"Kung Fu Panda" raked in $60 million on its opening weekend, and somewhere in there were some pennies from not only me, but also the Cinema-Mad Sibling and the entire Mad Minerva clan. Yes, as an act of cinematically-tinged filial piety, the Cine-Sib and I took our parents to see the filmas a family outing . This movie is indeed a family-friendly film, so that's how I found myself not only with my little tribe, but with apparently everybody else's tribe too -- including about a million xiao haizi (little kids) who were surprisingly well-behaved once the show started.
The opening sequence of the film really is eye-catching: a visual confection of images that made me forget that I was watching a DreamWorks animated project. And then the whole thing ended with a bump, and the audience -- like Po the Panda, our protagonist -- wakes up from the stylized dream to find himself in his utterly different world.
Po (voiced by frenetic comedian Jack Black) is a fanboy. He loves the world of martial arts and hero-worships the Furious Five, a group of legendary kung fu warriors training with their master, Shifu. His fantasies of kung fu glory are just fantasies, though; Po is a fat, lazy, roly-poly panda who works as a waiter in his father's noodle restaurant. (By the way, in an inspired bit of casting, James Hong is the voice of the father.) Po might dream about being the panda version of Bruce Lee, but his father wants him to take over the noodle shop, and besides, the bumbling, slovenly Po is, literally, in no shape for anything more strenuous than slinging noodles.
But in a twist of fate, Po has a chance to live out his fantasy. When the villain Tai Lung threatens the village, the venerable and ancient kung ku master Oogway (a turtle), emerges to find a champion, the Dragon Warrior of myth and prophecy. Everyone assumes that Oogway will choose one of the Furious Five, but Po ends up being the one. The Furious Five are flummoxed, especially Tigress (voiced by Angelina Jolie), and Master Shifu (a red panda excellently voiced by Dustin Hoffman) is horrified at he prospect that he will now have to deal with Po. But Po is admitted to the Jade Palace for kung fu training, and after a long series of mishaps and pratfalls and attempts at poignant issues of fitting in, he finally becomes the unlikely hero.
So much for plot summary. Now for the critiques.
The plot seemed familiar. As in, really, really familiar. As in, too familiar. As in, I've seen this movie already in a million previous incarnations. And so have you. There are no spoilers I can give for this plot, because you can recite the entire narrative to me in your sleep. Look at the outlines of the story: the unlikeliest person imaginable ends up becoming a hero. Add ingredients like a magical object (here, the Dragon Scroll), a grouchy old mentor with mystical tendencies (here, Mr. Miyagi -- I mean, Yoda -- I mean Shifu), and a quest or prophecy (someone's destined to be the Dragon Warrior, dang it), and voila! Instant story. Moral of the story: never stop believing -- or dreaming -- or trying. Roll the end credits, and everybody goes home with a case of warm fuzzies.
The up side of "Kung Fu Panda" is that DreamWorks has taken this basic storyline and given it a twist with the character of the hapless, humorous Po. He's the archetypal Everyman Hero rendered as a comic doofus prone to embarrassing himself. Now whether you actually like the movie has a lot to do with whether you like Po -- which has more or less everything to do with whether you like Jack Black. His characters seem to be, at their core, extensions of himself, and they all seem to have certain features in common (see my last encounter with Black, "Nacho Libre" of 2006, or every indication of his upcoming character in "Tropic Thunder").
Black's Po does have a certain goofball charm and knack for physical humor, though, and he's fun to watch. Besides, I can't criticize too much a panda with delusions of grandeur who gets some of his training by chasing dumplings and almond cookies.
I will also note another quibble that the Cine-Sib also had. The film in our circles got quite a bit of buzz for having Jackie Chan as the voice of Monkey, one member of the Furious Five. But Chan has scarcely any lines at all. Out of the Five, the only one who has any attempt at depth is Tigress (Jolie), which basically wastes the talents and presence of the others: Chan (Monkey), David Cross (Crane), Lucy Liu (Viper), and Seth Rogen (Mantis).
The visual aspect of the film is very good, and though DreamWorks isn't Pixar, in this film, they come their closest yet to those legendary CGI artists. The colors are bright, the scenery eye-catching without being burdensome, and the detail in Po and his companions is remarkable. It's an easy film to watch, both in terms of style and substance, and you just might -- as Po boasts at one point -- be blinded by the awesomeness of it all . . . or at least amused for an hour and a half.
"Kung Fu Panda" runs for 88 minutes and is rated PG for animated violence (martial arts).
Mad Minerva gives this film a rating of B for entertainment that was predictable but fun.
Rotten Tomatoes gives "Kung Fu Panda" a solid rating of 86%.
This is the official website for the film.
The opening sequence of the film really is eye-catching: a visual confection of images that made me forget that I was watching a DreamWorks animated project. And then the whole thing ended with a bump, and the audience -- like Po the Panda, our protagonist -- wakes up from the stylized dream to find himself in his utterly different world.
Po (voiced by frenetic comedian Jack Black) is a fanboy. He loves the world of martial arts and hero-worships the Furious Five, a group of legendary kung fu warriors training with their master, Shifu. His fantasies of kung fu glory are just fantasies, though; Po is a fat, lazy, roly-poly panda who works as a waiter in his father's noodle restaurant. (By the way, in an inspired bit of casting, James Hong is the voice of the father.) Po might dream about being the panda version of Bruce Lee, but his father wants him to take over the noodle shop, and besides, the bumbling, slovenly Po is, literally, in no shape for anything more strenuous than slinging noodles.
But in a twist of fate, Po has a chance to live out his fantasy. When the villain Tai Lung threatens the village, the venerable and ancient kung ku master Oogway (a turtle), emerges to find a champion, the Dragon Warrior of myth and prophecy. Everyone assumes that Oogway will choose one of the Furious Five, but Po ends up being the one. The Furious Five are flummoxed, especially Tigress (voiced by Angelina Jolie), and Master Shifu (a red panda excellently voiced by Dustin Hoffman) is horrified at he prospect that he will now have to deal with Po. But Po is admitted to the Jade Palace for kung fu training, and after a long series of mishaps and pratfalls and attempts at poignant issues of fitting in, he finally becomes the unlikely hero.
So much for plot summary. Now for the critiques.
The plot seemed familiar. As in, really, really familiar. As in, too familiar. As in, I've seen this movie already in a million previous incarnations. And so have you. There are no spoilers I can give for this plot, because you can recite the entire narrative to me in your sleep. Look at the outlines of the story: the unlikeliest person imaginable ends up becoming a hero. Add ingredients like a magical object (here, the Dragon Scroll), a grouchy old mentor with mystical tendencies (here, Mr. Miyagi -- I mean, Yoda -- I mean Shifu), and a quest or prophecy (someone's destined to be the Dragon Warrior, dang it), and voila! Instant story. Moral of the story: never stop believing -- or dreaming -- or trying. Roll the end credits, and everybody goes home with a case of warm fuzzies.
The up side of "Kung Fu Panda" is that DreamWorks has taken this basic storyline and given it a twist with the character of the hapless, humorous Po. He's the archetypal Everyman Hero rendered as a comic doofus prone to embarrassing himself. Now whether you actually like the movie has a lot to do with whether you like Po -- which has more or less everything to do with whether you like Jack Black. His characters seem to be, at their core, extensions of himself, and they all seem to have certain features in common (see my last encounter with Black, "Nacho Libre" of 2006, or every indication of his upcoming character in "Tropic Thunder").
Black's Po does have a certain goofball charm and knack for physical humor, though, and he's fun to watch. Besides, I can't criticize too much a panda with delusions of grandeur who gets some of his training by chasing dumplings and almond cookies.
I will also note another quibble that the Cine-Sib also had. The film in our circles got quite a bit of buzz for having Jackie Chan as the voice of Monkey, one member of the Furious Five. But Chan has scarcely any lines at all. Out of the Five, the only one who has any attempt at depth is Tigress (Jolie), which basically wastes the talents and presence of the others: Chan (Monkey), David Cross (Crane), Lucy Liu (Viper), and Seth Rogen (Mantis).
The visual aspect of the film is very good, and though DreamWorks isn't Pixar, in this film, they come their closest yet to those legendary CGI artists. The colors are bright, the scenery eye-catching without being burdensome, and the detail in Po and his companions is remarkable. It's an easy film to watch, both in terms of style and substance, and you just might -- as Po boasts at one point -- be blinded by the awesomeness of it all . . . or at least amused for an hour and a half.
"Kung Fu Panda" runs for 88 minutes and is rated PG for animated violence (martial arts).
Mad Minerva gives this film a rating of B for entertainment that was predictable but fun.
Rotten Tomatoes gives "Kung Fu Panda" a solid rating of 86%.
This is the official website for the film.
1 comment:
Who played Morgan le Fay and when does Po pull Excaliber out of the stone? Sounds dreadful! I think instead I'll simply watch The Triplets of Belleville again!
Post a Comment