The Forbidden Kingdom

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The Forbidden Kingdom ★★½ 2008 (PG-13)

Introduce the kiddies to kung fu action-lite in this mild adventure (that could easily be a PG). Boston teen Jason (Angarano) is magically transported back to ancient China thanks to a golden staff that must be returned to its imprisoned owner, the Monkey King (Li). He's helped by drunken fighter Lu Yan (Chan), orphaned babe Golden Sparrow (Yifei), and a guy known as the Silent Monk (Li again). They're opposed by the Jade Warload (Chou), white-haired witch Ni Chang (Bing Bing Li), and various evil minions. Plays it safe but it's also (surprisingly) the first pairing between martial art stars Chan and Li, so that's a treat. 105m/C DVD . US Michael Angarano, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Collin Chou, Bingbing Li, Liu Yifei, Morgan Benoit; D: Rob Minkoff; W: John Fusco; C: Peter Pau; M: David Buckley.