Possibly the most fantastic thing that happened this year. A Panda stole my heart! He's fun, he's cute, he's innocent, he's unassumingly adorable and boy! is he awesome at some serious ass-kicking Kung Fu!
In a quest to save Kung Fu, Po, the 'Dragon Warrior' Panda and the Furious Five make their journey to China but what lies ahead can change Po's life forever. The place not only is the land of Kung Fu Legends, but also holds the mystery to Po's identity. His arch enemy Lord Shen has a connection to Po's past that Po's unaware of. What starts as a mission for Po to save Kung Fu soon turns into a struggle to master Oogway's last lesson of Kung Fu- "Inner Peace".
Jack Black brings alive our favorite Panda with a renewed energy. His voice does for Po what nothing else does- makes him approachable to the audiences' heart. Jolie is fantastic as the Tigress along with Dustin Hoffman as Master Shifu, Jackie Chan as Monkey, Seth Rogen as Mantis, Lucy Liu as Wiper, David Cross as Crane and Gary Oldman as Lord Shen.
The movie has some awesome special effects and brilliant animation. There's never a dull moment. And, the best part about the animation is that it brings the element of comic virility alive. There are a lot of scenes of wonderful sequences and unpredictable comic timing in action that leaves the spectator filled with delight. The action sequences are full of awesome Kung fu moves and funny twists.
The scriptwriting is brilliant. There are dialogues that make beautiful sense for the sheer simplicity with which they've been written and used. The movie has a very positive note in that it includes spirituality and fun in a perfect blend of blissful awareness.
In the words of Po, "Let go off the past, because it just doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is what you choose to be now." And, many more such moments of awareness that spring out of delightfully touching scenes. The movie is very moving in certain key moments that leaves the audience spellbound mostly due to the poignancy of the emotion combined with Po's innocence and truthfulness that's reflected in his face. Everyone can relate to the Panda in moments when his eyes shine with each new realization that brings him and with him the audience closer to 'Inner Peace'.
The Dragon Warrior's waiting for you. If you are at all into Kung Fu, animation, spirituality or just plain awesome fun, do watch it! And trust me when you do, you'll be saying in the words of our own very Panda,
"That is Severely Cool!"
