The Forbidden Kingdom poster

The Forbidden Kingdom (2008)

Film · 1h 44m · Rated PG-13

Action, Adventure, Fantasy

An American teenager obsessed with kung fu classics finds himself in ancient China on an epic, pulpy quest.

A party watch at a brisk pace. Emotionally it carries some weight.

Streaming on Prime Video, Kanopy (free), Hoopla (free) and Plex (free).

The Forbidden Kingdom parents guide

No surprises for a PG-13: no sex or nudity and mild language.

Our estimate: fine from about 13. Rated PG-13.

Scare
Not scary
Jump scares
None noted
Gore
Light gore
Some blood or injury, briefly.
Violence
Strong violence
Violence is frequent or intense.
Sex and nudity
None noted
Language
Mild
Mild words like damn, hell or crap.

How we rate: an AI reads what is known about each title and tags it 0 to 3; we check the tags against a hand-rated set and correct them by hand when readers tell us. Estimates, not a scene-by-scene review. Spot a mistake? Tell us.

Three questions

How gory is The Forbidden Kingdom?
Light gore and strong violence.
What is The Forbidden Kingdom rated, and is it OK for kids?
Rated PG-13. Expect strong violence, so it suits teens more than kids.

What is The Forbidden Kingdom about?

An American teenager who is obsessed with Hong Kong cinema and kung-fu classics makes an extraordinary discovery in a Chinatown pawnshop: the legendary stick weapon of the Chinese sage and warrior, the Monkey King. With the lost relic in hand, the teenager unexpectedly finds himself travelling back to ancient China to join a crew of warriors from martial arts lore on a dangerous quest to free the imprisoned Monkey King.

Does it have a happy ending? (spoiler-safe)

Yes. It lands on a happy note.

Cast and crew

Directed byRob Minkoff
StarringJackie Chan, Jet Li, Michael Angarano, Liu Yifei, Li Bingbing, Collin Chou

More like The Forbidden Kingdom

The Forbidden Kingdom is on our Fantasy on Prime Video, Action on Kanopy, Fantasy on Kanopy, Action on Hoopla and Fantasy on Hoopla lists.

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Lists with the same feel: Party.

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Uses the TMDB API; not endorsed or certified by TMDB. Intensity, content, tone and pace tags are CouchRot's own.