Kung Fu Panda

Kung Fu Panda crept its way into cinemas amidst all the scepticism to come on top as the sleeper hit of the month. It had all odds working against it – a stereotyped Oriental base, a big name cast, the reminiscence of the Jack Black–Angelina Jolie collaboration from A Shark’s Tale, a trailer of cheesy slapstick, and did I mention, Jack Black? Nevertheless, its opening will prove us all wrong. Some way or another, Dreamworks found a way to portray a heartwarming age-old fable of satiric culture references with the appreciated lack of Jack Black’s singing and scatting.  

Kung Fu Panda follows Po (Jack Black), the panda son of a duck noodle seller who lives in a small Chinese village, with the dreams of someday becoming a kung fu warrior. When he tries to sneak a glimpse of the Furious Five, he is chosen by an elder to be the Dragon Warrior. The sceptical master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) has to subsequently find a way to train Po to defend the village against the very evil bad seed Tai Lung.

What follows is a pleasurable hour of Oriental acupuncture, dumpling and Ming vase culture satire with the respect of an ode to the martial arts form. Impressive at first glance is the intricate depiction of kicks and hits, portraying different styles through the Furious Five (i.e. the Crane, the Tigress, the Praying Mantis, the Monkey and the Viper). Although the animation isn’t as awe-striking as the moving hairs on Monsters Inc, its attention to detail in portraying a kung fu film and its elements in screen shots, camera and character movement in a retro, yet 3D format more than compensates to say the least. And it’s laugh-out-loud funny when you least expect it too. Kung Fu Panda is simply awesome – it's even trumping Sex And The City at the box office!

Cast Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Lucy Liu, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogan, David Cross and Ian McShane Director Mark Osborne and John Stevenson Runtime 103 mins Opens 6 June

Text Claudia Low