Director: Mark Osborne, John Stevenson
Writers: Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger
Starring: Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Ian McShane
Kung Fu Panda is easily my favourite animated movie series
that has ever existed. It’s brilliant fun and you can tell that the animators
just went mental with the choreography. The movie tells the tale of the true
underdog story of a panda who just wants to learn Kung Fu. He encounters
adversity and a diverse cast of Kung Fu characters and has to face the
ex-communicated snow leopard Tai Lung (Ian McShane).
The reason I love this movie so much is that it has such a brilliant aesthetic. The use of colour throughout is incredible. You go from the vibrant colours of the Chinese valley straight to the dark blues and blacks of the overly secure prison. It instantly sets the mood of each scene you are thrust into along with being great to look at. It becomes extremely clear towards the end when the Hall of Warriors goes from a shining gold to a dull grey to fit the mood.
The title of the movie should inform you that there is a lot of fighting within the movie and it is some of the best I have ever seen. The fact that the movie is animated allows the fights the be really fast-paced and physics-defying while still retaining the fluidity and kineticism required to make a great fight scene. You can see the power put behind each move. This is made apparent when the spherical panda places his large posterior upon the unsuspecting mug of his enemy. The shot slows down and the facial features get squashed and elongated like a water balloon being crushed by a cinder block.
While the movie is aesthetically fantastic, the characters seriously lack development. Specifically Ian McShane’s depressingly generic villain; Tai Lung. His motivations are simple even for a children’s movie and everything he does is predictable and uninteresting. All of his action sequences are memorably impressive, particularly the prison escape scene. The cinematography within that scene is actually incredible as well. However, there was a lot of potential that has been missed. The existing Kung Fu protagonists are also rather forgettable. This is likely born from the fact that there are five of them. You expect Jackie Chan to have more than five lines. (On the positive side, Seth Rogen’s Mantis is pretty funny throughout).
This isn’t quite my favourite animated film but it is certainly close to that esteemed title. The fights are truly mind-boggling and the visuals stick in your mind like a controversial brand of mind control. While not completely weighed down by the forgettable characters, they change a near-perfect movie into merely a fantastic one.
Recommendation Status: Unmissable
The reason I love this movie so much is that it has such a brilliant aesthetic. The use of colour throughout is incredible. You go from the vibrant colours of the Chinese valley straight to the dark blues and blacks of the overly secure prison. It instantly sets the mood of each scene you are thrust into along with being great to look at. It becomes extremely clear towards the end when the Hall of Warriors goes from a shining gold to a dull grey to fit the mood.
The title of the movie should inform you that there is a lot of fighting within the movie and it is some of the best I have ever seen. The fact that the movie is animated allows the fights the be really fast-paced and physics-defying while still retaining the fluidity and kineticism required to make a great fight scene. You can see the power put behind each move. This is made apparent when the spherical panda places his large posterior upon the unsuspecting mug of his enemy. The shot slows down and the facial features get squashed and elongated like a water balloon being crushed by a cinder block.
While the movie is aesthetically fantastic, the characters seriously lack development. Specifically Ian McShane’s depressingly generic villain; Tai Lung. His motivations are simple even for a children’s movie and everything he does is predictable and uninteresting. All of his action sequences are memorably impressive, particularly the prison escape scene. The cinematography within that scene is actually incredible as well. However, there was a lot of potential that has been missed. The existing Kung Fu protagonists are also rather forgettable. This is likely born from the fact that there are five of them. You expect Jackie Chan to have more than five lines. (On the positive side, Seth Rogen’s Mantis is pretty funny throughout).
This isn’t quite my favourite animated film but it is certainly close to that esteemed title. The fights are truly mind-boggling and the visuals stick in your mind like a controversial brand of mind control. While not completely weighed down by the forgettable characters, they change a near-perfect movie into merely a fantastic one.
Recommendation Status: Unmissable
Please feel free to leave a comment on either the movie or the review. Say if you liked or disliked the movie. I'm interested to find out what you think!
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