Rated PG (Sequences of Martial Arts
Action)
Running Time: 1 Hour & 32 Minutes
Cast (voice):
Jack Black-Po
Dustin Hoffman-Master Shifu
Ian McShane-Tai Lung
Angelina Jolie-Tigress
Jackie Chan-Monkey
Seth Rogen-Mantis
Lucy Liu-Viper
David Cross-Crane
Randall Duk Kim-Master Oogway
James Hong-Mr. Ping
Dan Fogler-Zeng the Messenger
Michael Clarke Duncan-Commander Vachir
Directed by Mark Osborne and John
Stevenson
 |
| Are you prepared for awesomeness?! |
2011 hasn’t exactly been a banner year at
the domestic box office but one genre that has been doing well is the animated
film, with five being released from January to April. They've grossed a
combined total of $383 million so far, an 80% increase for the same period last
year. Of course, the dominant animation studio has been Pixar, whose films have
earned both critical acclaim and box office success. Six of their films have
won Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards. DreamWorks Animation is a
close second, although they don’t always have the best track record. Their most
profitable series, “Shrek,” peaked with the second installment and has worn out
its welcome by the fourth entry, earning a series low of $239 million
domestically. One of the few times DreamWorks has rivaled Pixar is with 2008’s
“Kung Fu Panda,” a film that was obviously made with the utmost care and
respect in regards to the depiction of ancient Chinese culture. While its
themes and messages are familiar, “Kung Fu Panda” has enough heart,
slapstick comedy, and energetic action to make it a fun ride not just for kids,
but for adults as well.
Set in the Valley of Peace in ancient
China, Po (Jack Black), a clumsy, overweight panda, is a kung fu fanatic who
dreams of fighting alongside his idols, known as the Furious Five, which
includes Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Mantis (Seth Rogen),
Viper (Lucy Liu), and Crane (David Cross). They are trained by Master Shifu
(Dustin Hoffman) and together, they protect the Valley from danger. Po works
with his father, Mr. Ping (James Hong), at his noodle shop, a job in which he
longs to escape from. One day, Shifu’s former mentor, Master Oogway (Randall
Duk Kim), has a vision that the evil Tai Long (Ian McShane) will escape from
his imprisonment and take the legendary Dragon Scroll, which is said to contain
the secrets of limitless power. A Dragon Warrior must be chosen to receive the
scroll and use its knowledge to defeat Tai Long. When Po learns of this, he
becomes ecstatic and rushes to the temple with the rest of the villagers.
Unfortunately, he is too late and the doors close. Determined to see his
heroes, he sets a number of fireworks on himself and crashes into the middle of
the temple arena just as Oogway chooses the Dragon Warrior. To everyone’s
surprise, Po is the one he chooses. Refusing to believe that a fat panda will
save the valley, Shifu tries to make Po quit by belittling him but he persists.
Po eventually wins over the Furious Five and their elderly master as he finally
takes control of his destiny.
“Kung Fu Panda” doesn’t exactly reinvent
the wheel when it comes to story, instead sticking with time-honored, if
familiar, themes, such as hard work, determination, and a belief that by
applying yourself, you can accomplish anything. As such, Po masters kung fu not
through rote practice but because he never gives up and believes he can achieve
his dream. Initially, he is ashamed of his obese frame yet comes to realize
that appearances matter little—it is the inside that counts. It doesn’t take
some scroll or any other unique object to make you special as you are already special. I was amazed at
the filmmakers' commitment in making the world authentically Chinese, with the
film never dragging itself down through stereotypes.
One other thing the film does well is the pacing as the story never feels
rushed for the sake of running time. The comedy is of the slapstick variety and
ranges from chuckle-worthy to laugh-out-loud hilarious. The filmmakers' love of
martial arts films shines through with Po, who goes crazy when he enters the
temple and is able to name all the artifacts with ease. Later on, he becomes
excited when he gets beat up with various special moves. The comedy never
becomes overbearing and when appropriate, the film allows enough time for some
heart-warming seriousness.
The animation is pleasing to the eye in
its vibrancy but isn’t ground breaking, although the opening hand-drawn dream
sequence is a nice touch. What makes it stand apart is the
fluidity of the action scenes and they are amazing. The fighting is a mixture
of physics-defying acrobatics seen in “The Matrix” and the graceful movements
in wuxia martial arts films, such as “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.” It has a
‘whizz, bang, pow!’ feel that recalls the Adam West “Batman” television series
from the 1960s. The biggest action set-piece is a battle between the Furious
Five and Tai Long on a rickety suspension bridge. The blocks and blows that
Tigress and Tai Long trade are exceptionally choreographed and is a thrill to
watch. There’s also the prison breakout where Tai Long fights his way through
hundreds of rhinoceros guards, a disguised final test where Shifu and Po battle
over a remaining dumpling, and the climatic fight between Po and Tai Long,
which is as eye-popping as it is fun to watch. I must say for an animated film,
I was surprised by how brutal the fight between Tai Long and Shifu was but it
drives home the theme of the student betraying the master, giving it a ‘fall
from grace’ feel a la Paradise Lost…or
maybe I’m just reading too much into it.
One of the things that separate Pixar and
DreamWorks is that the latter has a habit of employing big-name celebrities for
voice-work and its largely hit-or-miss. Here, the role of Po suits Jack Black
as he always behaves like a live-action cartoon both in real-life and
on-screen. His voice manages to capture Po’s good-natured naiveté, his
enthusiasm, and his drive to learn kung fu. Dustin Hoffman and Ian McShane,
while not as easily recognizable, also do great jobs as Master Shifu and Tai
Long, respectively. Unfortunately, the Furious Five are underutilized. As
Tigress, Angelina Jolie is the only one to have a significant amount of
dialogue. The rest of the voice cast, which includes Jackie Chan, David Cross,
Lucy Liu, and Seth Rogen, only have a handful of lines.
“Kung Fu Panda” on Blu-Ray looks
absolutely gorgeous as every scene is chock full of small details. Look at the
individual strands of fur on the various characters, the stitching on the
clothing, and the various little adornments hanging on the buildings. Not to
mention the bright color palette and solid blacks, making this one hell of a
good-looking picture. Audio is excellent as well with crisp dialogue and
immersive sound effects, especially during the fight scenes as you can feel
every punch and block. There’s also a healthy dose of extras, including an
audio commentary from directors John Stevenson and Mark Osborne, numerous
featurettes that detail various aspects of the film plus mini-games for the
kids. Exclusives include a picture-in-picture commentary and a trivia track.
The only feature missing is the animated short, “Secrets of the Furious Five,”
which details the origins of its members and was part of the two-disc DVD.
Released on June 6, 2008, “Kung Fu Panda”
received largely positive reviews with 88% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics noted
the familiar message ‘but the pleasing mix of humor, swift martial arts action,
and colorful animation makes for winning summer entertainment.’ It was
nominated for Best Animated Film during the 2009 Academy Awards but, as
expected by everyone, Pixar won with “Wall-E.” Box office wise, the film ate up
a nice $632 million worldwide. It was exceptionally popular in China, as the
panda is a national symbol but it prompted some introspection from Chinese
filmmakers who questioned why the film, which captured their culture so
perfectly, was made in the United States instead of China. There a myriad of
reasons but as a Chinese person, I believe it has to do with the risk of
offending the censors and for most filmmakers, it’s just not worth the trouble.
Also, a lazy, overweight character has been a staple of American pop culture
for some time i.e. “The Simpsons”, an image that wouldn’t sit well with censors
if “Kung Fu Panda” was made in China. In any case, DreamWorks Animation really
hit this one out of the park and while it may lack originality, “Kung Fu Panda”
makes up for it in sheer heart, energy, and fun, allowing it to stand up to the
very best of Pixar and other animated films.
Final Rating: 4.5 out of 5
“Quit, don't quit? Noodles, don't noodles?
You are too concerned about what was and what will be. There is a saying:
yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why
it is called the present.”
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