Subtle symbols

The Forbidden Kingdom may give some parents pause | Megan Basham

Christian film critics often walk a fine line between exercising discernment and reading too much into things. Take The Forbidden Kingdom, a mythical martial arts movie that pairs Jet Li and Jackie Chan, for example.

Aimed squarely at the 8- to 15-year-old demographic, most of the objectionable content in the story of a teenage outsider who wakes up in a world of Chinese legend is pretty easily captured by its PG-13 rating. Some of the combat scenes get a bit violent; drunkenness is played for comic effect; and I noted a few profanities and one bit of lewd wordplay that went by so fast I doubt anyone but an eagle-eyed Christian critic would have caught it.

Going solely by that tally, many parents would find The Forbidden Kingdom acceptable for older children. But what's not so easy to pin down is whether other, subtler elements should give parents pause.

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May 03, 2008, Vol. 23, No. 9

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