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*** Official KUNG FU PANDA Review Thread

#1
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6/6/08 at 10:00pm
  • Joined: June 1999
  • Post Count: 32,951
Kids will love this film. I didn't think much of the opening 20 minutes, but then everything just clicks into place, and it's a really enjoyable ride of a hero's journey done with fantastic animation and solid storytelling. The animation is just amazing and the action was entertaining and furious, while always maintaining a sense of whimsy and fun. I actually wanted a little more time within this world, it was that engaging.

The voice acting is pretty solid, with Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman and Ian McShane providing really good performances. Have I said how much I liked the animation?

I give it 3.5 stars, or a grade of B+.

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#2
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6/7/08 at 1:01am
  • Joined: October 2001
  • Post Count: 524

*** Official KUNG FU PANDA Review Thread

Agreed. I had so much fun during this movie. It's action scenes are great, and there's some good humor in it. The animation is AWESOME! Go see it, it's well worth your time.
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#3
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6/7/08 at 4:13am
  • Joined: December 1998
  • Location: Michigan
  • Post Count: 17,107

*** Official KUNG FU PANDA Review Thread

This thread is now the Official Review Thread for "Kung Fu Panda". Please post all HTF member reviews in this thread.

Any other comments, links to other reviews, or discussion items will be deleted from this thread without warning!

If you need to discuss those type of issues then I have designated an Official Discussion Thread.



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#4
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6/7/08 at 1:13pm
  • Joined: August 2001
  • Post Count: 7,526

Re: *** Official KUNG FU PANDA Review Thread

It certainly is Dreamworks Animation's best looking film. Fortunately, it's also their best film period. I thought it petered out a bit in the last 20 minutes after an incredible first two acts and change. But it always entertained, and it looked great. A while ago, I expressed that Pixar felt about 3-5 years ahead of the other CG animation studios, but I'll happily admit that this film closed the gap a bit.

That said, there is still a gap (though smaller), but Kung Fu Panda is a quantum leap forward for Dreamworks. They brought a polish and distinct style to it, which really helped.

Anyways, very fun movie, just the right length and pacing with some pretty amazing setpieces. I'll readily admit my favorite part was the opening animation of the Super Panda fights - 2D to 2.5D and just stunning. Like Samurai Jack (a clear inspiration, and a good one) on steroids with a lot more money. The whole film should be a looker on high def. Definite purchase for me.
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#5
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6/7/08 at 6:32pm
  • Joined: February 2002
  • Post Count: 1,845

Re: *** Official KUNG FU PANDA Review Thread

Definite purchase for me too. Dunno what SKG did, but the animation here is superior to any of their earlier works. Really nice looking sequences...the opening Chuck mentioned, the jail break, the festival, and the bridge fight.

I really enjoyed this film quite a bit. Again, as Chuck mentions, it slows down a bit too much to hit the theme before the final battle, but a minor quibble at best. Great stuff! I may go see it in IMAX now.
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#6
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6/28/08 at 7:46am
  • Joined: March 2001
  • Location: Rochester, NY
  • Post Count: 6,263

Re: *** Official KUNG FU PANDA Review Thread

Kung Fu Panda is a delight. It's a whimsical, you-can-achieve-your-dreams tale, told with all the crazy, exciting choreography of the best Kung Fu movies.

Po, panda son of noodle-restauranteur Duck, dreams of being part of the Fighting Five, trained my Master Shifu, in the temple overseen by Oogway -- a Turtle from whom the modern Yoda should take lessons. These are the five greatest Kung Fu fighters in all the land. So good, they have their own action figures.

Po, against all liklihood and protestations by the Fighting Five, is brought under the tutelage of Shifu and is improbably to be the one to finally overcome the villainous Tai Lung.

Shifu finds the means to train Po -- and the final training test is now among my favorite kung fu sequences ever! And Po's confrontation with Tai Lung is a thrilling ride.

The movie has its lurches, even for a kung-fu movie with noodle-serving ducks and Chinese prison-guard Rhinos. It sags in the beginning-middle. Po's training is miraculous, from zero to hero overnight. And the exit of Oogway straddles self-parody and ultimate scriptwriter laziness; but somehow it works being as bizzare as everything else.

Though not the best animated tale ever, or even in recent years, it's great fun.

Finally, there's a brief scene following the credits. Fortunately, the credits make the wait easier. They are backed, through to the end, by stills that provide a something of an epilogue.
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