"Kung Fu Panda" Review

Movie: Kung Fu Panda * Site * Gecko Preview & Trailer	In Theaters:	June 6, 2008
Runtime: 92 minutes	Directed by:	Mark Osborne
MPAA Rating: PG for sequences of martial arts action	Gecko Rating:

Jack Black is such a big kid, and this animated movie is the perfect vehicle for his awesome talents.

The story is set in ancient China, and Black voices the part of Po, a big, fat panda who’s not happy about working in the family noodle-making business. He’d rather fight alongside the legendary Furious Five stars of the Kung Fu world: Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Viper (Lucy Liu), and Crane (David Cross).

Through a weird twist of fate, Po is chosen to fulfill an ancient prophecy — protect the valley where he lives from the vicious snow leopard Tai Lung (Ian McShane). But how can a big, fat panda be expected to take on such a job? He’s none of the things required of such a hero — agile, mentally focused, and lighting fast. Instead, he’s plump and lazy and can barely move through the family’s noodle restaurant without knocking things over.

More after the jump…

But Po is enthusiastic and eager to learn, so he travels to a temple in the mountains and is taken — albeit reluctantly — under the wings of a Kung Fu guru, Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman).

The training trudges along until Shifu realizes that he’ll have to meet Po on his own level. He sets up a session whereby Po is rewarded with dumplings for his feats. Pretty soon, Po is gaining the confidence and strength needed to complete his mission.

While I wouldn’t say this is the best family movie I’ve ever seen — Finding Nemo and The Incredibles still jointly hold that title — it’s still a fun movie with great characters, plenty of action and, of course, some good lessons about believing in yourself, even if all the odds are stacked against you.

It offers a positive message for kids and a good reminder for adults: Be your own hero. Don’t look outside yourself for the answer. And don’t expect someone else to make things right for you.

And even though the story is set in ancient China, it applies to anyone in any time period. Po doesn’t have any big physical transformation, but he does learn the secret to greatness: Be yourself. Simple, huh?

Note to Parents: This movie is fine for kids 5 and older. The story includes lots of martial arts action, including punches, kicks, falls, and other thrilling stunts. Language is fairly mild, although “suck” is used throughout, and Po is the victim of insults.

Images: Kung Fu Panda, Dreamworks Animation, 2008