American teenager Jason (Michael Angarano), who is obsessed with Hong Kong cinema and kungfu classics, finds an antique Chinese staff in a pawn shop - the legendary stick weapon of the Chinese sage and warrior, the Monkey King (Jet Li).

With the lost relic in hand, Jason unexpectedly finds himself transported back to ancient China.

There he meets the drunken kungfu master Lu Yan (Jackie Chan), an enigmatic and skillful Silent Monk (Jet Li), and a vengeance-bent kungfu beauty, Golden Sparrow (Crystal Liu Yi Fei), who lead him on his quest to return the staff to its rightful owner, who has been imprisoned in stone by the evil Jade Warlord (Collin Chou) for the past 500 years.

Along the way, while attempting to outmanoeuvre scores of jade warriors, cult killers and the deadly White Hair Demoness Ni Chang (Li Bing Bing), Jason learns about honour, loyalty and friendship, and the true meaning of kungfu.

The Forbidden Kingdom is rated PG and is screening at Birch Carroll & Coyle.

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