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Kung Fu Panda (2008)
Release Date:
Friday, June 6, 2008
MPAA Rating:
PG
Rating Reason:
For sequences of martial arts action
Genre:
Animation, Comedy
Starring:
Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Lucy Liu, Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan, Ian McShane
Written By:
Dan Harmon, Rob Schrab
Director:
John Stevenson, Mark Osborne
Official Site:
Synopsis:
"Kung Fu Panda" features Jack Black as Po the Panda, a lowly waiter in a noodle restaurant, who is a kung fu fanatic but whose shape doesn't exactly lend itself to kung fu fighting.
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Kung Fu Panda (2008) | Review
What Is Our Secret Ingredient?
Ed Travis 
Genesis 1:27 -- "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." Mr. Ping: The secret ingredient is... nothing! Po: Huh? Mr. Ping: You heard me. Nothing! There is no secret ingredient. Po: Wait, wait... it's just plain old noodle soup? You don't add some kind of special sauce or something? Mr. Ping: Don't have to. To make something special you just have to believe it's special.To my great surprise, Kung Fu Panda is a wonderful computer-animated tale of talking animals and martial arts. Generally, computer-animated kids movies, and talking animals, aren't really my cup of tea. Kung Fu never hurts, though! And Kung Fu Panda delivers entertainment on very many levels, becoming one of the best animated features of recent years, although it may not quite hold a candle to Pixar's entries to the genre. I was tasked with reviewing the Blu Ray version of the film, and it is only the third or fourth film I've seen on the medium. The film looked phenomenal, but I wasn't quite sure whether that was simply the character design and environments which I enjoyed so much. Upon watching some of the special features I realized that the visual sharpness came from the combination of characters with finely detailed and animated fur, clothing, AND realistic movement. That must have been quite a challenge and is something that couldn't have been done without today's cutting-edge technology. I think it was that amount, and attention to, detail which made the Blu Ray transfer look so nice. The story is set in a valley in a fantasy China in which animals of all shapes and sizes make up the population. The whole valley looks up to the Kung Fu masters living in the temple at the top of the mountain. But when a threat approaches the valley they must choose the Dragon Warrior who will save them from doom. All are surprised when Master Oogway chooses Po, the most unlikely candidate. Of course, now Po has a chance to fulfill all of his greatest drams of joining the ranks of the Furious 5 and becoming a Kung Fu legend. But first he has to train and face the evil Tai Lung, who once betrayed the temple and its masters. Kung Fu Panda is ripe with genuine wisdom, and like any Kung Fu film, it delves into some pretty fascinating spirituality. Master Oogway, a giant tortoise, seems to make a mistake in choosing Po as Dragon Warrior, but insists "There are no accidents." Oogway's belief in fate clashes with Master Shifu's belief in control, and ultimately the film suggests that we must believe that things happen for a reason, or we will succumb to hopelessness. Po's journey of self discovery is the most poignant of the many spiritual elements here in Kung Fu Panda. He dreams of one day being a Kung Fu master, but seems destined to inherit his father's noodle shop. (His father, in one of the funniest visuals of the film, is inexplicably a goose). He, and all Kung Fu masters under Master Oogway, have a crisis of identity when Po is chosen as the Dragon Warrior. The Furious 5 assume that there must be a mistake since they've been training their whole lives. And all of the masters, including Tai Lung, have trained their whole lives in order to discover what secrets of ultimate power are found in the Dragon Scroll. Only Master Oogway knows. [Spoiler Alert] Po is understandably distraught when he finally gains the right to view the scroll and discovers that it is blank, only a shiny surface. But as in the exchange quoted above, Po comes to understand that the only secret to ultimate power is belief. He must believe that he is the Dragon Master, and only then can he conquer his foe. May we all come to understand that we are special, formed by the One who is the most creative of all. May we come to believe that inside of each of us there is something special, the image of our Creator. Copyright © 2008 Hollywood Jesus. All rights reserved.
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