Kung Fu Panda [Blu-ray]

Product Details

• Released on: 2008-11-09
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: AC-3, Animated, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, French, Portuguese, Spanish
• Dubbed in: French, Portuguese, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 88 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
What's a panda to do when his dreams of kung-fu awesomeness awake to the cold reality of noodle-making? Clumsy, overweight Po (Jack Black) dreams of becoming a kung fu master like China's revered "furious five," but instead seems destined to follow in the footsteps of his father and grandfather in the restaurant business. When great leader Oogway has a vision that the imprisoned kung fu warrior Tai Lung (Ian McShane) will soon escape, he declares it time to choose China's dragon warrior--one kung fu master deemed worthy of possessing the dragon's scroll and its secret to limitless power. Po and all the townspeople rush to the Jade Palace atop the highest mountain to witness the contest between Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Mantis (Seth Rogan), Crane (David Cross) and Viper (Lucy Liu), but Po is locked outside the palace. After a miracle of sorts, Po lands inside the palace gates, where he is chosen as the dragon warrior and placed under the tutelage of the decidedly non-plussed master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman). An unconventional student to say the least, hilarity reigns as Shifu tries desperately to make Po into some semblance of a kung fu warrior. Can Po possibly fulfill his destiny as dragon warrior, or was Oogway's final decision a critical mistake? A film rich with hilarious moments, superior animation, and an important message about believing in oneself and the power that comes from within, Kung Fu Panda is great entertainment that will have the whole family laughing and begging for more. (Ages 3 and older) --Tami Horiuchi

Customer Reviews

Skadoosh!
I was on a long flight back from California when I had the choice between watching Kung Fu Panda on a tiny television screen four feet away from me, or read the SkyMall catalog. I wisely chose to watch Kung Fu Panda.

I was curious as to how Kung Fu Panda would present itself: as a Lion King-style retelling of ancient Chinese myth, or as a love note to kung fu films from an American perspective. I'm pleased to report that it's the latter.

You know the story: Po (a restrained Jack Black) adores the Furious Five but is too fat and slow to ever hope to become one of them and then fate does precisely that. It's the heroes who have the real problem (each representing a different kung fu style and all voiced by a roster of celebrities, including Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, and Lucy Liu). Struggling most of all is Master Shifu - a bit redundant, if you know the definition of Shifu - played by Dustin Hoffman (wouldja believe?) who is still suffering from the betrayal of his first and best pupil Tai Lung (Ian McShane).

What's surprising about Kung Fu Panda is how adult the story is. The word "kill" is mentioned several times. Tai Lung and Shifu have a physical conflict that is much a battle of philosophies as it is a father and son having an argument. And the plot is beautiful in its symmetry, perfectly tying in every element: from the modified style of kung-food training that Shifu teaches Po to the revelation of Po's (we can only assume adopted) duck-father's secret recipe to the fact that Po is immune to acupuncture (because he's so fat, of course) Kung Fu Panda is tightly scripted and wrapped up in a beautiful package.

The movie itself (what I could see on the tiny airplane screen) is beautifully produced. It ranges from Chinese-style art to realistic but soft-colored tones, to bursts of color amidst pitch darkness. The fight scenes are all in exciting locations: in a prison, on a rope bridge, in an ancient temple. It's like a videogame, only you're watching the fat guy character nobody wants to play. It was beautiful enough that I had a pang of regret that I wasn't watching it on a big screen. Or even a medium screen.

For kids, Po is a great tale about overcoming obstacles by being yourself. For geeks, Po is a hilarious new hero archetype: the fanboy as hero, a fat, slobbering devotee who knows more details about the Furious Five than they know about themselves.

Very nice, but not great
I did like the movie but it is not on a par with something like Cars.

The story is painfully familiar; unlikely hero trains up to defeat bad guy. Think Star Wars Episode VI, Karate Kid (all episodes), and countless others. In this case, the hero is a noodle-making panda voiced by Jack Black. Jack does a great job but almost everyone else seems to be calling in their performances. There are some laughs, but mostly this is a low-key movie.

I think what soured this film for me was Avatar: The Last Airbender. Avatar covers much of the same ground, but has had years to it. Even so, a single 30 minute episode of Avatar is more interesting and exciting than was KFP.

Even so, if your kids want to take you to see KFP for your birthday, then by all means let them. You could do much worse.

Kung Fu Panda: Hugely Entertaining
The story of "Kung Fu Panda" about a lazy panda who dreams of becoming a martial arts fighter may not be as unique as that of last year's Oscar winner "Ratatouille," but Dreamworks' new animated film is great fun nonetheless. Perhaps some viewers (including me) might the miss the biting satire of the same company's "Shrek," but "Kung Fu Panda" offers lots of laughs and some engaging characters including Po (voice by Jack Black) and his reluctant master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman).

The film's story will remind you of either "Star Wars" (the older trilogy) or "Drunken Master," the latter being a still popular Hong Kong martial arts film made in 1978 starring Jackie Chan (who provides voice for "Panda" as Monkey). In short, a wise master reluctantly takes a youngster under his wing. The master thinks it a hopeless case at first, but discovers the talent hidden deep inside the pupil. In Po's case, his talent as martial arts fighter is found when Po is eating, not drinking.

If you look at the kung fu choreography closely, or our hero's "battle" sequence in the opening, you will realize that the directors Mark Osborne and John Stevenson have carefully studied many kung-fu films. They know the rules of the genre and bend them to create amusing characters, innovative kung-fu battle scenes and funny sight gags. It is amazing to see the slightly overused format for plot based on master and disciple still works even in animation.

That means, however, that some might think the script of "Kung Fu Panda" needs more originality. Principal characters are well-drawn and delightful to watch, especially Po and Shifu, but supports are a bit weak (despite the inclusion of such voice actors as Angelina Jolie as Tigress) and the film's narrative, slick as it is, is a bit predictable (though it never bores us).

The film pays homage to some of other martial arts films and even Hollywood actions - some scenes of "Panda" are clearly inspired by such works as "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and one of "Indiana Jones" films - but actually you don't have to notice that at all. This is a hugely enjoyable family-oriented film.

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