With the plot and writing out of the way, the real main event here is the pairing of Jackie Chan and Jet Li. Here you have two of the most dynamic martial artists in history. For any martial arts fan, this is a near dream come true (near dream because a true dream would pair them in a genuine Hong Kong production, which is not out of the realm of possibility).

Both of these men get to show what they can do multiple times throughout the film. Highlights include the first fight with Jackie, where he shows us his famous use of Drunken Boxing, and Jet Li facing off with the Jade Warlord. There is also a wild fight during the climax involving Jackie, Sparrow (Yifei), and Ni Chang (aka Bride with White Hair, played by Bingbing Li), that involves special effects and some nifty hand-to-hand combat.

Above all of the fights is the temple encounter, and the first on-screen fight between Jackie and Jet. It is a sight to behold. Both of them show off different styles, with plenty of quickness, energy, and excitement; not to mention allowing it to be long enough to really draw in the viewer.

I have to give a lot of credit to director Rob Minkoff, with, I am sure, a lot of input from legendary fight choreographer Yuen Woo-Ping. I mention this because the fights are not edited beyond all recognition. All too often Hollywood action scenes are cut into tiny little bits where you are scarcely able to tell what is going on.

In The Forbidden Kingdom, there are plenty of wide shots allowing us to see what is happening. We all benefit from this, as we can see what these two legends are doing - the forms, the moves, and the pure skill involved in doing what they do. There also seems to be less wirework than I was expecting. Yes, it is still there, but there is a lot that appears to have been done sans wires.

The performances were fine. Li and Chan do pretty much what I expected. I would not consider either man to be a great actor, but they are good, and this film has them in their element. Both play two roles, they have much less screen time, and they are allowed to play them differently than what is normally expected of them.