The Forbidden Kingdom tries to have its cake and eat it too by targeting viewers in kung fu native lands where this type of movie represents the stuff of legend -- plus kung fu fans on this side of the pond who are used to seeing a bunch of people in goofy costumes beating the stuffing out of each other. This leaves the film wide open to inconsistencies, and in the end, the movie doesn't feel so much underwhelming as  undercooked.

Michael Angarano plays Jason, a kid in the Big Apple who spends his days perusing Chinatown shops for bootleg kung fu DVDs. When one of his shopping trips lands him in a skirmish with some young thugs, Jason gets the surprise of his life when he falls off a roof and lands in China -- and several centuries prior, at that. It's not long before our confused hero encounters Lu Yan (Jackie Chan), a drunken scholar who informs him that the antique staff which  apparently sent him back in time belongs to the Monkey King (Jet Li), a warrior turned into a statue by the vicious Jade Warlord (Collin Chou). Tasked with delivering the staff to the Monkey King and freeing him from his stone prison, Jason sets about acquainting himself with martial arts in order to do battle with the Jade Warlord's armies, with the help of not just Lu Yan but also a stoic monk (also Jet Li) assigned to make sure the staff gets back to its rightful owner.

The biggest selling point of The Forbidden Kingdom involves a long-awaited team-up of martial arts legends Jackie Chan and Jet Li. While I completely agree with those who say this meeting of the minds (not to mention fists) would have been even better had it taken place a decade ago, I don't think the film disappoints in pitting these two guys against one another. Their very first encounter, which swiftly leads into a gravity-defying brawl, is nothing short of cinematic gold, the kung fu equivalent of seeing Pacino and De Niro duke it out. On the whole, the action sequences aren't bad, for this film definitely gives these guys more to do than ho-hum vehicles like Rush Hour 3 or Romeo Must Die offered them. Apparently, though, putting so much into one scene (as pivotal to the stars' fans as it is) left the filmmakers unable to inject much creative mojo into the rest of The Forbidden Kingdom.

As mentioned earlier, the film finds itself in an awkward position by trying to be both a loving homage to those cornball kung fu flicks of yesteryear as well as its own epic flight of fantasy. Yes, I know many movies have nibbled at the hands that fed them while simultaneously giving them pats on the back (think Galaxy Quest), but there's a difference between doing it and doing it well. The Forbidden Kingdom simply doesn't know what direction to take at times, saddling viewers with such "wink, wink" moments as the ones where a female sidekick randomly refers to herself in the third person and, at the same time, as a story often taking itself way too seriously. I found the  underlying tale almost criminally old hat: it's the basic "kid needs to believe in himself" plotline crossed with a fish-out-of-water concept. Still, none of this sinks the film, mostly because it's used as a backdrop for the kung fu theatrics. However, don't be surprised if you walk out of the theater wishing the filmmakers had done more.

As tantalizing as the idea of Jackie and Jet teaming up sounds, The Forbidden Kingdom ends up being nowhere close to delivering on the hype. As an overall film, it's diverting enough for a time killer, but those expecting a battle royale will probably be disappointed when they're served a royale with cheese.

MY RATING: ** 1/2 (out of ****)

(Released by Lionsgate and rated "PG-13" for sequences of martial arts action and some violence.)