Impressive animation marred by screenplay's dopey slapstick humor

Rating: 4/10 (20 June 2011)

When Kung Fu Panda was released in China, it was praised not only for the production values but its faithfulness to Chinese culture. Suddenly people in China were asking, how can an American production company outdo their Chinese counterparts in creating an animated film that sends such a positive message about China and gets everything right? It's akin to the Russians who launched the first man into space, only to see the American overtake them, eventually landing a man on the moon. For many Chinese critics, Kung Fu Panda is the American 'first lunar landing' of animated martial arts movies.
But if the Chinese critics only had a bit of critical acumen, they could easily see there's nothing to be jealous about here. Sure there's a great amount of respect for Chinese culture seen throughout the film (down to the last Chinese character in the credits) as well as some sensational animation including the opening anime 'dream' sequence as well as that incredibly difficult feat of having tons of realistic looking confetti pour down at the Kung Fu tournament where the Kung Fu Panda, Po, is crowned Dragon Warrior. But how is Chinese culture honored by turning Chinese people into a bunch of goofy, self-effacing anthropomorphic animals? Surely kids under eight will dig it, but adults? I hardly think so.
While the directors of 'Panda' are firmly ensconced in the world of martial arts and action adventure films, they are neophytes when it comes to comedy. It all comes down to one silly slapstick scene after another emphasizing Po as a good natured, bumbling fool with a decided inferiority complex. Whether he fails getting up the steps into the arena for the Kung Fu tournament, or shoots himself high into the air strapped to a bunch of fireworks and then unceremoniously falling straight down and landing inside the arena, only to be crowned Dragon Warrior, the idea that we should fall in love with his lovable loser is spelled out from the beginning and repeated ad infinitum. How many times do we have to see Po chucked around like an inflatable doll whether it's by Master Shifu, Villain Tai Lung or when he finds himself caught inside the mechanical torture chamber, a device that Shifu's Dragon Warrior candidates, 'The Furious Five', in contrast, have mastered.
I do confess that Master Shifu's 'epiphany' in realizing that he has to train Po in a different way so that he can succeed as the dragon warrior, might have been the most clever moment in the comic arc of the film. And certainly Po's transformation from self-effacing masochist to gleeful aggressor as he embraces his 'appetite', is a welcome plot twist after being subjected to the one joke idea of Po as a bumbling clown. Yes, there's finally a method to Po's madness, as Tai Lung is unable to harness Po's new found manic energy. It's sort of like a dominant major league batter unable to master the completely unpredictable path of a knuckle ball.
But if we view Po as representing a grownup who still acts like a kid with the particularly bad habit of overeating, then the message 'be yourself', should fall on deaf ears. In this day where smart educators are trying to control the epidemic of childhood obesity, Po's unbridled enthusiasm for that extra cupcake, would not lead to his triumph as dragon warrior. It's a wishful conceit on the part of the directors that Po would end up victorious in his confrontation with the evil Tai Lung. The filmmakers' message to kids here is be happy even if you don't treat yourself well. And things will turn out alright even if you've made no effort to change yourself.
As for the action adventure aspect of 'Panda', I can't help it if it seems that the 'holy trinity' of Shifu, Oogway and Tai Lung, are pilfered straight out of the Star Wars play book. Shifu appears to be a Yoda stand-in with the wise, all-knowing tortoise Oogway, reprising the Obi-Wan Kenobi role (Oogway appears to employ his own version of 'The Force' as he is responsible for turning the slight Red Panda Master Shifu into a powerhouse). Finally, Tai Lung can go toe to toe with Darth Vadar any day as both have no problems mixing erudition with brute force.
A good deal of 'Panda' is taken up by one Kung Fu sequence after another and you really have to be a martial arts fan to be enamored with all those repetitious action sequences. Less bothersome (but still silly) was the decision to make Po's father, Mr. Ping, a goose. There's also the Wuxi Finger Hold that leads to Tai Lung's destruction (at first it seems like a nuclear explosion but it really is a clearing out of 'bad energy' or 'bad karma'). Finally, The 'Furious Five' are not distinct enough as characters despite the conscription of such luminaries as Angelina Jolie and Jackie Chan to perform the voice overs.
I think 'Kung Fu Panda' would have been a better film had the films' scenarists decided from the outset not to make Po into such a hapless buffoon. That would have also probably meant that the sentimental Mr. Ping and his love for noodles had to go too. In its present incarnation, Kung Fu Panda is certainly suitable for kids (although Tai Lung's antics might be too strong a draught for children under eight). As for adults, ignore the dopey screenplay and concentrate on the visuals and the music, which certainly deserve the accolades already garnered throughout the film community since the film's release in 2008.