools, and a direction from a starting point. And his creation of this is therefore all fiction of course.

But in asia, it doesn't go that way very often. SOME exist like that, but dominantly it's not told like fiction, rather the opposite; it's told like non-fiction. Actual facts and events. Like a list of information, what was the creatures name, where was the province, what was the feat or event, what was the year, etc. Not that we would claim those to be true facts, but that is the nature of the folklore.

Back to the modern world name a few asian flicks, if you want, which have the very bold and obvious craft of story telling. And I mean told well, and very very clear and obvious. Nothing too interpretable, or abstract. When U name these? I'll bet they are WAAYYYYY after Bruce Lee, which was already the heavy point of western influence. For crying out loud that chinese man spoke english and loved James Dean.


As for your dislike for Narnia, it is quite ignorant. Narnia is a great book. It has Awesome story telling, and is really one of the basis for most of modern story telling today. That and Lord of the rings. You sound like an ignorant fool who gets all his information from movies. If that's all U know about Lewis and Tolkein, by movies, then we understand better where you're mind is at.

This was a rather odd statement by you "I would agree however, that movies like Lord of the Rings and Narnia are a genre created by White folks though". AGree? What do you mean agree?? That would not be something to agree with; the authors are white people. That's like something to recognize, not agree. That's like saying "I agree that Jackie Chan is chinese" ???Whatt?? That's not something to agree with, that's a stupid fact.

"You like this type of movie? keep it that way; we have our own interests anyway". That's not a very good reason for me to keep it that way. Different interest does not justify why I would keep liking this movie, in fact it has nothing to do with it. If you like or dislike the movie is not a valid reason for me to like the movie. The movie is either good to me or it aint. And you recommend me to like this type of movie, when you haven't even seen THIS movie.

Your own lack of interest or presence of interest has nothing to do with good stories and decent movies. I enjoy it because it is good art. Now THAT's a good reason to keep it that way.

I suggest to you the same.

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I waith to see this movie:The Forbidden Kingdom,i dont los this movie

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Ok, when I first saw the trailer I hated it. I'm sick and tired of seeing the same thing in Hollywood. WHITE PEOPLE WINS." I don't mind white people taking the role (my fav actor is Bruce Willis and Christian Bale). But if you look in the home country that they love white people (look in the animes and Half-Asians are often mixed with white). But you have to remember that some Asians and Americans see black and Spanish as side characters or no memtion at all. But here's the formula to remember.

White: Hero
Black: First to die or a yassir character
Spanish: Drug dealers (See Black)
Asians: White people best friend
Middle Eastern: Terrorist.

that's how the world see us and accept us

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