Forbidden Kingdom-What Do You Think?

[Mallus]

Are you playing your Chinese audience, or are you just losing it mentally?

Neither? It think it's pretty clear he doesn't like the films he makes for Hollywood but he does like the money. He also likes the safety rules in effect in American productions. I heard a little of an interview with him on NPR where he was describing the disregard for the actor's safety in Hong Kong productions, where the only priority was cutting costs. Jackie appreciated that American filmmakers put the actors first.

 

[wolff96]

Lately, I saw an article where he speaks about this movie in the same vein, saying that he doesn't get it, doesn't get the humor, doesn't understand why people would like it.

So OK Jackie, which is it? Are you playing your Chinese audience, or are you just losing it mentally?

While it may be both -- he *has* taken a lot of shots to the head over the years, after all -- I don't think that's the case. I work with a lot of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean engineers. The sense of humor between the different groups is very different. After an engineer has been here for a long time, they start to 'get' American humor. And I've been working with them long enough that I can *sometimes* understand their sense of humor. (Ironically, one of the few things everyone can agree upon is that people falling down is always funny.)

Keep in mind, too, that this movie was significantly changed during writing/development. It started as a very eastern story -- the legend of the Monkey King and the journey to rescue him. Then the studio worried about accessability for American audiences and changed the storyline significantly, with time-travelling teens and new characters.

It might be a cultural mis-match or it could be the mash-up of story elements that led to his comment. Or he could have taken a few too many shots to the head over the years. (But I'll let someone else tell him that, no matter HOW old he is these days...)

 

[Chimera]

Then the studio worried about accessability for American audiences and changed the storyline significantly, with time-travelling teens

Berman and Braga are now working for that studio???

 

[Tonguez]

While it may be both -- he *has* taken a lot of shots to the head over the years, after all -- I don't think that's the case. I work with a lot of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean engineers. The sense of humor between the different groups is very different.

Hell just look at the difference between American and English comedy
- both western but sometimes just don't get American humour!

but yes even people with no sense of humour will laugh when somebody falls down

 

[frankthedm]

Was quite good. Plenty of combat. Downtime not really a problem. Kinda Predictable at times. Some cheese factor.

 

[Tetsubo]

My wife and I loved it. I thought it was a great retelling of a Monkey King myth. I just love the Monkey King. I recommend it to anyone that likes martial arts movies.

 

[Hammerhead]

A lot of fun.

 

[Man in the Funny Hat]

Good fight scenes. You could really feel the "Americanization" factor - the, "we have to include THIS/THAT for western audiences," and, "we have to include this/that or the KIDS just won't get it," and that really just pushes it towards dull and uninteresting. IGNORING the formula is just as appealing as BEING formulaic. People will indeed go to a certain movie because they can rely on getting just what they expect, but that doesn't mean that they ONLY want what is predictable and formulaic.

While the "American formula" elements were adequately enjoyable for what they were - grudging submission to formula - they were clearly OUT OF PLACE. It rankles through the entire movie and actually diminished my own enjoyment of it. If they really had wanted to take it in those kind of directions they'd have done VASTLY better by using a teen character from modern Hong Kong rather than New York/Chicago/wherever. Simply using English dialogue rather than subtitles would have been all the nod to American audiences they needed to make. While Chan and Li are not the superstars here that they might be overseas they have better drawing power than they seem to give themselves credit for.

If Chan and Li enjoyed this at all, and if it is at all successful, they owe it to themselves to make a movie that THEY want to make, in America, with a Hollywood budget, in English, but otherwise with open disregard for, "Oh, we have to do this and that to make it appeal to American audiences." It is their acting, stunts, skills, inventiveness that is appealing, not any given plot convention, featured character, or story element.

With all that said it's a great movie, though I otherwise did expect a little more teh funny.

 

[RigaMortus2]

It reminded me of The Never Ending Story meets Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon...

Or even Warriors of Virtue, but without the kung-fu kangaroos...

I had low expectations going in, but it didn't disappoint...

 

[Acid_crash]

7.5 out of 10 for me. Good, almost great, but not quite. Not dull. Worth watching in theaters once, twice if somebody else is paying for the second ticket.