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In
the picture
ITP Kung Fu Panda****
*ing the voices of Jack Black (Po), Angelina Jolie (Tigress),
Dustin Hoffman (Shifu), Jackie Chan (Monkey), Lucy Liu (Viper) and
others
Directed by John Stevenson and Mark Osborne
Tagline: There are no accidents!
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For
those who have grown up on a steady dose of Martial Arts, be it
in the shape of Karate Kid, Kill Bill or even Samurai Jack, let
it be known that Kung Fu Panda takes the Arts to another level altogether.
The West always has had that special fascination for the East -
China especially - and numerous films and animations have paid tribute
to that fascination. However, nothing has managed to equal the visual
vibrancy of movies produced in China itself, like Crouching Tiger
or Hero. But that's where the Panda steps in. if 'made-in-China'
films like Crouching Tiger or the spectacular Hero were eye popping,
then Kung Fu Panda is irresistible eye-candy. This one is racier,
wittier and visually more stunning than anything ever seen on screen,
especially in animation.
'Legend tells of a legendary warrior whose kung fu skills were the
stuff of legend,' the film begins and the rest, as they say, is
Chinese history.
Kung Fu Panda is the story of a rotund Panda named Po, who serves
soup in his dad's (whose a goose) noodle shop while he dreams about
becoming a Kung Fu Master. The fact that he has never figured out
that he is adopted explains just about how bright he is. And the
'figure' that he can't get out of bed without struggling over his
generous belly shows how nimble he is. Or isn't. Is he the prime
candidate to step up as the next best Martial Art Master? He's actually
the worst. But he ends up in the right place at the right time and
is pronounced the Dragon Warrior by Master Oogway, the Tortoise.
The Furious Five - Tigress, Monkey, Mantis, Crane and Viper - who
have been training for this moment all their lives, are disappointed
beyond comprehension. But Ooguay insists that Po is the chosen one.
"There
are no accidents," he says of Po's unceremonious entry into
the stadium where the Dragon Warrior is to be anointed. Ooguay convinces
Shifu - literally the 'Teacher-Master' - that it is his duty to
train Po just as he has trained the Furious Five. It is predicted
that Tai Lung the deadly snow leopard will break out of captivity
and will return to take revenge on the Masters and steal the ancient
jade scroll that is touted to shroud the secrets of the Universe.
"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery and today is a
gift, which is why it is called 'present'," says Oogway. It
is announced that Po will be the One to save the destiny of the
villagers - who incidentally are a population of geese and pigs.
Kung Fu Panda, that begins as the tale of an unceremonious soup-serving
clumsy Panda, continues to be the journey of the Dragon Warrior
who is fated to battle Tai Lung and save his village and the world
from absolute destruction. |
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There is nothing incredibly new in the storyline of KFP. It
is essentially the story of the unlikely hero and his expedition
into heroism. Dreamworks set the precedence of creating a less-than-perfect
hero with the ugly swamp inhabitant, Shrek. Shrek the movie
became a classic equal to a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale,
only it was modern and witty to suit the twenty first century
palate. Po, also the underdog of heroes, takes off on the same
path as Shrek.
It is a journey that Nimo undertook as well. Only Po's journey
begins in China, factually the world's last natural habitat
of Pandas. While Shrek tweaked fairy tales and fables of the
west, Kung Fu Panda borrows its ethos from the sacred hill top
pagodas of ancient China. And the attention paid to detail is
breath taking.
Animation this intrinsic has never been seen before, whether
it is portraying the blossoms of a peach tree, The Ancient Tree
of Wisdom, or the dark crevices of a horrific prison, the individual
fighting styles of the Furious Five or the 'Wuxi finger hold'
which paralyzes with the flex of a pinky. The chopstick fight
Po has with his Master-Teacher is especially impressive.
Similarly, the prison facility where Tai Lung is kept in captivity
is dark and ominous. According to official trivia on the film,
'The Kung Fu/ Wu-xia convention where attacks on the correct
nerve/ Chi points can cause paralysis and other effects is adopted
although it is not explained in the film, and the jade figurine
topped sticks on the shell worn on the imprisoned Tai Lung are
positioned at the traditional Chi energy points of the body.
The sticks are intended to keep the villain from accessing the
power from those points, which is why he was first concerned
about removing them before attempting to break his chains.'
There is similar trivia in every single scene of the film. As
in life, there are no accidents in this animation either, whether
it's the unique pose each one of the Furious Five strikes, the
choice of animals in the movie or even the patterns on Vipers
skin. It is astounding if you know Chinese history and intriguing
if you don't.
Kung Fu Panda pays tribute to Chinese history, befitting in
the year when the Olympic Games are being held in Beijing. The
film and the fact that it has spurred some level of controversy
in China also adds to its appeal. Kung Fu Panda truly is multi
faceted and the biggest issue the China has with it is, well…it
wasn't produced in China! This film does pay homage to one of
the fastest rising economies of the world, China and Hollywood
is eager to cash in on it just as greedily as it is cashing
in on India. Expect to see more inspirations from China and
India in upcoming movies, for many years to come. As Oogway
would say, "There are no accidents!"
– Aamna Haider Isani
*YUCK
**WHATEVER
***GOOD
****SUPER
*****AWESOME
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