They should have used this for the tagline for The Forbidden Kingdom because this is the first movie in memory where Jet Li smiles more than once and actually looks like he means it. The Forbidden Kingdom was touted as the first pairing of Kung Fu superstars Jet Li and Jackie Chan. That was enough to get a core fan base out. But how was the movie?

Honestly? It delivered. The martial arts were excellent, as expected. Plus, the story was fun, well told and well delivered. Jet and Jackie both play dual roles (and I won’t give out any more spoilers), but Jackie, by dint of far better English and a more personable screen presence, carries the film.

The plot centers around a young, American kid who gets swept into the realm of the Forbidden Kingdom and has to become a great, wise warrior in order to save the world and return home. As with the Wizard of Oz, he wants to get back. Unlike Oz, you can’t figure out why, until the very end, and even then, it’s a little questionable.

The young star is the same kid who starred in Sky High. He’s a normal looking person, not too gorgeous, not ugly, and he does a great job with two masters, two actors who both have logged considerably more screen time.

As said earlier, the martial arts are great, as are the rest of the special effects. You don’t want the movie thinking about the CGI, you watch it thinking about how cool this world looks.

It has a remarkably happy ending for a martial arts film. Honor is still the paramount issue, but the good guys aren’t completely screwed over in order to save the world and everyone’s honor. Martial arts, Jet Li, and Jackie Chan, you really can’t go wrong.