Movie Review: Kungfu Panda

Synopsis: The lazy and irreverent panda, Po (voiced by Jack Black), must somehow become a kungfu master in order to save the Valley of Peace from a villainous snow leopard, Tai Lung. Set in the legendary world of ancient China, this is the story of Po, our unlikely hero, who enters the rigid world of kungfu and turns it upside down. Po ultimately becomes a hero by learning that if he believes in himself, he can do anything.

Verdict: This is definitely one of the best movie animations I've seen so far and I think that it has set a new benchmark for future animations to top. Kungfu Panda is definitely funnier than Over The Hedge (which I think is the funniest animation I've seen before this!) and more heart-warming that the likes of Ratatouie. The animated graphics are astounding, have great clarity and are extremely detailed. And add that along with generous splashes of humour and witty dialogue, amazing fast-paced action choreography (c'mon, you gotta give them props, they used animals to do kungfu and still made it look good!) and great use of different camera angles to enhance the action scenes; you've got a winner right there. Another thing which caught my attention was the viewing experience was the random insertion of slow-motion moments during all the action scenes, which will definitely tickle your funny bone! [Spoiler alert!: The scene where Tai Lung and Po were tumbling down the temple steps, followed by a slow-motion scene where Po's ass actually SAT on Tai Lung's face was PRICELESS!].

In terms of character development, it centered mostly on Po and Master Shifu which I think it vital to fully understand why the both of them were doing what they did throughout the movie. As for the rest of characters, not much is done but no complaints there, as all of them were thoroughly entertaining, especially Master Oogway!

A movie animation would not be complete without an important lesson in the end, right? The lesson here is that sometimes there is no secret ingredient, something can be special if you BELIEVE that it's special! This is great message to everyone out there (myself included!) that sometimes it doesn't matter what the world or everyone around you thinks of you, whether it's because of what you look like or can do, the most important thing is to look inside yourself and realize that you ARE special and that if BELIEVE in yourself, you can do anything.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Others: I've watched it twice already in the cinema. In fact, I just came back from watching it the second time from Queensbay Mall 20 mins before writing this. Both times I laughed my ass off...and that was PRETTY LOUD!