Dan's Papers - June 13, 2008 - Flick Picks by Ian Stark

You have to hand it to Jack Black. He's short, out of shape and not the greatest actor in the world. But any fan of his - your reviewer included - knows there are other talents the man possesses that make him someone you root for as well as someone who deserves everything he has. In other words, he's a perfect fit for the leading role in Kung Fu Panda.

Of all the roles that Black, a long-haired, stubby ball-of-energy, takes on, he's sometimes overmatched (The Holiday), miscast (King Kong) or great, but unnoticed (Tenacious D and the POD). But in a perfectly fitting vehicle (The School of Rock, Orange County, High Fidelity), he can make a movie. KF Panda, the story of a rotund Panda who knows he's great and won't change for anybody, is no exception. Black is Po the Panda, a big fat cub who meanders around his father's noodle shop, daydreaming about being a master martial artist but doing nothing that will bring him closer to his dream (of course, we in movie land know that dreamers win big on the big screen). Sure enough, visionary head monk Master Oogway (Randall Duk Kim) of the local temple sees the magic in Po and determines that he is destined to become the Dragon Warrior, he of prophecy who will arrive to vanquish the impending onslaught of nasty bad guy Tia Lung (Ian McShane).

So Oogway chooses Po to train under Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman), who already instructs the Furious Five, a quintet of serious martial artists: Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Crane (David Cross), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Viper (Lucy Liu), and Mantis (Seth Rogen). All six struggle with the arrival of this supposed savior, who's so out of shape he can barely climb the stairs to the temple. Soon enough, the wise Shifu realizes that Po has the spark and, like any good teacher, finds his student's motivation: eating. Before you know it, the master finds a way to combine his pupil's love for food with martial art instruction, which just might turn the panda into the hero he's destined to be.

There's not going to be lot in the way of surprises here, as Hollywood animated epics continue to follow what must be the most tried-and-true plotline there ever was. But what keeps making these films work for adults is the look, the writing and the humor, and KF Panda has boatloads of all three. Furthermore, you don't need to be a fan a martial arts films to enjoy this effort, but those who delight in Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Bruce Lee will thank the writers who turn Po into a kung fu fanatic. In fact, it's obvious the team who put this movie together are true fans of the chop-socky action genre themselves. The Furious Five pays a homage to the 1978 Hong Kong cult classic Five Deadly Venoms, and only a true fan would cast Jackie Chan, a definite screen legend whose grip on English isn't necessarily strong enough to be completely understood when coming from the lips of an animated monkey.

However, that's no slam against the animation, as Dreamworks has put out a vibrant and fluid piece that really works for this type of otherworldly physical action. While many casual karate flick viewers are put off by combatants who are obviously hanging by wires, here the good guys and bad guys are unencumbered by either gravity or reality, and they leap, spin and attack with the dexterity only a cartoon could have.

And speaking of cartoons, Jack Black, not far from being a human cartoon, effortlessly inhabits the main character. Unlike his cast mates who, at times, struggle with getting their voices to that larger-than-life inflection - like Angelina Jolie, who sounds like she cut recorded her lines minutes after taking a spoonful of Nytol - Black's vocal portrayal is in perfect synchronicity with the hyper/slacker mannerisms of Po. So is this an Oscar-caliber piece like Ratatouille? Nope. But is it a heck of a time? Absolutely.

Ian Stark is a frequent TV and radio commentator on the film industry, and consults with private organizations on their collections. He is widely published on film and other arts/culture topics.