Well, us martial-arts enthusiasts have been waiting for this for a long time, and it’s finally happened. Jackie Chan in a film without Chris Tucker. A bonus: we get Jet Li instead! Hollywood has also thoughtfully provided us with the token white kid, Jason (Michael Angarano), as the main protagonist, because Lord knows we couldn’t handle a Chinese lead. Oh, and Jason is a major martial arts buff, with an infinite amount of Bruce Lee posters on his bedroom wall, so of course he has to be the untapped hero.

After fleeing from an ’80s style gang that would do the “Karate Kid” proud, Jason is mysteriously transported back from the modern world to a time of mythical fighters and warlords, along with an even more mysterious staff. Almost immediately, we are introduced to Chan’s drunken master character, and after all those years as Inspector Lee, Chan seems to be a lot more comfortable playing Lu Yan-flexing his true comedic and fighting muscles. Naturally, we also encounter the deadly and rather attractive love interest who inevitably has no real depth (played by Juana Collignon), or else this wouldn’t be the Hollywood film it was destined to be. The three join forces to return the staff to its rightful owner: the legendary Monkey King of the Jade World-that is until a silent monk steals the staff from Jason.

And this is where the fun begins. Cue a very impressive fight between Jet Li the monk and Jackie Chan the drunk; a fight which is far from a brief encounter, but naturally leaves you wanting more. It’s extremely refreshing to see Chan fight with various styles of his deep martial arts knowledge, while Li as always is swift, graceful and a joy to watch. With some fine wirework and ballet-like moves, you wonder why it’s taken so long for the two to share screen time.

Once the fight is over, the four realize they all have similar goals, and venture onwards to the Jade Kingdom to return the staff and help Jason master his Gung Fu. You will no doubt laugh out loud at some of the lines in the script; the extremely heavy-handed sappy music and “Lord of The Rings”/”Narnia”-esque moments. But, despite these flaws and a predictable plot, if you accept “The Forbidden Kingdom” as a silly, fluffy, kick-ass film, you will definitely enjoy it. Relish in the random female villain who hates men with a passion for no apparent reason; the love interest who refers to herself in the third person; and Jet Li literally pissing on Jackie Chan. You might even be surprised to find that Angarano is a solid actor, and you will definitely love the action, especially the scenes involving The Monkey King. If you appreciate martial arts movies, don’t expect anything like “Crouching Tiger.” Rather, prepare yourself for this, the “Step Up 2” of kung fu movies: solid action, comedy that often hits the mark, and acting that suits the ridiculously cheesy script.