Hola all. Massawyrm here.
Jack Black lies.
In the opening sequence of Kung Fu Panda he remarks “There is no charge for AWESOME.” And that is a filthy lie. Because this weekend, Awesome is only $8.50. This thing is sugar-coated awesome on a stick, deep fried in transfat and rolled around in cinnamon afterwards. And all hyperbole aside, this really is one of the single best movies I have seen all year. And I never saw it coming.
Look, I’m no Jack Black fan. I think he’s funny and has had some brilliant moments, movies and characters. But on the whole I’ve grown weary of him. And I’ve written about that a number of times. The problem with every shtick-comedian is that eventually the joke gets old and we want nothing more than to see them move on to something new. Sometimes they do. Often times they don’t. But I also know I’m not alone in my feelings on Black. I’ve been talking about this movie for two days solid now and all my friends have given me the same quizzical look, the same perplexed brow and the same monotone query. Really? Cause it looks kind of lame.
Yes. Really.
One thing you’re going to hear people say is that this is Pixar good. And I am inclined to disagree. This isn’t Pixar good. This is Brad Bird good. This is the fucking Incredibles with kung fu. No joke. I know. I know. You don’t believe me either. It’s a hard sell. But it’s legit. It’s directed by two guys, one of which did Father of the Pride and the other directed that incredible Weird Al Yankovich Jurassic Park video. These guys get it. And they turned in one of my favorite animated films of all time.
Everything it attempts it gets note perfect. They took all the best parts of a Shaw brothers kung fu training movie and blended it with the very best of animated family formula and created one giant super ass kicking feature film. No, there’s very little new here at all. In fact, you’ll walk in knowing the story because you’ve seen it all before. It wears its influences on its sleeve. Yoda’s final scene in Return of the Jedi, the punishment of training sequences in The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, Neo finally believing he is THE ONE in The Matrix. Yeah. You’ve seen it. But not like this. Not wrapped around the warm gooey center of childhood.
This is a gateway drug to kung fu movies for kids. It is a film that will amaze and satiate the appetite of any kung fu movie fan. It is a beautiful, eloquent distillation of eastern philosophy into a simple fairy tale. Anyone who has sat down with the brilliant Tao of Pooh will see its influences here on the story. No, this isn’t some over simplified, cheesy, mass marketed fart and ball-shot joke fest. It is a cleverly designed, magnificently structured tale destined to be a classic. It is the new measuring stick by which future Dreamworks animated films will be measured.
Anyone worried about Black need not be. This is one of those times in which someone found that perfect role to not only utilize his shtick but make it essential. This is School of Rock and High Fidelity perfect in terms of what they do with him. Panda isn’t AWESOME! But he wishes he was. And the film is about an overweight clown who no one believes who finds his place and ultimately realizes that he was all along what he always wanted to be. Jack nails it. And he does it with more wistful emotion than we’ve ever seen or heard out of him.
And holy crap how awesome is Dustin Hoffman in this? Once again the actor known for his diligent homework and 80 pages of notes on his character finds a killer role and sinks into it. There are moments when you clearly recognize that this is the voice of Dustin Hoffman, but for the most part you don’t believe it. He doesn’t SOUND like him. Instead he goes in deep and becomes this troubled kung fu master delivering a nigh tear jerking performance. Seth Rogen, David Cross, Angelina Jolie – they all sound like themselves. Not saying they aren’t awesome in this in their own right – but you can hear them right off. Not Hoffman. Hoffman’s tricky and convinces me that I want to hear him in more of these.
I cannot stress enough how much I loved this thing. It is that summer surprise that came out of left field and gave me that inner geek soul glow that brought a smile to my face for hours. It just made me happy. It’s that kind of movie and one I can’t wait to own on DVD so I can watch it back to back with The Incredibles. If you’ve got a kid, whether in the flesh or deep down inside, you owe to them to hold their hand and watch Kung Fu Panda with them this weekend. It is not just the best thing I’ve seen all summer, but it really is one of the best things I’ve seen all year. Recommended with the highest of praise.
Until next time friends, smoke ‘em if ya got ‘em.
Massawyrm
Oh. So you wanna fight, eh? Your kung fu is weak,
mine is strong and I am best reached by clicking here.
