A discovery made by a kung fu obsessed American teen named Jason (Michael Angarano) sends him on an adventure to China, where he joins up with a band of martial arts warriors, The Silent Monk (Jet Li), Sparrow (Yifei Liu), and Lu Yan (Jackie Chan) in order to free the imprisoned Monkey King (also played by Jet Li).
We watched this movie on DVD at home with the family and were pleasantly surprised. In many ways, it was just the perfect movie. It takes this young boy who gets the snot beaten out of him by bullies, and transports him to China where he begins training in martial arts from Jet Li and Jackie Chan. They travel a great distance and face many perils, to face the Jade Warrior (played by Collin Chou) who has imprisoned the Monkey King. The movie is simple, but filled with good humor, and incredible martial arts kung fu action sequences. It really was a joy to watch, from beginning to end. Not overly complex, yet built on archetypal hero quest plot, it pulls it off. I liked the feel of the movie, I liked the quest, the action, and the humor. I highly recommend this movie. It's no movie that will move your heart, but it will make you smile long after it is over.
-Jason F. Smith
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