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The most helpful favourable review
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39 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
A Great Movie With A Great Message
Kung Fu Panda is one of those movies that comes along once every couple of years, it gives you a good message without being patronising in the Disney movie type of way. It shows you a positive outlook on life while giving you genuine laughs without shoving slapstick comedy in your face. I would generally consider constructing my reviews on a pros and cons basis but it's...
Published 17 months ago by Steven Stewart
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
Kung Fun Panda
'Kung Fun Panda' is your basic fun, family computer animated movie. It has lots of silly jokes, cute characters and a simple, yet humorous storyline. It follows Po the panda as he gets trained to be the dragon warrior and how he is treated by the other kung fun pupils. There is a high 'star' voice-over list for this film, including Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina...
Published 11 months ago by Spider Monkey
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39 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
A Great Movie With A Great Message, 21 Jun 2008
Kung Fu Panda is one of those movies that comes along once every couple of years, it gives you a good message without being patronising in the Disney movie type of way. It shows you a positive outlook on life while giving you genuine laughs without shoving slapstick comedy in your face. I would generally consider constructing my reviews on a pros and cons basis but it's difficult to do that with a film that is simply perfect in every way. I will, however, give you a list of my favourite points of the movie and discuss them in a bit more detail.
The Cast: Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Jacky Chan, Lucy Liu and many more. I don't think you can get a more star studded cast than this and they all deliver their own special brand of humour and great voice acting to the roles. Some characters are less funny than others which with a movie like this is to be expected. Together they all make this movie even more memorable.
The Animation: With a fully CGI movie it's going to get put in the same category as films like Shrek and Toy Story for the simple reason that it's a fully computer animated movie. Of course if you're going to make a movie about a panda who wants to learn Kung Fu, CGI is an inevitable way to go in order to bring this story to life. The animation for this movie is incredible, it gives us a slick blend of cartoon animation and detailed surroundings which helps make the movie that bit more realistic.
The Comedy: From one of the first opening lines being "He blinded his enemies with his awesomness" you knew this movie would be a high quality comedy. Jack Black as the lead character, Po, makes this movie great as he brings his typical silliness and projects it through his voice and into the character. At times I could genuinely believe Jack Black would be capable of playing the physical role of Po as the slapstick moments are something you can imagine Jack being a part of.
The Story: The story itself from the get go you can sort of work out where they're going with it. Po, a clumsy Panda bear works for his father making noodles but he dreams of one day becoming a Kung Fu master. Meanwhile up in the jade palace current Kung Fu master Oogway decides he must choose a Kung Fu warrior to receive the dragon scrolls which are believed to be the key to becoming the greatest Kung Fu warrior in history. Po must see this ceremony and whilst trying to get over the walls of the jade palace he finds himself being chosen as the one to receive the scrolls but first he must be trained by Shifu.
Overall it's a really good movie and when finally released on DVD is something that everybody must own.
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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
Predictable, but nonetheless brilliant..., 10 Aug 2008
OK, you could probably figure out the ending of the movie in the first 10 minutes if you've seen enough chop-socky/ underdog overcomes adversity movies, but reaching that ending is still a huge amount of fun.
Jack Black and the many designers and animators have done a great job on Po the Panda, playing him as a hopeless wide eyed flabby fanboy that dreams of being a Kung fu master but who can't even climb upstairs without sweating buckets. You empathise with all his triumphs and setbacks and you want him to succeed. The range of facial expression is some of the best I've ever seen in an animated movie.
In lesser hands it could have been an uninspired trudge through training montage after training montage, but the choreography keeps it fresh and funny without the usual knowing references. The food-based training session reaches the dizzy absurdity of "Ranma 1/2" in it's head on collision between kung fu and food cravings.
The scenery is lush and the supporting performances, especially Hoffman as the impatient Master Shifu and McShane as the villainous Tai-Leung make their universe one that you're happy to explore for the duration.
I only dropped 1 star for predictibility, but in every other respect it's a triumph.
One of those rare movies that entertains kids and grown-ups in equal measure.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Best kids film in a long time, 24 Sep 2009
The kids never get bored of this and to be honest I love it as well. A number of times my three year old has woke up and told me he has had the noodle dream.
Great voice over's, good animation and very funny.
A must own DVD for kids of all ages
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
One good film :D, 16 Nov 2008
This is actually a really great film! My dad took me to see it in the cinema, 'cos he thought it looked good. Even though I think Jack Black is fully amazing, and Jackie Chan is awesome, I didn't think I would enjoy it, since I'm not one for cartoons, even though I'm not that old. I could hardly stop laughing though! It's a great film, for kids and adults, and even the odd teenager, like me! I highly recomend it, if, like me, you love comedies! :)
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15 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
Not giving up and believing in yourself makes Kung Fu Panda one of the best movies this year. , 12 Jun 2008
This movie was surprisely fun to watch and Paramount Pictures is having a Summer to remember at the box office this year. First it was Iron Man then came Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Both films were the weekend box office champions in their respective released week. Each one collecting more that $100 millions dollars in their opening weekends. Now the turn is for Kung Fu Panda to match those numbers, which is reachable for this furry, funny and cute big panda.
The visual aspect of the movie is golden and the animation is one of Dreamworks' best. An attempt to put to use new technology into the most dramatic scenes, the sound was a big match and that's what this film delivers. It is easy to see the detailed work in cinematography when an ancient Chinese town is well illustrated as well as the Jade Temple and surroundings uncovering memories of the many martial arts Chinese movies for some of the old crowd and for the young exposing them to new lands and frontiers.
Jack Black and Dustin Hoffman voices' in this film were just right. Each one giving strong life to their characters, especially Jack Black who provided that special touch that only he can give to his characters. The rest of the cast (Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan and Lucy Liu ) were ok. The biggest problem is that the script didn't provide supporting characters enough dialogue for these actors to expand their talents. On the other hand, children get to know "the legendary furious five" kung fu masters which as animals use their animal characteristics to fight the evil Tai Lung.
This cute, furry and funny film is set to get all audiences crazy about a little more than the Panda dance and that is to "be your own hero". It is just full family entertainment.
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13 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
Best film of 2008, bar none, 25 Jun 2008
It's been a big year for films. Cloverfield finally arrived; Indiana Jones is back on our screens; Narnia has another outing (and it's a great one); Iron Man and the Hulk both wowed us; the anticipation of Sarah Marshall and Harold and Kumar going to Gitmo was palpable... and yet a chubby panda flinging his limbs has them all beat, hands down. Or raised, cobra-style.
The first thing that needs to be said is Kung Fu Panda is laugh out loud funny. As I write this, am thinking back to it and it's making me laugh. Not even The Incredibles (an understandable comparison) manages that. The very first line goes as following: "Legend tells of a legendary warrior whose kung fu skills were the stuff of legend..." Now add Jack Black's (Black is Po, the eponymous panda) voice and intonation, and you'll giggle within the first 10 seconds. It keeps it up, too. Within 30 seconds, we're told "he's so deadly, in fact, that his enemies would go blind from over-exposure to pure awesomeness!" The humour ranges from slapstick, to flat-out silly to subversive - and all of it will make you laugh out loud. "Lol" has become common internetese, but if something actually *can* make you laugh out loud - constantly, no less - it's special.
The first minute or so is cartoon - very much in the style of Samurai Jack - and then it turns to CGI... and the quality is mind-blowingly good. Really, this probably isn't the sort of film that receives plaudits from the Oscars, but it absolutely deserves a nod. The detail and the quality is unrivalled. Just wait til you see the whiskers on Dustin Hoffman's red-panda cheeks, and the amazing angles they create for the fight scenes. Truly wonderful.
The supporting cast is also fabulous. James Hong as Po's dad (he's a noodle-obsessed goose, by the way) is especially good. Other people include Angelina Jolie, Lucy Liu, Seth Rogen, Ian McShane and Jackie Chan. That's an astonishing cast for what is, ostensibly, a kid's movie or a Jack Black vehicle. That's because it's so much more. Adults will fall for this movie as hard as kids will, and if you're not a fan of Jack Black already, Kung Fu Panda may just change your mind.
This is a glorious film about pursuing a dream, no matter how fanciful it seems, and I don't know enough superlatives to describe it. So instead I'll leave you with another line from within the first 30 seconds: "I see you like to chew. Maybe you should chew... ON MY FIST!"
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Absolutely brilliant movie - buy it!, 10 Sep 2009
Brilliant movie for kids and for adults. Yes its predictable - but its done in such a brilliant way. Great animation, wonderful characters and character development, great script (including lots of dry humour for the adults), excellent ending. My little boys have watched it endlessly (as have I) and its fun every time :-) Kids enjoyed it a LOT more than all the other pixar movies. Definite buy.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Kung Fu Panda, 20 Jun 2009
I am sure that all the actors must be screeming with laughter when doing these parts. I fully enjoyed this film, if only they had been around when I was a Child.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Panda?, 25 May 2009
With voices by Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Ian McShane and Angelina Jolie amongst others; this latest offering from the makers of Shrek, Madagascar and Bee Movie is good fun from start to finish. With sly references to films such as Star Wars and House of Flying Daggers, this is firmly in the 'adult humour with kids' sensibilities' bracket; my family and I had a great time watching this together, and even though a lot of the dialogue went over the heads of my two young daughters, the movie was visually appealing enough to keep them rapt for the ninety or so minutes that the film lasted for.
A brilliant scene featuring Po the panda, his Kung-Fu guru and a bowl of rice dumplings had us all in stitches; whilst Jack Black's often irksome man/boy/meathead persona fitted the main character like a glove.
The DVD has some entertaining extras too; the best of the bunch is 'Pushing the Boundaries'; an intriguing look at how the film was made. There is also a cool 'Meet the Cast' featurette, and Cee-Lo's music video for his rendering of 70's kitsch classic 'Kung-Fu Fighting', is also good fun. Overall a good buy and a worthy addition to any family's DVD collection.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
Kung Fun Panda, 26 Dec 2008
'Kung Fun Panda' is your basic fun, family computer animated movie. It has lots of silly jokes, cute characters and a simple, yet humorous storyline. It follows Po the panda as he gets trained to be the dragon warrior and how he is treated by the other kung fun pupils. There is a high 'star' voice-over list for this film, including Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie and Jackie Chan and they all do a great job bringing life to their various characters. It seems strange to ask Jackie Chan to do a voice over as he is a very physical actor and was barely used in this film, but it lends the film some martial arts kudos I guess. This is a good film for kids and is fun enough to keep parents interested as well. At just under 90 minutes it's not too long so kids will lose their attention or parents will get bored. It does what it sets out to do well, be a fun animated adventure, but there are better animated films out there and this has a great deal to live up to (hence the 3 stars). Worth a look, but not one to rush out to buy the first time you hear of it.
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