Synopsis:

A slacker panda named Po, who is the biggest fan of Kung Fu around, becomes the most unlikely prophecy fulfiller in his village in Kung Fu Panda.  Working every day in his family's noodle shop, Po dreams of one day fighting alongside the Furious Five - Tigress, Crane, Mantis, Viper and Monkey.  After being unexpectedly chosen, Po's dreams become reality when he joins the world of Kung Fu and studies alongside his idols.  Under the leadership of their guru, Master Shifu, Po attempts to learn Kung Fu. But before they know it, the vengeful and treacherous snow leopard Tai Lung is headed their way, and it's up to Po to defend everyone from the oncoming threat. Can he turn his dreams of becoming a Kung Fu master into reality? Po puts his heart - and his girth - into the task, and the unlikely hero ultimately finds that his greatest weaknesses turn out to be his greatest strengths.

The Freak's Rating: B+ : Much like other animated films of late, Kung Fu Panda draws as many celebrity voices as it can find.  Showcasing vocals from Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Micheal Clarke Duncan, Ian McShane, Lucy Liu, David Cross, Dustin Hoffman and Jackie Chan, there is rarely a character on the screen whose voice you won't recognize.  I recently ranted about overcasting in my review of Horton Hears A Who.  I was inclined to believe, when I saw the roster, that I was in for a similar, if not worse, disappointment with Kung Fu Panda.  Surprisingly, the characters had life of their own and voiceovers where just that, a voice over a character.  Rightly so, the director and sound editors demanded that not too much personality be injected from the actors and actresses.

Jack Black is likeable as Po and all other characters slide into their roles perfectly, bringing a refreshing life to animation that has been missing since Cars.  All lines are delivered succinctly, bringing humor when necessary and unifying the audience in laughter when intended.  I challenge you to not laugh at Po's delivery of his line, "Ska-doosh".

Kung Fu Panda draws from many Kung Fu movies, paying homage to Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and many others.  Choreography is superb for fight scenes, never pushing time limitations on fight sequences to annoy those who aren't there for the "Kung Fu", but for the "Panda".  Finally, let me just emphasize how important a digital presentation is to animation.  Wehrenberg Theaters has integrated digital video and audio into the bulk of their auditoriums in the local Galaxy 14 theater and, justifiably so, is presenting Kung Fu Panda in all its digital glory.  The animation is spectacular at a high definition resolution, with colors vivid and glossy deep black tones in the picture.  Audio is par for the course, but you aren't looking for much in that area in this one.  The marketing for this film was poor and the initial trailer looked awful.  I was pleased to see Paramount has since revised the trailer for its latest marketing push and hope that it can stir up enough interest.

Kung Fu Panda doesn't pretend to be serious at any moment, allowing understanding enjoyment to be had by all throughout.  No out of place sad moments are sprinkled throughout and though the typical positive message of the genre is prevalent, it isn't over the top.  If you have kids, this is a must buy as I'm sure the boys will love fighting and the girls will love the Panda.  The film is light-hearted the entire way through and is quite simply a very fun family film to watch.

Alex's Rating: F : I saw this movie on a day out to the Trafford centre with my school, not by choice. It is the absolute worst film I have ever seen. It is so childish, and I'm nearly 16! But I can understand why the teachers chose a children's film, because we had 11 year olds with us.

I was bored almost to tears, and embarassed that a sophisticated teenager like me was in the room watching baby films.

The good thing about it is that it's not as bad as some children's shows nowadays, such as 'In The Night Garden'. That sounds very disturbing, and it's hardening the new generation of children, rather than introducing them to the world in a friendly manner.

That's all.

Mikayla's Rating: A : I think that anyone who said they didn't like this movie must have accidentally seen Kung Fu Panda 2 or somethin'  It was silly.  I want to know Karate. Every animal is the same but he had a goose for his father.  That's silly too. I liked the music and I liked it when the bad guy punched the panda in the tummy and he said, "Stop I need to pee pee."

Chana's Rating: B+ : Well, we call my Dad Po! So it brought an ironic humor to it. I thought it was cute, short, and funny! The girls liked it...it kept their attention well. I will buy the DVD for van and home use!

Sebastian's Rating: A : what can i say, not only was it better than i expected it rocked... of pure awsomeness

Brian's Rating: B- : This movie was fun.  Nothing more, but just fun.  As a kids movie, the story moves along exactly as you would suspect, and the comedy thrown in is done well.  Jack Black does a good job with the main character, and clearly earns is role as star of the film.  Finally, I am a bit of a closet Kung Fu fan, and so find myself liking things that follow this familiar story style.

Having said all that praise, the movie still is not great.  Its fun, but forgettable.  Sure, if my kid wants to watch it, I could pop it in and not be snoring in 5 minutes, but I have no real desire to rewatch it.  This is contrasted with some Pixar films that I see and instantly would want to watch it again, and again, and again.  Ratatouille is my favorite of the past 10 years, and everybody has their own opinion on this.  Whatever your animated film of choice is, I find it hard to believe that Kung Fu Panda stacks up against it.

Still, a good fun movie to watch.  It gets a tentative recommendation from me, but I would not tell anybody to seek it out.

comment here to add your review!