SouthFlorida.com | Teen Link South Florida

Five words: Jackie Chan vs. Jet Li.

The movie could be 10 minutes with no storyline at all, and it would still be worth it.

If that's not enough, throw in a white-haired assassin, a drunken immortal, a silent monk, an orphaned warrior and a traveler destined to reunite a king with his magical staff and you've got a hit and a half.

After he discovers a staff he found in a pawn shop belongs to an immortal king, Jason (Sky High's Michael Angarano) lands in another world and begins a journey.

He travels with a drunk (Jackie Chan) and a monk (Jet Li) who teach him how to fight, as well as a girl looking for revenge on the man who murdered her parents. That same man, the Jade Emperor, wants the staff for himself.

Besides being a story about a boy falling through the "gate of no gate" into a magical world, Forbidden Kingdom is above and beyond the classical martial arts film.

Within in the first 10 seconds, you are knee-deep in a martial arts fight scene that defies the laws of gravity. From then on, there is a fight about every 10 minutes, each more extravagant than the last.

It makes you want to sign up for karate lessons the moment you walk out of the theater, or at least pretend like you already know some good moves.

While some might find the constant fighting a bit tiresome, the story never falters, no matter how simple and occasionally bizarre it gets.

Beyond being the greatest martial arts duo to hit cinema, Jackie Chan's wit and Jet Li's wisdom make this pair a comical and talented force to be reckoned with.

Forbidden Kingdom could easily be a Shanghai Noon meets Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon sort of masterpiece: humor, stunts, kung fu skill — and that's just the beginning.

Still, there's so much action — even Angarano kicks some major butt occasionally — it's impossible to absorb it all in one sitting.

While you're watching, the words of Jet Li apply: "Just don't forget to breath."