Running time: 92 minutes
Starring: The voices of Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu, Ian McShane
Rating 5 out of 10
Despite being a massive hit in the United States - where a sequel is already in the works - Kung Fu Panda is definitely one that kids will enjoy more than their parents. Dreamworks fail to reach Pixaresque heights with their latest animated comedy which is simplistic in its approach to say the least.The plot is thoroughly predictable and offers no surprises: Black is Po, an overweight and underachieving panda whose future as a noodle-maker is already plotted out by his father. But when freak circumstances lead him to become the next Dragon Warrior - a honour rarely given to China's greatest fighter - everything changes. Dustin Hoffman is a yoda-style master who teaches the overweight panda his ancient tricks much to the amusement of the already established 'furious five', a crew of highly trained assassins voiced variously by Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan and Lucy Liu among others.
'That flabby panda can't possibly be the answer to our problems', is everyone's general reaction, especially when the region's bad guy (Ian McShane) escapes from prison in a badly plotted turn of events. But of course Po is more than up to the challenge.
Compared to the sharpness of a script such as Shrek, The Incredibles or Ratatouille, this is definitely in a lower league. It's predictable, one-dimensional and seems to exist only as a marketing ploy. The panda is loveable enough to appeal to the very young, Black is out-there enough to bring in his fan base and the nostalgic appeal of kung fu may attract yet another crowd - but it's unlikely any of them will be completely satisfied.
However, the animation is well crafted, such as the homage to all things Chinese and the details of the prison which houses the evil criminal. But very little of it is actually very funny. You feel that Black may have spent a lot of time convincing the writers to let him say 'awesome' every 10 minutes and everyone concerned is in love with their own 'awesomeness'. Apart from the production design, very little is awesome: instead much of it is pretty average at best.
Paul Hurley
