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Not that
he starts out as the hero, of course: the film begins with him as a
bored helper at his father's noodle shack, while high above in the
local temple the local kung fu masters The Furious Five train
themselves under the guidance of their master (the voice of Dustin
Hoffman).
What follows is fairly standard kung fu movie
stuff.
Panda is somehow chosen to be the all-powerful Dragon Warrior
(despite being fat and fairly useless), the other martial arts experts
treat him scornfully.
Meanwhile the evil apprentice gone bad (the
voice of Ian McShane) escapes from prison and heads back to the valley
to get the Dragon Scroll and generally wreak havoc.
But while
there's no surprises here for anyone over the age of 12, there is a lot
to enjoy.
The story kicks along at a rapid rate, the comedy is rarely
forced, the animation is polished and fluid throughout and the many
fight scenes are always exciting to watch.
The combination of
Black's voice and the animation makes this particular hero one of the
more likleable in recent times and if you're not cheering even a little by
the end you probably don't have a heart. DVD EXTRAS with Sean Lynch
Quite a collection of extras here, even if the menu system is rather
confusing (even for a young adult like myself - let alone a kiddie).
That said, the hidden nature of it all makes for a more adventurous DVD
experience (if only because it makes way for a few extra surprises when
you find an extra you didn't even know existed).
Included here
is a Filmmakers' Commentary, some amazingly fluffy featurettes
(sometimes these things are even more formulaic than a Ben Stiller
movie) which range from bland and cheesy to mildly interesting.
There
are some cool games included as well which will keep the kids occupied
for a good hour or so after the flick has finished running. Conclusion:
Movie 80% Extras: 65%
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