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Movies, movies, movies. This summer will seem splendid with movies such as “Iron Man” and “The Dark Knight” rolling around the corner. However, a movie that has peaked my interest is the upcoming “Forbidden Kingdom” starring Jackie Chan and Jet Li.

From various sources, the movie’s plot revolves around a boy, the staff of the Monkey King, and a fantasy world based on ancient China. You can view the official youtube trailer here. Judging from the various clips I’ve seen, I can say that the movie looks interesting. However, the movie is a Hollywood production and not a product of HK cinema. Depending on your tastes, this is either a good or bad thing. I will reserve my judgment until I actually see the movie.

The movie seems to borrow from the wuxia movie genre. But since this movie is a Hollywood production, you can instantly see that the movie is tailored towards western audiences. You can really tell the difference just by the western epic music played in various clips. There is nothing wrong with it, since I happen to like symphonic music. However, it feels odd in a movie like this one, rather than in a movie like LOTR or Spiderman. Also, all the characters speak primarily English in a setting that appears to be ancient China (again awkward). But this is all an understandable reaction from Hollywood as most “foreign” movies do not have a good track record at the box office.

But the biggest draw is probably from just mentioning Jackie Chan and Jet Li. No need to make any comment on that. Along with veteran fight choreographer Yuen Woo-ping, I think this film’s action sequences will not disappoint.