"Kung Fu Panda" (2008) - Movie Review

“Kung Fu Panda” cannot be a surprise film for you as the title pretty much says the amount of Kung Fu air fights, training and slow motion fight frame freeze drags it has to show. Hence it lives not exceeding its limitations and you got to give it to submission because what cooler animal could you think of than an overweight Panda. Po the Panda (voice of Jack Black) is a sampled representation of any sizeable lazy kid who aspires to be the cool kick karate master. How else did “Karate Kid” found its place? It is a drug for the lazy kids (like me) to relish the dreams over the screen.

See how the voice of Jack Black says “awesome”. No one ever will be able to match that voice of energy and honesty in the true meaning of the word that it is destined to be said by Black repeatedly in the film through Po and we say, “Yes it is totally awesome!” Po the dreams of the Kung Fu legends who are the residing Zen of the temple of Kung Fu in the top of the mountains with the never ending steps to discourage any one at all to attain some moments of inner peace they practice.

The film does not mention the time period or place or why does animals live in ancient Chinese valley, but that is not one goes for a film titled “Kung Fu Panda”. They go with their kids and have a little fun for themselves. And the film uses this luxury well enough and develops on their strong holds. First is the animals as such are chosen to a level of coolness one can qualify to him/her. Apart from Shifu (voice by Dustin Hoffman) a red panda and Po the rest of the players Master Tigress (voice of Angelina Jolie), Master Mantis (voice by Seth Rogen), Master Viper (voice by Lucy Liu), Master Crane (voice by David Cross) and Master Monkey (voice of Jackie Chan) have a small role but are used well in stunt scenes. But the film worked in its first half by Oogway (voice of Randall Duk Kim) the tortoise. The old age and the calm wisdom of the creature bring a sudden seriousness in this animation comic.

It is for most of the part is the conversation of Black and Hoffman. And that combination as actors as such is a duo of professional combat in action. I have been widely impressed by the way the casting of the voices is done for the animation films. How do they choose? The animated characters do the acting and while in some mannerisms they can match the actors, how does the real challenge of going for a voice takes place at all? That is something I would love to see happening because what would happen if I did not know the actors who voice the characters? While watching most of the animation films I can picture the actors and their voices dropping through the creatures on the screen. Yet the eyes absorbed the animation and that blend of visions had a great work of magic in “Horton Hears a Who”. For “Ratatouille” I did not know the actors and still it to my best films of 2007. This is always a puzzle of how this casting and the mechanics of its effects on audience for an animation film has its charms. Here the amalgamation of Black trying hard to inject the life of strange activeness in this lazy Panda turned out well.

Director John Stevenson and Mark Osborne did not want a complicated creative method in their film. They went for the straight execution of the Kung Fu moves with the animals which has found its place for being cool than cute. Hence the film has the feel of honesty in its story, stunts and voices. When I say they do not try hard, it does not mean the material is bland, rather the departments they concentrate add up to the predictability the screenplay offers. If there is something which can be different about a Kung Fu film that would be the moves either animated or not. In those aspects and for the sincere effort of Jack Black breathing life into Po the Panda, this film succeeds.