Chan's second role is Hop, the shop owner. He is an intriguing character with a lot of mystery surrounding him, considering his limited presence. Li doubles as the Monkey King, and I have to say I do not recall seeing Li ever smile so much on the screen, much less play it slightly goofy. Watching him in that role was fun.

Michael Angarano plays our central character, and while the story is his, he is so bland as to almost be a non-entity. His presence is weak, and he felt underwritten in the face of the mythical plot. Liu Yifei, an up and coming actress who has great screen presence, plays the last member of our motley crew. She more than holds her own in the face of her legendary co-stars.

Bottom line. In the end, this movie is a lot of fun. It may not be the hard-hitting, all-out fight fest that many of us had hoped for, but it is still quite enjoyable and fills a good role. This is the perfect place to start for those interested in martial arts cinema. There is a lot to be gleaned from its content, giving you plenty of things to look up in other films. Go, watch, enjoy, and then go discover more!

Recommended.