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Jackie Chan and Jet Li made their first appearance together in the 2008 movie The Forbidden Kingdom. There is another aspect of this partnership, though, that hasn’t received as much attention. The story of The Forbidden Kingdom opens up a new level for the audience to experience. 

Jackie Chan

The plot centers on Michael Angarano’s character, American adolescent Jason Tripitikas (a die-hard fan of kung fu films), who, after obtaining the golden staff of the Monkey King (Jet Li), finds himself unexpectedly transported back in time to ancient China. 

The Forbidden Kingdom was created by John Fusco as a sort of homage to Wu Cheng’en’s well-known literary masterwork, Journey to the West, with inspiration taken from a story he told his kid. 

The movie is notable for another reason: it features Jackie Chan and Jet Li in their first-ever martial arts fight, which is immortalized in a breathtaking fight scene directed by the renowned Yuen Woo-ping. However, The Forbidden Kingdom honors not just one particular facet but also a noteworthy subgenre in martial arts filmmaking. Jackie Chan had long-held ambitions to work with Jet Li.

Jackie Chan and Jet Li

“Jet Li is one of my target… Because he is an action star, I’m an action star, the fans, the media always bring up on the newspaper. Me and him know each other for thirty years, we’re just ordinary people, we are no superstars, movies is just our job,” Chan said.

The Shaw Brothers studio established itself as a highly prolific producer of kung fu movies in the 1970s, 1980s, and even well into the 1990s, thereby creating a unique niche for itself in the martial arts film industry. The Forbidden Kingdom honors the history of Shaw Brothers kung fu films in particular, even if it is a monument to the martial arts film genre as a whole. 

Also Read: Jackie Chan wept bitterly when his estranged father revealed the truth about his traumatic and troubling family history in “Story of Every Chinese Family”

The noteworthy fact that The Forbidden Kingdom takes Jackie Chan the closest to being a part of one enhances the uniqueness of its allusions to Shaw Brothers. Jackie Chan was not present in any Shaw Brothers movie, despite Jet Li playing the lead role in the 1986 Shaw Brothers picture Martial Arts of Shaolin, which was Li’s only project with the company. During his early career, Chan actually turned down the chance to work with the Shaw Brothers company, choosing instead to use Golden Harvest as his personal studio as he started to forge his own path.

Jackie Chan and Jet Li

Movies that pay homage to other movies or entire genres are charming, and The Forbidden Kingdom has a special affection for the classic martial arts works of Jackie Chan, Jet Li, and other notable figures. This love is evident in every scene in the film. 

But The Forbidden Kingdom has a special place in my heart for the Shaw Brothers’ kung fu cinematic legacy. Another delightful and nostalgic aspect of the film is its sincere appreciation for the Shaw Brothers’ contributions to the world of kung fu movies, even though the focus is still on the significance of Jackie Chan and Jet Li’s first collaboration.