You remember the 1980s, surely? It was largely the decade of 'chop sokky' - Hong Kong's finest martial artists, and the host of western wannabees who clung to the dragon's tale (think Chuck Norris, Dolph Lundgren, Jean Claude Van Damm, Steven Segal, Patrick Swayze, Wesley Snipes, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera....).

The new Jackie Chan and Jet Li movie The Forbidden Kingdombrings us the best of martial artists (i.e. Chan and Li) in a tale that will be vaguely familiar for all those who spent hours glued to the TV watching Monkey Magic (based on Buddhist mythology).  The Monkey King (played by Jet Li) has been imprisoned in stone for being, well, a cheeky monkey. Thankfully there’s a young lonely boy in real life Boston, named Jason (played by Michael Angarano) who finds himself attacked by bullies and mysteriously transported to ancient China. His mission? To return the magical staff of the monkey king, freeing him, defeating the jade warlord (Collin Chou) in the process.

To get there he needs a bit of help from his friends, notably a warrior monk, also played by Li, and an old drunk who just happens to be a kung fu master named Lu Yan (played by Jackie Chan). The movie is spiced up by the good guys’ lady companion, the feisty Sparrow Girl (played by Yifei Liu), and the wicked femme fatale Ni Chang (played by Li Bing Bing), who memorably gets her own way by using her bullwhip and her magic hair.

This film owes a lot to the themes in the Karate Kid films of the 80s, where the little scrawny kid masters the arts of self-defence to help others. There is also a strong debt to The Wizard of Oz, as the hero learns he needs to fulfil a quest to get back home. You almost expect young Jason to click his ruby red slippers and skedaddle back to Boston.

This is the first time Chan and Li have worked together, and they share great chemistry and some memorable fight sequences (and the odd sight gag). In fact these guys could spend the whole movie sparring and people would still pay to see it. There is a physical grace and dexterity to their performances, more than any great depth of characterisation (that kind of comes with the territory of Jackie Chan movies). As it is, the film's sparse plot allows for extensive and extensively-choreographed fight scenes.

The film's ladies also hold their own in mortal combat, with some impressive moves and the obligatory wire work. The movie is as good as it is because of fight choreographer Yuen Wo Ping, who set up the battles in so many huge films; all the Matrix movies, the Kill Bill films, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

The film's message is not highly significant. This kiddies'/teenyboppers' action film is 'philosophy lite', really, a bit like Diet Coke or Pepsi Minimum. There’s the odd reference to Buddhism and Zen and Jackie Chan tells his young mate at one stage : 'don’t think, just do’ That’s easy to say when you’re having a quiet chat but if someone is raining blows down on your noggin it might be a bit more difficult to zone out. There is a strong emphasis on loyalty and justice. Perhaps the film's biggest message is that revenge is a futile exercise that only rebounds on us; hurting us when we seek it.

The godlike character of the Jade Emperor finds some common ground between Christianity and Buddhism. The film speaks strongly on the importance of free will and making and honouring our own choices. Also, this character, in particular, resonates with Judeo-Christian theology in that the presence of 'God' is not separate from our lives, but in fact suffers alongside us.

The Forbidden Kingdom got a PG rating for ‘Martial arts violence and infrequent coarse language’. Admittedly it’s no bloodbath, but I don’t find it ‘mild’ when stuntmen, actors and makeup artists simulate shoving darts or arrows through people’s necks. I’d have preferred to see it with an M rating for mature audiences. That said, this is an hour and 45 mins of light entertainment, with some very skilful martial arts moves and some very graceful twirling on wires. Would make a good night out for the boys.

Open House film reviewer Barry Gittins is editor of On Fire magazine, and a regular reviewer for the Salvos' Warcry magazine: www.salvationarmy.org.au/warcry