MovieMantz Review: 'Kung Fu Panda'

by Scott Mantz

"'Panda' Expressly for Kids"

"Kung Fu Panda"
Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Ian McShane, Angelina Jolie
Directed by John Stevenson and Mark Osborne

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"Kung Fu Panda" will have you rolling in the aisles - that is, if you're, like, 10.

It's not that it's a bad movie - if anything, it's one of the more visually stunning films I've seen in a long time, thanks to a colorful computer animated landscape that captures ancient China in all of its beautiful glory.

But beyond that, there's too much slapstick and not enough story, which will likely leave older moviegoers pining for the type of clever writing that defined the first two "Shrek" movies (which, like "Kung Fu Panda," were produced by DreamWorks Animation) or, better yet, all of the Disney/Pixar films.

The "Panda" in question is Po (Jack Black), a clumsy slacker who dreams of being a kung fu master. He gets his wish when he is asked to train with the Furious Five - Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Crane (David Cross), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Viper (Lucy Liu), Monkey (Jackie Chan) and their wise master, Shifu (Dustin Hoffman). But when the treacherous Tai Ling (Ian McShane) threatens their community, Po must realize his true potential a lot sooner than expected.

In an effort to flesh out a thin story over 91 minutes, Po spends a lot of time falling all over himself (and everyone else) during his training. While it's funny at first, it gets old fast, and the rest of the story is predictably formulaic.

And while the other members of the Furious Five have impressive martial arts skills, they only go so far. After all, it's one thing to see real people fly through the air doing incredible stunts, but when they're animated characters - especially cute, furry animals that can talk - it doesn't feel like that much of a big deal.

That would be fine if those characters brought more to the table, but none of them, other than the childlike Po and the Yoda-like Shifu, are fully defined. That means the talented actors providing their voices never really get a chance to flex their vocal chords.

"Kung Fu Panda" has a nice message, but it's just a little too simple. That won't stop it from doing gangbusters at the box office, since there hasn't been anything like it since "Horton Hears a Who!" last March. It's the kind of movie that kids will love - and so will their parents, since they will enjoy seeing their kids so happy.

But if you're thinking of going on your own, just enjoy the eye candy.

VERDICT: SEE IT!