Kung Fu Panda

Take it from me, this movie is brilliant. Don't go by it's silly child-pandering name, this film is for everybody. From little kids just looking for some simple fun for a little while to adults looking for a more compelling experience that makes you feel for the characters, this one's for everyone. Funny action adventure with some wise words scattered throughout.

(Synopsis) Kung Fu Panda is the story of Po, (voice Jack Black), a sweet, but clumsy Panda who has dreams of fighting with the legendary Furious Five and protecting the city against all threats. The only problem is that Po has no real life experience of kung fu, and his real job is serving noodles at his dad's noodles shop. News of selecting the Dragon Warrior is sent out from the Jade Temple, and the whole city along with Po, go to the celebration. The competition is between the Furious Five: Tigress (voice Angelina Jolie), Viper (voice Lucy Liu), Crane (voice David Cross), Monkey (voice Jackie Chan), and Mantis (voice Seth Rogen). Po accidentally enters the contest and is named the Dragon Warrior. Master Shifu (voice Dustin Hoffman) must find a way to train Po and make him a Kung Fu Master, especially, after they learn that the snow leopard, Tai Lung (voice Ian McShane), is headed their way.

(My Comment) This is a cute animated comedy that also inspires lessons in life. The audience can relate to people who have dreams of doing the impossible, just as Po. Po ultimately learns that if he believes in himself, he can do anything. Jack Black (Po) and Dustin Hoffman (Shifu) voices were just right for their parts, and the chopstick fight between them is fantastic. Ian McShane (Tai Lung) was also wonderful as the villain, and his battle sequence on the rope bridge is spectacular. This film is for the whole family, because adults will enjoy the movie just as much as their children. (DreamWorks, Run Time 1:28, Rated PG)

Like many others, I saw the "trailers" featuring Jack Black. The featurette made me think "Okay, at least I got to check this out". Not much more. It didn't make me think "This is gonna be awesome" or anything like that.

Boy, was I ever under-expecting.

At first I thought it was quite okay, decent entertainment and at least not totally crap. But then the really funny scenes and details kicked in, after Po gets into the temple. From then on, it was laugh after laugh, excellent voice acting, amazing CG animation (but this is Dreamworks so I expected that).

The whole deal simply hit home run for me. Spot on. I love martial arts movies, I love Dreamworks CG movies and I must admit I find Jack Black amazingly funny (saw Be Kind Rewind the other day and loved it). There was so much charm and amusement in this movie. It's without doubt the best animation from Dreamworks since the first Shrek.

Now, I am not saying this will be for everyone. There IS a lot of fighting going on, and while it is (for most of the movie) comical (yet amazing to behold) violence, it might not be suitable for the smallest of children. But for any healthy kid aged 6-7 or above (especially boys), this will be kick-a**! I cannot really put my finger on anything bad. Sure, the movie is filled with clichés, but sometimes you can go a long way with those. And this one serves them perfectly. I even rated this higher than Ratatouille, due to the fact that it took me totally by surprise. With Ratatouille, I EXPECTED it to be great. Kung Fu Panda I only expected to be decent, but it was awesome. That deserves the last point.

'Kung Fu Panda' is another delightfully entertaining flick to come out this summer. Osbourne and Stevenson do a fine job in directing. What I really liked about the film is the sincere effort behind it and its lack of pretension and use of clichés. The directors stay focused on the main story which is Po's struggle. I could really relate to Po's dream and love for Kung Fu and his disappointment and lack of faith in failing to be successful in doing what he loves. The stellar voice cast that includes names like Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Ian McShane, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu, David Cross and Randall Duk Kim is impressive but it is Jack Black's show all the way, followed by Dustin Hoffman. Black's comic timing is wonderful as he provides some of the very memorable laugh-out-loud moments and he brilliantly succeeds in making Po both endearing and funny. I would never have guessed that Hoffman was behind the voicing of Shifu. The actor does an excellent job. I wish Jackie Chan had more lines. The music and CGI are good enough. There's a lot of energy. It's colourful and very appealing to the eyes and it's funny as hell. What's not to love? In my opinion, 'Kung Fu Panda' is a winner with both adults and kids.

In China, the big, fat and clumsy Panda Po is a great fan of martial arts and worships The Furious Five - Tigress, Crane, Mantis, Viper and Monkey – and their Master Shifu. He works in the restaurant of his father specialized in noodles, but he dreams on being a kung fu hero. When Master Oogway summons the population to announce who would be The Dragon Warrior, he surprisingly points out to the slacker Po, frustrating the expectations of Master Shifu and Tigress. Po joins the academy of Master Shifu that does not believe that Po might be The Dragon Warrior. Meanwhile the evil Tai Lung breaks out the high-security prison where he has been arrested for twenty years and heads to the temple of Oogway, expecting to get the Dragon Scroll and becomes more powerful. The Furious Five tries to intercept Tai Lung, but they are defeated. Now the only chance to stop Tai Lung is the glutton Po.

"Kung Fu Panda" is a very funny and entertaining animation, with the delightful story of a clumsy Panda that dreams on being a hero. The computer-animated heroes and villain are hilarious, supported by the voices of Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angeline Jolie and other magnificent actors and actresses. Po is tailored for Jack Black and I can not imagine this character without his voice. Dustin Hoffman also makes the difference with the voice of the wise Master Shifu. I just regret that I did not pay much attention to this animation before and only now I have watched it. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Kung Fu Panda"