Review 128: Kung Fu Panda
In a version of ancient China populated by anthropomorphic talking animals, Po (Jack Black) is a bumbling Giant panda who (get this) is a kung fu enthusiast and a fanboy of the Furious Five - Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Crane (David Cross), Viper (Lucy Liu) and Mantis (Seth Rogan) - group of kung fu martial artists who live in the Jade Palace. When he is uexpectedly chosen to fulfill and ancient prophercy, Po's dreams become a
reality when he joins the world of kung fu and studies alongside his
idols under the leadership of their teacher and trainer, Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman). But before they know it, the vengeful and treacherous snow leopard Tai Lung (Ian McShane) is headed their way and it's up to Po to defend everyone from the oncoming threat.
Rather than just going for straight parody (as was the original plan) the film is very much an action wuxia comedy but melded together with the traditional hero’s journey narrative archetype for our main character Po.
The world created for this film that the characters inhabit is, not only visually stunning, a very unique and gorgeous world to look at. It takes place in the same time as other martial arts films as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon but has a modern day sense of humor - and a very funny one at that. There's a richness and a detail
Even more effective is how this film mixes its comedy with drama
Directors John Stevenson & Mark Osbourne’s animation direction is outrageous the animation is gorgeous, recreating a very fantastical & wuxia but also traditional version of China that’s rich with detail and faithful to its culture. The production design is fabulous, the character design is inventive and imaginative, the scenery is breathtaking, the score by Hans Zimmer and John Powell is spectacularly pulsepounding.
The action scenes are astonishing; the film takes advantage of the fact that it’s animated and a comedy and it delivers some incredibly fast, stylish, creative and well thought out martial arts scenes. The animators fully take advantage of the fact they can get away with a lot more in animation so it looks all the more spectacular.
In the role of the main character Po, Jack Black gets to show off the very best of his comedic skills. What makes Po such an appealing and likeable character is his innocence and his need not to give up and to prove to the others. All he wants is to be accepted by his idols and wanting to help out. Enthusiastic and clumsy
Rather than just going for straight parody (as was the original plan) the film is very much an action wuxia comedy but melded together with the traditional hero’s journey narrative archetype for our main character Po.
The world created for this film that the characters inhabit is, not only visually stunning, a very unique and gorgeous world to look at. It takes place in the same time as other martial arts films as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon but has a modern day sense of humor - and a very funny one at that. There's a richness and a detail
Even more effective is how this film mixes its comedy with drama
Directors John Stevenson & Mark Osbourne’s animation direction is outrageous the animation is gorgeous, recreating a very fantastical & wuxia but also traditional version of China that’s rich with detail and faithful to its culture. The production design is fabulous, the character design is inventive and imaginative, the scenery is breathtaking, the score by Hans Zimmer and John Powell is spectacularly pulsepounding.
The action scenes are astonishing; the film takes advantage of the fact that it’s animated and a comedy and it delivers some incredibly fast, stylish, creative and well thought out martial arts scenes. The animators fully take advantage of the fact they can get away with a lot more in animation so it looks all the more spectacular.
In the role of the main character Po, Jack Black gets to show off the very best of his comedic skills. What makes Po such an appealing and likeable character is his innocence and his need not to give up and to prove to the others. All he wants is to be accepted by his idols and wanting to help out. Enthusiastic and clumsy
Dustin Hoffman brings the gravitas Shifu failed his apprentice whom he practically raised
Some of the Furious Five are better fleshed out than others. Some of them warm up quickly to Po like Viper and Crane while others like Tigress. Tigress, in particular, gets a lot of focus. She holds a lot of resentment and jelousy towards Po for feeling cheated after working hard Lucy Lui smooth, sexy and sultry tones are a perfect fit for Viper
Mantis warms up to Po pretty fast, finding him amusing and sees that he has a good heart.
Ian McShane is also very powerful and a lot of fun as the villainous Tai Lung.
Pandamonium has defiantly begun, 4/5.
The Anonymous Critic.
The Anonymous Critic.
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