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ENTER THE PANDA
RUNG FU PANDA (PG) Jack Black fans may
not be too pleased with Kung Fu Panda, but
I was. JB keeps himself pretty well in check
as the out-of-shape panda, Po, who comes off
like "lo$t"'s Hurley, a lovable couch potato
thrust into an unlikely hero's role when his
wildest dreams come true. While waiting with
the entire population of the Peaceful Valley for
Master Oogway (v. Randall Duk Kim) to pro
nounce which member of
the Furious Five—Master
Tigress (v. Angelina Jolie),
Master Crane (v. David
Cross), Master Viper (v.
Lucy Liu), Master Mantis (v.
Seth Rogen), and Master
Monkey (v. Jackie Chan)—
will be the Dragon Warrior,
the chosen one destined
to defeat the evil Tai Lung,
Po, who fantasizes of kung
fu while toiling away in his
duck father's noodle shop,
launches himself into the
middle of the arena where,
much to the surprise of the Five and their
teacher, Master Shifu, Oogway's wizened turtle
talon lands upon the plump panda.
What could have turned into the JB Show
is actually one of the best martial arts films
to gracefully flip, kick and chop across the big
screen in some time. The Forbidden Kingdom?
Forgotten. The Protector? Puh-lease. Po the
Panda and the Furious Five, not to mention
the sinister Tai Lung, could kick all of their
asses like Bruce Lee used to do it. With the
long ghettoized comic book superheroes rul
ing the box office roost, it's refreshing to see
another marginalized cult obsession—martial
arts flicks—opening the summer animated
movie season. The flying fist and feet of Kung
Fu Panda weave an archetypal genre tale of a
young warrior chosen to defeat an all-powerful
villain. It doesn't matter
that the young warrior is
a cartoon or a panda. The
movie doesn't pander to
its medium. Just because
the fights are animated
rather than choreographed
doesn't mean they must be
any slower or less violent.
Minus the strictures of
the laws of physics, the
combat can be fiercer and
more gravity-defying than
Crouching Tiger's treetop
clash, and Kung Fu Panda's
Looney Toons-y climax
rivals Kung Fu Hustle for violent cartoon buf
foonery as Po crushes Tai Lung with his mas
sive rear end before pummeling him with a
series of shots delivered by his bouncy belly.
Sure, the violence is bloodless and cartoon-
ish, but the awesomeness of Kung Fu Panda
ensures that you will not care.
Drew Wheeler
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