Creative quotient
Picture this. A huge mountain Panda named Po (Jack Black) practising complex Kung Fu moves and undergoing severe physical training, the likes of which were last seen in the ‘80s and ‘90s Chinese Kung Fu films. Add to that some super-slow motion-dodging of flying objects a la Matrix. Sounds fun? That is Kung Fu Panda for you.
This animated film from DreamWorks Animation, the makers of films like Shrek, Madagascar and Mosters Inc., is about a young panda who wants to be a Kung Fu Master. He is accidentally chosen as the fabled Dragon Warrior over several other Kung Fu experts like The Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Mantis (Seth Rogan) and Viper (Lucy Liu).
Po’s selection leaves Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) in shock, but he takes Po under his wing to discipline and make him a true warrior. An evil leopard, Tai Lung (Ian McShane) lurks in the wings to challenge Po’s appointment as Dragon Warrior.
Sure, the film’s story is juvenile but the film has a soul and a charm that really add a lot of entertainment value to a simple story.
Technical expertise
With its simple premise what the film needed to give a big kick was an A-one execution. And one can safely say that the quality of animation is one of the best, if not the best ever. The images of the Chinese landscape have great depth and vivid colours, not to mention the detailing of the individual characters that is worth writing home about.
Jack Black steals all the thunder in the film and his histrionics are easily the silver lining of the film. There plenty of other big shots like Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan and Lucy Liu but none have characters that demand space. It is all about the big, lovable and innocent panda and Black’s uncanny ability to excel at humour-that makes this film a classic.
The movie is also choc-a-bloc with some high-flying Kung Fu action and while its characters are not kicking and punching they are spotted poking fun at yesteryear Chinese Kung Fu classics.
Verdict
Four stars for this heavyweight comedy. One star for Jack Black’s comedy, one star for the really well-choreographed Kung Fu fights, another star for the animation and CGI and the final star Hoffman and McShane’s seasoned voiceovers.