Forbidden Kingdom - Chan vs Li - what more can you ask?

I know that most times when a film is sold on its 'star power' alone, it can sometimes be a little shallow in terms of what it actually delivers.  Anyone who's vaguely into their modern martial arts films will know about heavyweights 'Jackie Chan' and 'Jet Li.' Throughout their long careers many have speculated on what it would be like if they ever fought each other and, possibly more importantly, who would win.  Well... 'Forbidden Kingdom' - sort of - answers those questions.

I know many fans of the genre may say that this film should be primarily about either of the two big names and that the addition of a young (dare I say 'Western?') hero was unnecessary.  However, we meet a teenage boy who dreams of emulating the great martial artists of old.  Then, one day when a gang of walking cliches break into his store and force him on the run with a magic staff which just so happens to take him to another dimension where he has to return the artifact to its rightful owner  Naturally, when he gets there he meets the two martial arts stalwarts and a whole range of colourful characters who are on hand to either aid or hinder his progress.

Obviously, it goes without saying that the martial arts scenes between everyone are as spectacular and over-the-top as you would imagine.  The cast fly around on wires performing completely unrealistic, but brilliantly choreographed, punches and kicks which should keep anyone who enjoys this kind of show on the edge of their seats.

Now, that was all I was really interested in, so with that I could finish the viewing satisfied.  I think most people will know what they're getting and feel they got their money's worth.  I understand that the film won't be for everyone.  You could argue that there's a great deal of exposition.  There are heavy flashbacks and times where a character monologues in order to delivery vast quantities of story so that the audience knows who's doing what and why.

The film has a kind of 'Lord of the Rings' feel.  The magical dimension feels like an Oriental Middle Earth.  It's not quite as grand, but that's probably because 'Forbidden Kingdom' doesn't have the budget afforded to Tolkien's epic.  Therefore a lot of the sets and backgrounds are computer-generated and, if you really hate that form of special effects, it might bug you.

However, I can forgive all of this film's 'sins' as I just sat back and watched the wonderful fight scenes and the chance to see two legends in this field share the same screen and the same time.  If that's all you're after you'll get your fill here.

8/10 The Force is definitely strong with this one