The Forbidden Kingdom

An American teenager who is obsessed with Hong Kong cinema and kung-fu classics makes an extraordinary discovery in a Chinatown pawnshop: the legendary stick weapon of the Chinese sage and warrior, the Monkey King. With the lost relic in hand, the teenager unexpectedly finds himself travelling back to ancient China to join a crew of warriors from martial arts lore on a dangerous quest to free the imprisoned Monkey King.

The long-awaited pairing of Jackie Chan and Jet Li delivers on its fight sequences, but critics found the film otherwise bloated and too reliant on its American-centric framing device to fully satisfy. Audiences were warmer than critics, suggesting the film plays better as crowd-pleasing entertainment than as a serious martial arts entry.