Film Review of Kung Fu Panda (2008)

Spinning panda bonzaa death kick coming your way...Yeah, this movie does sound ridiculous - imagine karate kid but with an endangered species as the protagonist, and you're half-way there.

Belief seems to be a common theme amongst animated moves; we have seen the green monster who learns to love and the rabbit who teaches himself to slam dunk, but a fighting panda has, until now, been left alone.

Here we have your average everyday panda (aptly named Po), slightly podgy around the edges but loveable all the same. Jack Black does the voiceover for the movie and whilst perfectly executing a few quotes that will be reeled off in kid's playgrounds up and down the country, he doesn't really take full advantage of his wild side that we have seen in his previous appearances.

Po is a noodler (is that a word? He works in his father's noodle shop, anyway!) and when he isn't slaving behind a hot stove, he dreams of becoming a rather 'scaled-up' Bruce Lee Kung Fu hero! Unfortunately for Po, his kung fu moves leave a lot to be desired; imagine a cross between a black and white dancing elephant and bambi in a head band. An unfortunate occurrence results in Po being entered into the toughest Kung Fu competition in the world, where he will be fighting against the most feared contenders known to Pandas and other species alike: Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Crane (David Cross), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Viper (Lucy Liu), and the most feared of them all, the Mantis (Seth Rogen); just the sound of them strikes me with fear.

So Po heads up into the mountains to be transformed into a lean mean fighting machine by kung fu guru, master Shifu.

This is a good family movie, although probably a cut under the cream of the crop (films such as Finding Nemo still hold that accolade in my opinion) and teaches kids a great lesson about believing in yourself even when the odds are stacked against you. As you would expect, there is ample punching, kicking and other moves that have never been attempted before but it is all very mild, as is the language content, so parents you should have no worries about letting your kids watch this film from about the age of 5.

I'm pretty far outside of the target audience, being 23, and this film still kept me entertained and chuckling here and there. I almost get the impression that every now and then an 'adult' line is purposely chucked in for our entertainment, flying miles high above the heads of our juniors.

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Movie Review: Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)

Kung Fu Panda 2 capitalizes on the same techniques that made its predecessor successful: a goofy lead character struggling desperately to fit in; comical character designs and playful animation; and an all-star cast of voice actors with such recognizable articulation that they breach the visual barrier of their 3D alter egos. Although the first film defined the characters, their relationships, destinies and the setting of ancient Asia, this second outing has the opportunity to utilize each role purely for action, adventure, comic relief and even a bit of pathos. Just when the sappiness ramps up to the point of unbearable, the script has enough sense to thwart eye-rolls (or tears if the manipulation worked) with sharply contrasting humor.

Po (Jack Black) the overweight panda has been proclaimed the almighty "Dragon Warrior," and oversees the safety of China with his band of capable sidekicks, the Furious Five: Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Crane (David Cross) and Viper (Lucy Liu). As he speaks with his patient master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) about finding inner peace, a gang of wolf bandits pillages a nearby city in search of metal objects, forcing Po to depart for a hasty rescue. As he will soon discover, the banished peacock Lord Shen (Gary Oldman) has forged fire-breathing, metal-spitting cannons to wipe out all who stand in his path to world domination.

It's debatable whether or not the story has grown more entertaining, especially considering the plot is little more than a generic kung fu tale of good vs. evil, like the kind found in just about every live-action martial arts film in the last several decades. While the main conflict is a relentless overlord with an obedient army and destructive weaponry, the underlying discordance is Po's hazy recollection of the past and the desire to know who he is, how he ended up the son of a goose, and what happened to his real parents. Is Po in need of confidence or the drive of revenge? Are his actions provoked by inner peace, as the movie insists on preaching, or by the powerful force that is adrenaline-pumping payback?

Perhaps he's simply trying to succeed at being "hardcore" so that he can measure up to his companions. And if that's the case, it's a shame that so much of his time is spent annoyingly foiling reconnaissance, ambush and rescue missions with his numbing defiance and cack-handed clumsiness. It's funny at times to see how pathetic he is compared to his generally no-nonsense warrior counterparts, but equal parts infuriating that he doesn't have to learn the hard way that there are consequences for his reckless actions. This leads to the invincibility exhibited by all parties, which reduces the urgency and seriousness of every predicament. Po is immune to injuries and haphazardly shields himself from harm with an accidental frying pan, a lucky misstep, or a loose floor plank that swings up (like stepping on a rake) to block an onslaught of throwing knives. Crane similarly avoids danger with spastic flight, and Tigress has no excuses at all - she suffers only singed whiskers after taking a cannonball to the face. Gravity and physics also seem to utterly evade the heroes, playing no part in their unlikely escapes - although it does make the creatively complex chase sequences more intense and spontaneous.

- The Massie Twins ( GoneWithTheTwins.com )

Kung Fu Panda - Family Movie Review

Movie Mama Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Starring: Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan, Ian McShane, Lucy Liu, Angelina Jolie, David Cross, Seth Rogen

Directed By: John Wayne Stevenson, Mark Randolph Osborne

Running Time: 1 hr. 35 min.

MPAA Rating: PG for sequences of martial arts action.

Genre: Children's, Animation

Po the panda (Jack Black) is just a regular guy working in his father's noodle shop, although his passion for Kung Fu seems to always get in the way. His father desperately wants to pass the noodle shop down to Po, but fate takes a different turn. While at a ceremony at the Jade Palace, Po is surprisingly named the legendary Dragon Warrior, and finds himself studying Kung Fu alongside his idols: Monkey (Jackie Chan), Viper (Lucy Liu), Crane (David Cross), Mantis (Seth Rogen), and Tigress (Angelina Jolie). Po tries his best to become a Kung Fu master under the tutelage of Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman). But when their enemy, Tai Lung (Ian McShane), escapes from prison, and Master Shifu declares that only the Dragon Warrior can defeat him, Po must believe in himself and search for the hero within.

Po's overly enthusiastic outlook on life is refreshing and entertaining to watch. Jack Black's take on the character is fluid and genuine, and you find you just can't get enough of this optimistic panda. The voices and animation are what really make this film sparkle, yet the plot leaves much to be desired. There are several truly engaging parts, but the entertainment is interrupted by an equal amount of boredom. I found myself looking around the theater, yawning, etc. The audience was comprised of kids no younger than five, which I think was appropriate. Any child below the age of five might have trouble sitting through the slow scenes. But it all depends on the child. Parents looking for the comedy stylings of Jack Black might be disappointed--almost all the funny parts are stuffed into the trailers. The animation could rival Pixar films, but the story doesn't even come close.

PROS

Po struggles with being overweight, but he handles mean comments with dignity, and doesn't let anything get him down. He's overly optimistic, never wanting to give up on dreams or people. He studies Kung Fu with a passion and gives it his all. Even when he fails miserably, he gets back up and tries again.

Po, like a lot of people, overeats when he gets stressed out. But when he finds something positive to fill his life with, he finds that he no longer has time to obsess about food. This is a great lesson for parents--if you have an overweight child, it might be time to get him/her involved in something physical that they can truly get excited and passionate about.

Kids will be thrilled with the fighting and action scenes. I can picture little boys everywhere playfully trying out their Kung Fu Panda skills at home.

CONS

The film is one of the cleanest of the year, however there are a few things I'll mention:

There is a brief gag where Po places two bowls on his chest as though they are either breasts or a bra. Po exclaims, "My tenders!" when referring to groin pain. He uses the word "suck" several times, as well as exclaiming that he's going to pee when Tai Lung is "tickling" him.

Throughout the entire film we are reminded that we must believe in ourselves in order to succeed. But I felt there was a casual underlying theme suggesting that as long as we simply believe, then everything will turn out okay in the end. This isn't the greatest lesson to teach our children, who should know that life doesn't always work out the way we've planned.

OVERALL

It's a good clean film, however there's nothing new to get excited about. If you're looking for a film to take the kids to, I suggest waiting until the end of the month for Pixar's WALL-E. Save Kung Fu Panda for a DVD rental.

Megan is the staff family movie reviewer for pluggedinparents.com. For more parenting articles on health and safety, nutrition, baby, money and tech, family life, pets, and movie reviews, visit pluggedinparents.com today!