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"Kung Fu Panda" Movie review |
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Written by Sean McBride
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Wednesday, 04 June 2008 |
A Kung Fu Kick off for summer vacation
“Kung Fu Panda”
Dreamworks Animation
Directed by John Stevenson and Mark Osborne
Starring Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu, Seth Rogen, Ian McShane and David Cross
Rated R
3 Stars
The new animated comedy "Kung Fu Panda" features plenty of chop-socky action and some cute-n-cuddly animated characters; it should prove to be a nice diversion for kiddies looking to kick off their summer vacations at the cineplex. That being said, while the film is quite fun, I'll stop short of calling at great. There's something a little generic about this "Panda" that keeps it from sticking in your mind you once you hit the parking lot.
Still, while you're inside the theater, "Kung Fu Panda" makes for a nice little treat.
Jack Black stars as the title character, a Chinese panda named Po. He dreams of being a martial arts hero, but spends his days working in his father's noodle shop. Po's life changes dramatically when the kung fu masters at the Jade Temple announce that they will reveal the identity of the Dragon Warrior--the hero who is destined to keep the country safe from the villainous snow leopard named Tai Ling (Ian McShane). The citizens assume that the new hero will be chosen from the ranks of the Furious Five Warriors: Tiger (Angelina Jolie), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Viper (Lucy Liu), Crane (David Cross) or Mantis (Seth Rogen). Imagine their surprise when Po is selected to be the new warrior, even if it seems like a big mistake to everybody, including Po.
Po settles into training under the strict regime of a grumpy meerkat named Shifu (Dustin Hoffman), who decides to weed Po out as quickly as possible so that he can get back to training his more accomplished students. Shifu has a hard time getting the silly bear to quit training. Po has the heart (and the stomach) of a champion, and once he starts to believe in his abilities, he proves himself to be more than a match for both Shifu and Tai Ling in the climactic final battle.
It's actually a pretty exciting final battle, and thanks the animation, the characters can break all the laws of physics without causing the audience to look for the wires holding up the stuntmen. Artistically speaking, the Chinese backgrounds and motifs offer up a nice change of pace from traditional animated fare, but the film isn't interested in breaking new artistic ground as much as in providing cute models that can be quickly turned into plushie toys. On that count, "Kung Fu Panda" succeeds nicely. I suspect that a lot of children will be clamoring for a stuffed Panda doll; that is until "Wall-E" hits theaters later on this month.
The bottom line is that "Kung Fu Panda" is a nice little adventure that will keep the kiddies entertained for an hour and a half. Mom and dad will find some nice moments as well. Jack Black is already a nearly-animated character in real life, so his persona fits quite nicely into the main character. Parents will love the "Believe in Yourself" theme and the action is funny and frantic enough to entertain even the most restless audiences. That being said, we've seen this story before. We've seen these character archetypes before. “Kung Fu Panda” is fun, but not the stuff of animated legend.
Movie reviews by Sean, “The Movie Guy,” are published Wednesdays and Fridays in “The Port Arthur News.” He can be found weekly on KAVU-TV, KFDM-TV, and KVIC Radio. Additional reviews can be found at www.rottentomatoes.com, www.panews.com or at HYPERLINK "http://www.seanthemovieguy.com/"www.myvictoriaonline.com. Sean welcomes your comments via email at smcbride@kavutv.com.
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