Movie Review: 'Kung Fu Panda'
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Counter clockwise from bottom: Dustin Hoffman is the voice of Master Shifu, trainer of the Furious Five: Jack Black as Po the panda; Angelina Jolie as Tigress; Jackie Chan as Monkey; Seth Rogen as Mantis; David Cross as Crane and Lucy Liu as Viper.
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Would it be too much to ask for a cinematic cease-fire when it comes to martial arts movies?
In the past three months, we've been treated to "Never Back Down," "Forbidden Kingdom," "Redbelt" and now, "Kung Fu Panda," the mildest, only PG-rated, and lone animated one of the bunch.
It's an action comedy with characters who look like models for Webkinz, some mystical and self-esteem elements that may elude younger moviegoers and a tangle of species and celebrity voices that could have adults scratching their heads.
For instance, a goose is the father of a panda, and a kung-fu master/red panda with the voice of Dustin Hoffman adopted a snow leopard that somehow picked up a British accent, thanks to Ian McShane. And they all live in some part of China ruled by a wise, ancient tortoise named Oogway and populated, in part, by rabbits and pigs who look like they escaped from another movie.
In other words, it's far less coherent or entertaining than "Horton Hears a Who" or "Bee Movie," although the animation is expertly detailed, whether the scene calls for a flowering peach tree, a swaying rope bridge or a prison carved out of a mountain in snowy Outer Mongolia.
In "Kung Fu Panda," Jack Black speaks for Po, a klutzy panda who works in his family's noodle shop but dreams of kung-fu fighting. When he learns that a dragon warrior is being named, Po accidentally launches himself into the ceremony where -- much to everyone's surprise, including his -- he is chosen to fulfill the ancient prophecy and bring peace to the Valley.
- Starring: Voices of Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie
- Rating: PG for sequences of martial arts action.
- Web site: 'Kung Fu Panda'
Master Shifu (Hoffman) had assumed one of his Furious Five students -- tigress (Angelina Jolie), crane (David Cross), mantis (Seth Rogen), viper (Lucy Liu) and monkey (Jackie Chan) -- would earn that honor. But when the villainous snow leopard escapes from prison, Po must panda up and undergo the rigorous training he and others thought impossible.
Jack Black makes Po another in a long line of hapless and sympathetic heroes who has his "Rocky" training montage, but the movie veers off in too many directions, following too many characters.
To wit: One cuddly panda. Five kung-fu superstars. Two elders. One villain. One estranged father-son pairing that comes to blows. One that leads to understanding and pride.
Its ultimate lesson about believing in yourself is all well and good, but children at a preview audience seemed to respond more to the funny lines ("Stop it, I'm gonna pee," Po says, while being pummeled) rather than the sage Oogway philosophy about how "yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery and today is a gift."
"Kung Fu Panda" is not yet history, not quite mystery and a mixed movie bag, even if those cats are kung-fu fighting and fast as lightning ...
First Published June 6, 2008 12:00 am
