7. Kung Fu Panda
I was looking forward to seeing this film again. It hadn’t felt like forever but it felt long enough that a rewatch was in order and yeah… it’s still full of awesomeness.
The thing about this film and other films like it is that it’s one of those movies that’s easy to watch. There are a lot of good films out there that often feel like work to watch sometimes, if you can believe it. Even films better than this one sometimes feel like that. This is a very comfortable movie that does everything it tries to do in simple, easy to understand ways.
Despite how uncomplex it all is, its presentation and style is VERY complex to the point where it feels very mature despite the kind of character Po is. Po is a panda voiced by Jack Black who is just incredibly charming and fun. He uses words like “awesomeness” and “skadoosh” because that’s who he is. He’s never intentionally rude or an asshole to anyone. He’s just a dork with a passion and fanboyish love for the people who practice kung fu and use it to protect the village.
His father, Mr. Ping (James Hong) is a goose who makes noodles and he’s also really charming as well. Too charming. I love him too much guys. Everyone in this film does their damndest with the voice work. Shi Fu (Dustin Hoffman) is a particularly high stand out as well. He’s the kind of character that could be easy to hate but thanks to Po’s general optimism and the films insistence on making sure you see things play out, he ends up being understandable and likable by the end.
When Master Oogway (Randall Duk Kim) selects Po as the Dragon Warrior and the one destined to defeat Tai Lung (Ian McShane), seemingly by accident, Oogway insists “there are no accidents” and Po’s training begins. On the surface it seems a bit odd that this would be decided by someone randomly falling in front of Oogway’s finger but it can’t really be seen as all that unfair to Po in the long run because the fact of the matter is that this IS what he wants. He loved kung fu and despite never believing himself to be someone who could master it, he ends up doing so once Shi Fu clears the fog out of his brain and decides to find a way to teach him.
This movie deals with and handles the idea of destiny really well. They say it’s his “destiny” to do this but all that’s shown is a Panda diligently training with his master to become someone who can beat Tai Lung. He isn’t handed anything or treated like the messiah when he’s selected. Literally the opposite happens. He’s treated like shit.
Through perseverance and a really, REALLY wonderful speech from Oogway under a Peach tree Po sees what he has to do and tries to make the best of it. The line “Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift, that is why they call it the present” lives rent free in my head. It’s the perfect line. Especially for someone like me who needs to take it to heart one of these days. Of course, even after this speech, Shi Fu’s reluctance to see this through almost gets him to quit again but they manage to get past it.
Tai Lung’s view on destiny is very straight-forward. He was turned into a monster and just seeks the Dragon Scroll because he believes it will give him ultimate power. Even a heartfelt apology from his dad and the revelation that comes from the scroll itself, ala Po’s wonderful father, don’t sway his mood any. Believing in oneself to achieve heights higher than even he dreamed of was beyond his reach and it was proven the instant he misunderstood why the scroll was the way it was.
Beautiful art direction and stunning as hell fight choreography bleed all over this product. I saw myself rewinding so that I could meticulously follow the actions of the characters on screen just so I could properly appreciate how they get from point A to point B with the fights. They’re all wonderfully done. There are a few instances of 2D animation mixed in here and it looks stunning as well. I never saw myself wishing the entire movie was in that style because the movie itself does look great but I did consider it a nice treat too.
This entire film is a treat. If seeing the origin of the “Our battle will be legendary” meme isn’t worth checking out alone then don’t worry, there’s a metric ton more to see. This is a downright wonderful example of how a film can be mature but still bake itself in cartoon antics and jokes about Po’s big flabby butt.
If I had a reason to put it below the film above this one it really does just come down to how its ideas, while well done and excellently executed, are all fairly basic and simple, for the most part. Not all of it is but it’s easy to understand for a reason. That said, I wouldn’t say that’s at all to this film’s detriment. It works wonderfully for this film where with any other it could easily have served to make it feel wrote and unimpressive.
The film industry has room for movies that are just nice, simple, comfortable watches. This film just makes me feel very comfy. Until the end when I’m leaning forward to watch the fight scenes happen, of course. I like it when that happens too, obviously.
Well done, Dragon Warrior.
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1 month, 2 weeks ago
23 Apr 2025 00:35 CEST
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