Entertaining and fun to watch, if not exceptional

Rating: 7/10 (13 January 2011)

Overall, I did enjoy Kung Fu Panda, but I don't put it up there with Dreamworks' best. Apart from Po and Shifu(and possibly the film's villain, splendidly voiced by Ian McShane) the film is lacking in its character development, while the story while well constructed, original and fresh has its predictable parts and the message is a little over-familiar. However, when it comes to the visuals, there is nothing to fault, the whole film with its gorgeous colours and backgrounds looks wonderful. The score is excellent as well, and I can see that there was care to make it sound authentic. The script is witty, funny and smart, the pace is bright and breezy and the voice acting is solid across the board- Dustin Hoffmann is perfectly cast while Jack Black does a great job voicing one of his more likable characters. In conclusion, very entertaining film, but it didn't wow me completely. 7/10 Bethany Cox