A Captivating Animated Family Action Movie

Rating: 8/10 (20 January 2019)

13 June 2008. The amazing blend of animation, sometimes unfamiliar voices from known actors, and the strong script make for a compelling and surprisingly well-told story-based animated movie. While the animation wasn't as always sharp or realistic as some recent movies, it some ways it made for a better movie as it was told periodically in fantastical, magical ways. Jack Black's character and his on-screen persona was softened with references to Mr. Black's sometimes obnoxious comedic antics while Dustin Hoffman's wise sage role also dampened Mr. Hoffman's sometimes redundant on-screen persona. Mr. Hoffman's character in some ways brought out a finely nuanced, new side of Mr. Hoffman's acting ability and character something that was well captured in one of his previous outstanding roles in Tootsie (1982). As for the rest of the cast, such as Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu, they are for the most past unrecognizable as their on-screen personalities and this was well and good for it made the movie have to stand more on its own that depend on their past characters but on their acting abilities to bring to the screen new characters. Only James Hong, a well-known Asian character actor's role was strongly presented, the father of Jack Black's character. Overall, this animated feature blended strong moral lessons along with creative martial art scenes and comedic humor that all came together to make this movie an entertaining, but emotionally sensitive movie. The only important element missing was the edgy, biting realism that today's more contemporary mature audience requires. Eight out of Ten Stars.