Freaktana A Major Disappointment

SpunkySelfTwitter It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

Glucedee It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

TheNameBrand It's probably one of my favorites in the DreamWorks catalog, definitely one of their best. It's an all around well made movie, with a good message to boot. Hopefully they can make more good films like this.

gunnardsamek This movie follows an eastern theme and visually, it's pretty neat. The cinematography was very nice, especially during the fight scenes. However this movie isn't without its flaws; the humor is hit or miss and the moral is a bit generic. I enjoyed this movie overall so I give it a fat 7/10.

EBJ Overall: One of Dreamworks' classics. Very good movie for children and adults.Good: The story is very well told and actually pretty good. The animations is solid and very well done. Not photo realistic but a nice cartoony feel. All the the voice actors did a good job which isn't surprising considering the cast. I really enjoyed the fight scenes and appreciated the more cartoony feel about them as well. Most characters had interesting qualities, layers and a purpose. The movie is quite funny with a laugh-to-not ratio of about 7:3 which is pretty good.The prospect of animals performing martial arts is a great idea. Tai Long is a great villain and a 'worthy challenge' for Po. There is a lot of character development which is very very nice. I really liked the twist at the end.Bad: Some jokes weren't funny and a lot of people won't find it funny. I think that Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen etc were conned as they have like 3-4 lines each in the movie. The only two of the Furious Five members I found interesting were Crane and Tigress. I also didn't like the restriction of only a few animals in the village. I understand they probably wanted to be accurate but I'm sure there are more than what was presented. Oogwat feels less of a character and more of a plot device so I would have liked to learn more about him.Best Part: The training montage between Shifu and Po.MVP: Dustin Hoffman as Shifu7/10Silver

tomgillespie2002 I must have seen Kung Fu Panda, either in its entirety or snippets here and there, over 20 times since its release in 2008. While its relatively simple tale of an underdog who has been laughed at throughout his entire life learning to fulfil his unexplored potential is nothing new, it remains effortlessly entertaining and the kind of film you can catch halfway through and still enjoy what it has to offer. Although the title promises plenty of fat jokes, and there are certainly plenty, the film goes beyond simply appealing to kids with sight gags by working in Chinese mysticism, some wonderful voice acting, and stunning animation that would only get better and more ambitious as the series went on.Clumsy panda Po (Jack Black) lives in the Valley of Peace, a scenic ancient land in China overlooked by the Jade Palace, home to the legendary kung fu masters. While he dreams of joining the Furious Five - a gang of ass-kicking kung fu specialists consisting of Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Viper (Lucy Liu) and Crane (David Cross) - Po spends his days making (and eating) noodles with his father Mr. Ping (James Hong). When he spectacularly enters the Palace during the choosing of the 'Dragon Warrior', Po finds himself picked out by the wise old Master Oogway (Randall Duk Kim) as the one to stop to the evil Tai Lung (Ian McShane), an escaped snow leopard seeking revenge on Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) and his Furious Five.Taking inspiration from the Chinese kung-fu movies of the 1970's as well as American geek culture, Kung Fu Panda works as both as a physical comedy and an action spectacular. Although the characters frequently defy the laws of physics and seem incapable of getting hurt, the action scenes are well choreographed and exciting, with McShane voicing his role with whisker-twirling relish. There are also hints at backstories and questions raised about Po's past (why on Earth is his father a goose?), and the film is wise enough to leave the answers to future instalments and trusting in its simple introductory tale of a misfit finally finding a home. While the majority of the Five don't really find a moment to shine individually, Hoffman lends a certain gravitas to his tragic backstory and relationship with the deadly Tai Lung. The pratfalls will entertain the kids and the gentler moments will no doubt charm the adults, something that Dreamworks generally fails to do with its animated efforts, so it's no doubt that the series remains the jewel in it's crown.