Movie reviews: July 13 2008

Jul 13 2008

THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM (12A) *****

Jet Li's dazzling martial arts look incredible on the big screen but I hate Jackie Chan's silly slapstick.So the prospect of the pair teaming up for the first time was anything but exciting.

I feared Chan's gormless gurning and so-called comedy could spell the end for Li as a credible action star and propel him towards the likes of Rush Hour.

But the result is a decent movie in which Chan's goonery is kept to a minimum as he shows off the incredible skills which got him into movies in the first place.

The pair's styles match well as they tackle wave after wave of bad guys. And when they face each other sparring it's magical.

The story is a mish-mash of cliches,as teen Jason (Michael Angarano) is brought back in time to ancient China. He has to free the Monkey King with help from drunk immortal Lu Yan (Chan) and Silent Monk (Jet Li).

MAMMA MIA (PG) *****

The most camp film ever made?

I think so. The long-dreaded movie version of the massively successful Abba musical seeps into cinemas like a sewage leak.

I'm amazed by the calibre of stars who have signed up.

Pierce Brosnan, Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgard and Julie Walters take part in the sort of camp dance routines that even Graham Norton and Julian Clary would think twice about.Amanda Seyfried is Sophie,who invites her three possible fathers (Firth, Skarsgard and Brosnan) to her Greek wedding - without telling her mother Donna (Streep).

The trio of dads look faintly embarrassed as they shuffle through the dancing.It's horrible but anyone who likes musicals, Abba or romantic nonsense will adore it.

JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH 3D (12A) *****

I'm wary of gimmicky movies and this film seems to hang entirely on the 3D element. But it mostly works very well, making this a silly but very enjoyable adventure romp.

Trevor (Brendan Fraser) is a scientist who discovers that Jules Verne's journey was actually a true story - and accidentally makes the same trip himself. Anita Briem stars as a rival scientist.

Cue lots of adventures, dinosaurs, Indy-style handcart rides and so on, all with Fraser's usual gurning and things like piranhas looming out towards the audience. Fun but forgettable.