Music N' More: The Forbidden Kingdom

Thursday, December 8, 2011

The Forbidden Kingdom

-2008 Chinese-American martial arts movie.
-For the first time ever, brings together martial artist Jackie Chan and martial artist Jet Li

Plot
-South Boston teen Jason Tripitikas is a fan of the martial arts films and he awakens from a dream of a battle between the Monkey King and celestial soldiers in the clouds. When he visits a pawnshop in Chinatown to buy Wuxia DVDs and finds a golden staff. On his way home, Jason is harassed by some bullies who try to use him to help rob the pawn shop owner. The owner, Hop, tries to fight off the thieves and is shot. He tells Jason to deliver the staff to it's rightful owner and he flees with the staff. He is cornered on the roof and the bullies almost shoot him, but he is pulled off the roof by the staff and falls backwards onto the asphault.

-When he wakes up, he finds himself in a village in ancient China that is under attack from heavily armored soliders. They see his staff and try to get it. He is saved by a drunk traveling scholar named Lu Yan, a supposed "immortal" who remains alert even when drunk. Lu takes Jason to a teahouse and tells him the story of the rivalry between the Monkey King and the Jade Warlord. The Jade Warlord tricked the Monkey Kinf into setting aside his magic staff Ruyi Jingu Bang and transformed him into a stone statue, but he cast his staff away before the spell. Lu ends the story with a prophecy about someone, a "Seeker" who will find the staff and free the Monkey King. Just then, they are attacked by the Jade Warlord's men, but manage to escape with the help of Golden Sparrow, a young girl who refers to herself in 3rd person. She says her family was killed by the Jade Warlord.

-Elsewhere, The Jade Warlord, after learning of the sighting of the staff, sends the White-Haired Witch Ni-Chang to help him get it. Jason, Lu Yan and Golden Sparrow meet a strange man dressed in white, who takes the staff. Lu Yan fights with the man, who is later revealed to be the Silent Monk for the staff until they realize he is the prophesied Seeker. The 4 of them then travel to 5 Elements Mountain, Lu Yan and the Silent Monk teach Jason Kungfu along the way. After crossing a desert, they run into Ni-Chang and her soldiers after which a fight ensues, wounding Lu Yan with Ni-Chang's arrow. They take him to a monastery where Jason learns that Lu Yan is not immortal unless he drinks his wine. Only the Jade Warlord's elixir can save his life. So Jason goes for the elixir all by his self

-In the palace, the Jade Warlord asks Jason to fight with Ni-Chang to the death. He is defeated by Ni-Chang and the Warlord taunts him and is about to behead him when the other monks from the monastery show up. Jason manages to grab the elixir and gives it to Lu Yan, who recovers. The Silent Monk is wounded by the Jade Warlord's Guan Dao during the fight and passes the staff to Jason, who uses it to smash the statue containing the Monkey King. The Monkey King is freed and is actually revealed to be alos the Silent Monk. Lu Yan battles Ni-Chang and kills her by throwing her off the cliff hundreds of feet below. After another long fight between the Monkey King and the Jade Warlord, the Warlord is stabbed by Jason and falls into a lava pit to his death. Golden Sparrow has been seriously injured by the Warlord and she dies in Jason's arms. By then, the Jade Emperor has returned from his meditation and praises Jason for fulfilling the prophecy before returning him home

-Jason finds himself in 21st century Boston after passing through a magical portal at the exact moment and location of his fall. He defeats the bulllies and drives them away. He calls the cops and calls an ambulance for help. Hop then secretly reveals to Jason that he is Lu Yan. Before the movie ends, Jason is happy to see a girl who resembles Golden Sparrow and speaks to her, before she heads back to her shop, called Golden Sparrow Chinese Merchandise.