Kung Fu Panda Review

Published by Jeff Leins on: June 8th, 2008

It didn’t take long for me to realize I was going to like Kung Fu Panda. The opening is a brightly-colored dream sequence, hand-drawn to be more anime than CGI. “Legend tells of a legendary warrior, whose kung fu skills were the stuff of legend.” Jack Black channels the charisma he has in Tenacious D (the band, not the movie) in a hilarious voice over. “He was so deadly, in fact, that his enemies would go blind from overexposure to pure awesomeness!”

Then it transitions into the softly textured 3-D graphics we’ve come to expect from modern animation. The panda isn’t a “legendary warrior of legend,” he’s a clumsy fanatic of kung fu who works in his father’s noodle shop. But Black is still the voice and he’s a perfect fit for the round, yet energetic hero.

Po the Panda dreams of being a great warrior like the Furious Five, a quintet of skilled fighters each patterned after the legendary fighting styles.

The story pays homage to the martial arts classics, borrowing intense high-flying choreography and misty mountain-top palaces for a fun, animated rehash for all audiences.

Some critics have targeted the unoriginality of an unlikely kung fu hero for the foundation of the family film. But originality isn’t exactly the strong suit of animated films outside of Pixar. Arguably the best Disney movie of all time is The Lion King, a plot that unapologetically rests on the shoulders of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The rest are mishmashes of fables and nursery rhymes drawn to feature length. They can’t all be Ratatouille, people.

But Kung Fu Panda is on par with the 2-D Disney classics, packed with gorgeous graphics work, plenty of silly talking animals, and a feel-good morality message to teach kids and satisfy parents. However, unlike most kid pics, Po the Panda (voiced by Jack Black) provides enough belly laughs and slapstick comedy to keep it entertaining for all ages, making it more than bearable for any adult. It’s also funnier than DreamWork’s breakout hit Shrek with noticeably more craftsmanship in its creation.

An ancient turtle who speaks in Confucius-like teachings, Master Oogway (Randall Duk Kim), has a vision of Tai Lung escaping prison to disturb the Valley of Peace. He hosts an official ceremony in the village to choose the Dragon Warrior, the foretold fighter who will defeat Lung. In a perceived mistake by everyone else, Po the Panda is selected as the Dragon Warrior. Oogway says, “Nothing is an accident.”

Tasked with transforming the out of shape Po into a worthy opponent is Master Shifu, a Yoda-sized raccoon well-voiced by Dustin Hoffman.

Ian McShane, who adults might recognize as the scowling villain of HBO’s “Deadwood,” voiced Tai Lung. The evil apprentice has been locked away in a dungeon dedicated to him as the sole prisoner, guarded by hundreds of rhinos armed to the horns. When he escapes, it’s time for Po to quickly learn the art of kung fu.

Some of the movie’s high-priced voice talent is wasted, though. I wouldn’t have even recognized Angelina Jolie as the Tigress if not for the over-abundance of marketing materials and my nagging curiosity. Plus Jackie Chan as the Monkey had maybe two lines that weren’t him making ape noises. Seth Rogen and David Cross were funny, as usual, as the Mantis and the Crane, but apparently Lucy Liu was the Viper. Stick to the formula, I guess.

However, it was refreshing to hear humor not based on pop culture references, an 88-minute run time that moves briskly from start to finish, and the appreciated lack of token love story that others might have tried to fit in. There were a few laugh out loud moments followed by some incredible fight sequences, putting to good use the unlimited capabilities of animated characters.

Executives somewhere are licking their lips as this overeating panda emerges as their next franchise darling. We can only hope the inevitable Kung Fu Panda 2 will be as good as the original.

4 out of 5.