Chi Factory Toys, Assembly Not Required
Kung Fu Panda / Agent Bedhead
As an upfront precautionary measure, let me just say that, generally speaking, I’m not much of a Jack Black fan. This inherent contempt for the fellow isn’t based on anything more quantifiable than a sense of annoyance at what I perceive to be chronic unfunniness, but, then again, Black’s film roles are usually that of a bitter schmuck, which just doesn’t do it for me. However, as luck would have it, and in harmony with a film that indulges in the notion of chance-acquired fortune, the voice of Jack Black comes off as pretty likeable in Kung Fu Panda. Obviously, it doesn’t hurt that the film itself is, ultimately, both personable and entertaining, despite a plot that doesn’t rise above a well-worn, formulaic set of clichés. With all the incongruity of a surfing penguin and the dare-to-dream qualities of a bee resisting a life of dronage, Kung Fu Panda doesn’t bring anything new to the children’s animation genre. However, this complaint seems trivial compared to a film that keeps its “awesomeness” well-executed and tightly paced. This is quite the vast accomplishment for a summer blockbuster, for in just 90 minutes, the film delivers an exhilarating set of action sequences and an everyday luminary that the audience can identify with. So, the quintessential slacker puts his chutzpah in motion, and he isn’t such a bad role model after all.
Visually speaking, Kung Fu Panda is pretty damn top-shelf. The film’s look is modelled on Chinese landscapes and associated motifs, and the result is the spectacular stuff we usually get from DreamWorks Animation’s computer-generated features. However, those audience members with old-school sensibilities will find themselves more captivated by the prologue’s hand-drawn, stylized 2-D animation, which evokes the feel of a graphic novel. This particular opening sequence draws us into our protagonist’s dream world, in which he fulfills a legendary status of heroic measure where there is “no match for his bodacity.” By day, this dreamer is the pudgy, awkward panda bear named Po (Black), a worker in a noodle restaurant owned by his father, Mr. Ping (James Hong), who wants his son to follow the family legacy: “We’re noodle people, Po. Broth runs in our veins.” Never mind that Po is the only panda in his village and that his father is a goose, which is a nagging discrepancy that is best forgotten. Po is voiced by Black in full-on “Tenacious D” mode, only minus all the dirty jokes. Oddly, the directors’ decision not to reign in Black’s ostentatiousness actually works in Kung Fu Panda. This comes in sharp contrast to the also effective restraint of Jim Carrey’s persona in the recent Horton Hears A Who picture. Somehow, Po seems to truly embody a kinder, gentler Jack Black, from the panda’s stocky build to his expressively caterpillarlike eyebrows. It’s almost as if the panda’s animation was crafted with the actor in mind.
As the typical fanboy, Po barely holds onto his day job and, at every opportunity, steals away a few moments with his Furious Five action figures. Meanwhile, the village’s enigmatic Master Oogway (Randall Duk Kim), an ancient turtle, experiences a vision that foretells the prison escape of the vicious snow-leopard Tai Lung (the delightfully villainous Ian McShane). Ooogway determines that the time has arrived for the Millenial ceremony, in which Oogway shall choose the almighty Dragon Warrior, who will rid the village of its threat and restore the valley to peace. Oogway’s meerkat underling, Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman), has trained a group of kung-fu masters, the Furious Five, in lifelong preparation for this moment. It is presumed that Oogway will select one of them — Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Crane (David Cross), Viper (Lucy Liu), Mantis (Seth Rogen), or Monkey (Jackie Chan) — as the one who shall singlehandedly hold the secrets of absolute power. However, due to the last minute perserverance of Po to launch himself into the ceremonial arena as an audience member, he unwittingly lands between Tigress and Oogway’s outstretched finger as he points to the Chosen One. Such is the role of destiny. Po is declared to be the Dragon Warrior and comically carried away, with much effort, for kung fu training. Naturally, the Furious Five are pretty pissed off at this new development and make their scorn of their new colleague (and superior) apparent. One by one, Po’s heroes slam literal and metaphorical doors in his pudgy face as he ironically declares, “Big fan!” As the saying goes, one should never meet one’s heroes.
To say more of the plot would reveal too much, and now, I must ward off a rant about the seeming inability of Hollywood animations to disentangle themselves from the practice of awarding overly pudgy paychecks to celebrities at the expense of proven, albeit lesser-known, voicing talents. To briefly roundup the voice work of the film, Dustin Hoffman and David Cross basically kick some kung fu ass here, and Lucy Liu is kickily competent. As for Seth Rogen and Jackie Chan, they do alright, but I would never have recognized their voices with prior name recognition going into the theater. More disappointing is the voice work of Angelina Jolie, whose articulations fail to communicate her role’s requisite intensity, which can be found in her true physicality and, in particular, the intensity of her impenetrable gaze. Jolie is usually a pretty terrific actress, and she does have voice experience, so it makes sense why she would be cast as the Tigress, but all of that just doesn’t translate to her voice work here, which falls rather flat and seems detached from the efforts of the rest of the cast. Filling out the supporting cast are Commander Vachir (the suitably imposing Michael Clarke Duncan), an overly-confident prison warden, and Zeng (Dan Fogler fulfilling his reputation as the token “human cum-stain”), the bearer of bad tidings messenger.
In the quest for character development, the scriptwriters seem to have needlessly complicated matters with a set of quasi-parallel relationships between Po and his father and that of Master Shifu’s prior encounters with the villainous Ty Lung. Overall, the film’s message — heroes come from unlikely places — is slightly inarticulated through the script. Kung Fu Panda seems to be saying that adults shouldn’t live vicariously through children and push them too forcefully towards specific goals, for kids can fulfill their own potentials through their own volition. The only slight conclusion that I can draw here is probably a result of overthinking, but from the past few generations of coddled youngsters who have been told they can and will one day rule the world, our society seems to have fostered a hell of a lot of lazy underachievers. Instead, Kung Fu Panda seems to favor individual motivation as an indicator of success, but it doesn’t really make the connection of the hard work that rests within motivation and heroic feats. With all of that said, this is an agreeable film that will keep the kiddies entertained and won’t kill the parents, but it has no lasting power beyond the parking lot. Perhaps a bit more of a punch beyond the lightheartedness would give kids some real-life context and provide the film with some lasting power in their minds. Instead, Kung Fu Panda is a lot like Chinese food in that it tastes great and seems adequate at the moment, but ten minutes later, the appetite is wanting for more. Try to suppress your shock when that seven-year old tugs on your sleeve on the way out of the theater because, right now, they really just want to go see the latest Indiana Jones film again.
Agent Bedhead (a.k.a. “Kimberly”) lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She can be found dreaming in graphic-novel style at agentbedhead.com.
Pajiba Love 06/06/08 | | I F*ck You in the *ss
Comments
Sounds like a decent-enough flick, but not enough for a visit to the local film-o-drome. I'll wait for the DVD.
By the way, is there some sort of foundation for out-of-work voice actors, so cruelly displaced from their vocation by these quick-paycheck-cashing celebs? Can we donate to their cause, or better yet, demand a revenue-sharing plan that the Jim Carreys and Jack Blacks of the world should pay into?
Posted by: kushiro at June 7, 2008 2:02 PM
So, the film falls into the whole "screw training and dedication, it's all about predetermination!" fantasy mindset. This is the same crap that cripples a lot of martial arts films. There's just no way to be the "annointed master" without a hell of a lot of repetitive training, and that's no fun to show in a movie, so voila! Instant chosen one. You know, like voice actors that hone their craft and work to infuse real character and life into their performances are tossed aside for big name actors who tend to phone it in. Never mind me, I'll be over here in the corner drinking from the big mug of bitterness.
Posted by: MrC at June 7, 2008 2:53 PM
Skadoosh!
Posted by: Mick J at June 7, 2008 2:57 PM
I thought Shifu was supposed to be a red panda, and not a meerkat.
You may be right. At first, I thought he was a large mouse, then a squirrel, and I finally settled on meerkat. - AB
Posted by: The Wanderer at June 7, 2008 5:57 PM
As far as I know, the film was designed with Jack Black in mind.
I read an interview with the head animator (sorry, forgotten his name). He said he'd put together a piece of animation using Black's lines from High Fidelity spoken by the Panda character to tempt Black to take the role. It's also apparently based on JB's own personality.
Posted by: StephanieS at June 7, 2008 6:42 PM
Great kid flick. Left the theatre feeling good about life in general. I'm glad I didn't know one of the leads was Dustin Hoffman b/c I CAN'T STAND him (Hello Mr Magorium's bullshit Emporium - ugh!!!) but he was (dare I say) good. As was Jack Black - even if he normally annoys. But come on...all they have to do is read.
My 3 kids (ages 10, 8 and 5) all thoroughly enjoyed it.
Posted by: Shells at June 7, 2008 7:03 PM
Never mind that Po is the only panda in his village and that his father is a goose, which is a nagging discrepancy that is best forgotten.
They make a very amusing joke in reference to this 'discrepancy' when his father tells him the secret ingredient in the 'Secret Ingredient Soup'.
Posted by: abbub at June 7, 2008 7:36 PM
My wife and I share the same feeling toward Jack Black as you, Agent Bedhead.
In fact, my wife hit it on the head the other night when she said that her favorite Jack Black role was in "Day of the Jackal". Or, as she so lovingly put it, "the one where he gets his arm blown off".
Posted by: UncleJR at June 7, 2008 8:15 PM
I, too, am no JB fan - in fact I may have never seen him in a movie before this. And I think I felt just about everything you did about the movie - fun enough for an evening out with the kiddies - but parents left wishing there was a little more substance.
Posted by: Cindy at June 7, 2008 10:54 PM
Has anyone else noticed the irony of these types of children's films? They sling this moral message that children must be encouraged to "break the mold" and "follow their own path", but the people who are slinging the message are not breaking any molds and are certainly not following their own path.
Has Hollywood taken judicial notice of the "fact" that in order for children to be able to palate a film, the film needs to be written using a tracing kit and feature a bunch of famous voices? (I know, I know, they do it for most films, not just childrens' films.) Do the writers smirk to themselves as they write this crap, knowing that they're not-so-closeted Satan-worshipping bible salesmen?
Posted by: Darcy at June 7, 2008 11:01 PM
"This is the same crap that cripples a lot of martial arts films. There's just no way to be the "annointed master" without a hell of a lot of repetitive training, and that's no fun to show in a movie, so voila! Instant chosen one."
Um, MrC, you do realize this is a silly animated movie about a talking panda, right?
Sheesh. I mean, I get your point, but perhaps this is not the movie to vent your frustration upon.
Posted by: TK at June 8, 2008 12:20 AM
Saw it. Enjoyed it. Left the theater content. And it's a shame that the state of this summer has been so awful that Kung Fu Panda actually falls into the "Good" category for movies so far.
Fingers crossed that Incredible Hulk delivers something resembling a kick-ass experience.
Posted by: BFFredo at June 8, 2008 2:03 AM
who doesn't like dustin hoffman?! WHAT. THE. FUCK.
Posted by: Leah at June 8, 2008 4:03 AM
Saw it. Loved it. The acupuncture scene left me in tears.
And yes, I also think Shifu is a red panda and not a meerkat.
Posted by: io at June 8, 2008 4:11 AM
I saw this Friday and was so disappointed with it's dual message of bestiality and messianic worship. Though the technology was first rate and the voice over work was by Black and company was superb, it still left me with a feeling of uneasiness.
Posted by: Pookie at June 8, 2008 11:30 AM
I am glad it got something decent from here. Tonight, as a bribe that actually worked, I am taking my 4 kids to the drive in (ahh, love the drive in) where the double feature of Kung Fu Panda & the 2nd Chronicles of Narnia (prince whatever the title is) are playing.
Posted by: neka at June 8, 2008 1:38 PM
Just came back from seeing the Panda movie. Very cute. Kid liked it. Jack Black not overly annoying. But it is very light and forgettable so if I don't mention it today I will have forgotten about it next week.
Posted by: greer at June 8, 2008 2:09 PM
You're right TK. Getting annoyed over a film like this is like asking how the robots crap in Transformers. I've just been required to work all weekend, so I'm surly and crabby. Wait, how Do the robots...?
Posted by: MrC at June 8, 2008 2:15 PM
They should have an uncensored version where Tai Lung slings a lot of 'cocksucker' around in every day conversation.
Posted by: snapnhiss at June 8, 2008 2:48 PM
I really am getting tired of reviews in general. Bunch of college essay-type rantings with no center.
I'll stick to Rotten Tomatoes where it's "bunch of people say thumbs up" or the other way around.
I don't even know why I wrote this.
Posted by: 5159 at June 8, 2008 5:12 PM
I'm thinking that in the original design, the writers went with what amounts to colorblind casting with the characters. Kind of like how in that old version of Cinderella (it was on the disney channel in the 90's, I don't remember much about it) Whoopi Goldberg and Mr. Andrews from Titanic had an Asian son. Or those weird ass commercials for some sort of air freshener that has octupuses(pi?) mating with giraffes or something and making lizards.
I have absolutely nothing else to offer, since I didn't see the movie and probably won't until I have three anklebiters and desperately need a family safe (read: no zombies and/or cannibalism) flick from Blockbuster to keep them busy.
Posted by: Jaci at June 8, 2008 5:47 PM
Zombies and cannibalism are the cornerstones of every childhood experience.
Posted by: jM at June 8, 2008 6:04 PM
I saw Kung Fu Panda Friday night at the drive-in. Little Monkey McGee loved it, though one of the fight scenes had her freak out for a second. I liked it a lot too. Unlike Bee Movie, I was interested in watching Panda because of the kickassery. And of course, Ian McShane's voice. Rawr.
It was a helluva lot better than the second feature we watched at the drive-in: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the X-Files Movie. Monkey McGee turned to me at one point and asked, "Mom, what is he doing??" I told her he was earning a paycheck.
Posted by: Dangle McGee at June 8, 2008 6:33 PM
Little Pink is jazzed about this one. It's Casa Pink ritual to watch the online trailers at least once a day. It'll be his first real movie theater experience.
As for Master Shifu and what the hell kind of animal he is:
Little Pink: What's that thing says "Focus."? Don't know what that thing is.
Momma Pink and Grammy Pink do some research and we're pretty confident it's a red or lesser panda. We share this fact with Little Pink.
Little Pink: Don't know what that thing is that says, "Focus."
Apparently, to a toddler, "red panda" simply does not compute.
Posted by: Alabamapink at June 8, 2008 10:10 PM
Leah...I dare you to see Mr Magorium's Wonder Emporium. THAT is What the fuck.
Posted by: Shells at June 8, 2008 10:14 PM
Jaci, to refer to Victor Garber as anything else than "Sydney Bristow's dad" is a crime against humanity. Who the hell remembers who Mr. Andrews from Titanic was?
Posted by: Irina at June 9, 2008 12:48 AM
saw it yesterday, and my prime thought on it was why didn't they use more asian actors? it seemed kinda weird to me--seth rogan, david cross, dustin hoffman all seemed out of place. i like to think i've evolved enough to go and see an animated movie that looks good even though i may not know any of the actors voicing it.
Posted by: maxpurr9 at June 9, 2008 2:04 AM
"Who the hell remembers who Mr. Andrews from Titanic was?"
Well, I do. Remember that lovely, telling little moment where Andrews puts right the clock on the doomed ship?
Garber's Andrews (and his ship), were the only characters I cared about in that bloated excuse to sell popcorn.
Posted by: Tarn at June 9, 2008 7:17 AM
Well, I do. Remember that lovely, telling little moment where Andrews puts right the clock on the doomed ship?
Broke my [redacted due to this being a kid's movie review] heart.
I don't know why everyone's so down on Titanic. Sure it was overdone, but at the end of that movie I thought someone would HAVE to fall from the top of the boat all the way down to the bottom and hit the propeller and CLANG! if they didn't deliver.
Posted by: twig at June 9, 2008 9:14 AM
twig,
yes, they did, didn't they? That sequence was like a vertical pinball machine. Awesome!
I liked Andrews, the nicely-recreated ship, the scenes with the band as the ship sinks ('Gentlemen - it's been a pleasure'), and that heartstopping moment when the captain watches the bridge window crash in under the force of the water. I also liked the special effects (sadly they don't pass muster nowadays), and the sense of sepia-tinted melancholy the movie occasionally managed. The rest was a bit daft. And overlong. And don't get me started on Celine Dion...
Posted by: Tarn at June 9, 2008 11:19 AM
5159 - Don't visit the site then. You're a douche.
Re: the actual review though, this is the second one in a row from Bedhead that totally opposes the review from my local paper. I think maybe the Ottawa Citizen's movie critic sucks.
Posted by: b at June 9, 2008 1:12 PM
Oh, a red panda. That's what the hell that thing was.
Anyways, I'm pleasantly surprised that Pajiba didn't completely trash this movie. I read a pretty foul review on MSN (plot cliches, bad animation, flat voicing, wasted opportunities in the action scenes) right before I took Junior to the theater, so I was prepared to be disappointed. I guess what they say is true about having low expectations because my husband and I enjoyed it just about as much as Junior.
I thought the bridge fight scene and the dumpling wrestling match between Po and Master Shifu were both stellar. And I found Jack Black pretty endearing. As someone who has practiced at various arts pretty much my whole life (computer programming, playing the violin, ping-pong, thumb-wrestling) and never ended up being particularly phenomenal at anything, I guess I kind of identified with the story line. Sometimes you do just have to believe in yourself and if you have no skills, confidence can pull you through in a pinch (sniff). We still plan to cajole our children to practice their various pursuits too, though, even if they gripe about it. It's good for developing discipline.
Posted by: KC at June 9, 2008 6:02 PM
I thought the fact that Po and his father were different animals was really nice. Lots of multi-/biracial and of course adopted kids look nothing like their parents, and those children deserve to feel OK about that.
Posted by: BL at June 14, 2008 11:52 PM