Screenplay by Jonathan Aibel & Glenn Berger
Story by Ethan Reiff & Cyrus Voris
Directed by Mark Osborne & John Stevenson
“It is said that his enemies would go blind from over-exposure to pure awesomeness!”
I wasn’t going to see Kung-Fu Panda for ONE reason: Jack Black. I dislike (nee…LOATHE) all the characters in all the films he has ever starred in (at least, the ones I’ve been forced to watch)…low brow stoner/hard rock/dumbed-down comedies I have no interest in whatsoever.
So, imagine my surprise when I discovered the following:
(1) Jack Black’s Po the Panda could well be his most restrained, controlled performance…ever! He’s funny, witty, and sweet…in short, NOTHING like the Jack Black I (and everyone else on Earth) knows and…likes (it hurt writing that last word).
(2) The opening five minutes of Kung-Fu Panda is a super-manga strip that is drawn from the genius centres of Quentin Tarantino’s twisted mind. It was amazing and gripping…and please…someone…anyone…film & release the rest of THAT movie!
(3) The rest of the film we DO get to see is actually a gorgeous riot of colour and design, that manages to create an anthropomorphized-animal version of China that is rich and vibrant without being offensive. In fact, some of the animal choices seem inspired, and rather than satirizing Chinese culture, the major elements of the film actually celebrate and slyly toy with many of the cliches about the Far East predominant in the West.
That said, certain items disappointed me…particularly some of the voice actors. Angelina Jolie and (unbelievably) Dustin Hoffman have very little energy and colour in their voice-over work. Actually, I can’t believe what I’m about to write: Jack Black’s voice performance wipes the floor with both Jolie’s and Hoffman’s phoned-in roles.
The story itself isn’t exactly earth-shaking in its originality. Then again, what exactly can you do with this type of premise that hasn’t been done before? In fact, I’m sure there’s a live-action episode of David Carradine’s 1970s TV series Kung-Fu that manages to do the same story with more depth…and that IS saying something! :-/
So…it’s funny, it’s enjoyable, it’s full of fabulous one-liners, it flies by, it looks stunning, and — for a brief moment — it makes me like Jack Black. It’s enough to give it a…
6
