Kung Fu Panda (2008)

You'll believe a panda can practice kung fu! Actually that's one of the easier feats of Kung Fu Panda, the animated kids' martial arts feature from DreamWorks Animation. This feature focuses a bit too much on its two leads, but it proves a funny action movie that shows reverence for more traditional martial arts movies.

In this anthromorphic world of the Valley of Peace (in ancient China, naturally) the panda bear Po (Jack Black) dreams of being a great martial artist with his heroes, the Furious Five. Unfortunately Po is fat, lazy, and apparently destined to be a noodle cook.

When the fearsome snow leopard Tai Lung (Ian McShane) escapes from prison, the turtle master Oogway (Randall Duk Kim) declares that it is time to declare which warrior is the fabled Dragon Warrior. Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) assembles his students, the Furious Five: Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Viper (Lucy Liu), Crane (David Cross), and Mantis (Seth Rogen). A mishap with a chair propelled by fireworks leads to Oogway selecting Po as the Dragon Warrior -- something that sits quite poorly with Shifu and Tigress.

What follows is a blend of the traditional "lovable loser finds his strength" story and some very mixed martial arts. While kids will enjoy the antics of lovable Po (and quite a few fat jokes at his expense), kung fu fans will enjoy everything from what would be wire-fu (if this wasn't animated) to slow motion and extreme speed. There's an exciting sequence of dueling chopsticks, not to mention one of the most amusing training montages you're likely to see this year.

Jack Black and Dustin Hoffman are the perfect voices for their roles in this movie. Black tones down his usual hyper-cool slacker persona to make us root for Po, while Hoffman supplies surprising wit as the frustrated teacher who can't believe his worst student is the one destined to save the day. If I have one complaint, it's that with the massive focus on Po and Shifu the other characters have little to do: The talent voicing the Furious Five is truly impressive, but they have little to do but react to Po -- and the end result is that just about anyone could have done the voice work the actors did.

I had a lot of fun at Kung Fu Panda. There's plenty of humor here, and the action is reminiscent enough of "traditional" kung fu films to provide some nice thrills along the way. So if you're looking for some good laughs and good action, check out the panda with the moves!

Overall Grade: B+

Reviewed by James Lynch

Shinobi: Heart Under Blade (2005)

Wild kung-fu meets political intrigue meets troubled romance in Shinobi: Heart Under Blade. This wire-fu Japanese martial arts movie blends several elements together in a story that works pretty well.

In 17th-century Japan, two clans -- Manjidani Koga and Tsubagakure Iga -- have Shinobi, warriors with almost supernatural powers. The two clans, living in hidden villages, have a longstanding hatred of each other but maintain a truce brought about by a previous emperor. Fearing the power these clans have, the current emperor rescinds the truce and declares a battle to the death between the five greatest warriors of each clan.

In the midst of these politics are the star-crossed lovers Oboro (Yukie Nakama) and Gennosuke (Joe Odagiri). They are not only members of the opposing clans, but the grandchildren of the clans' leaders. Gennosuke believes it's only a matter of time until they can marry, while Oboro fears their destiny will keep them apart and their marriage can happen "only in our dreams." When clan leaders Ogen (Lily) and Danjo Kogo (Minoru Terada) slay each other, Oboro and Gennosuke become the leaders of their clans. Gennosuke sets off with his warriors to confront the emperor, while Oboro pursues them for combat.

Shinobi: Heart Under Blade has plenty of highly stylized action. The Shinobi have a variety of powers, from the feral man-beast with steel claws, to the warrior whose sleeves and wires can let him fly through the air or capture enemies, to the seductress who breathes poison. (It's very reminiscient of the anime cartoon Naruto, from warriors bouncing from tree to tree to their swatting throwing stars out of the air.) Unfortunately, as with many ensemble movies (such as the X-Men franchise), most characters are one dimensional and exist only to show their powers. (The second disc has plenty of behind-the-scenes material on the action, from storyboards to the filming of the battles.)

As for the non-action scenes, be they romance or poltical, they work to a certain extent. While Shinobi: Heart Under Blade has beautiful visuals, it lacks the subtlety and grandeur of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon but still manages to include intelligence in-between the fight scenes. Many characters argue that violence is the only life they can ever know, and the division between clan destiny and personal desire is handled well by Nakama and Odagiri.

If you're looking for a martial arts film that's more than just fighting, I highly recommend Shinobi: Heart Under Blade. This movie isn't perfect, but it blends preternatural kung-fu with romance and intelligence.

Overall Grade: B+

Reviewed by James Lynch

THE FORBIDDEN KINDGOM

Time for some high-flying, gravity-defying kung-fu fighting! The Forbidden Kindgom is a fun, light movie where martial arts legends Jackie Chan and Jet Li battle countless minions (and yes, each other) to save a kingdom.

This story starts off in South Boston, where awkward teen Jason Tripitkas (Michael Angarano) loves kung-fu movies, has no luck with the local girls, and gets bullied by some one-dimensional teenage thugs. After a botched robbery and quick chase at Jason's favorite store, he finds himself transported back to ancient China, holding the mysterious staff from that store.

In short order Jason meets Lu Yan (Jackie Chan), a traveling martial artist and heavy drinker; he also claims to be one of the legendary immortals. Lu provides the story behind the staff. At a gathering of immortals, the mischievous Monkey King (played by Jet Li) was tricked and betrayed by the Jade Warlord (Collin Chou), who turned the Monkey King to stone. Before being petrified, the Monkey King sent the staff away, and legends say when it is returned by a seeker the Monkey King will be free.

Jason also meets up with the Silent Monk (also played by Jet Li) who, after fighting with Lu, decides to join them. Rounding out the makeshift party of heroes is Sparrow (Liu Yifei), a beautiful young woman and skilled warrior whose family and village were slaughtered by the troops of the Jade Warlord. She has a weapon which can slay an immortal, and she seeks revenge on the Jade Warlord.

The villains aren't as diverse as the heroes. The Jade Warlord is a ruthless leader, skilled and fighting and ruthless in command. There's a deadly assassin named Ni Chang (Li Bingbing), a white-haired killer who is equally skilled with a whip, a bow, or her enchanted hair. Otherwise, the bad guys have hordes of heavily armored sword-wielding troops who know enough martial arts to fight the heroes but not enough to do anything but get their butts handed to them every time.

The Forbidden Kingdom is enjoyable fluff. The fight scenes are impressive, and it's nice to see Jackie Chan reprising his drunken master style of fighting again. Even though the action uses as much special effects and wire tricks as combat, Chan and Li still manage to put on a great show of martial arts. (The other actors are no slouches either.) The story is as much comedy as excitement, and there are no surprises along the journey: We know who's going to find themselves, who's doomed, and what will happen in the end. The Forbidden Kingdom is a good diversion, a movie that's an entertaining way to spend an afternoon.

Overall Grade: B

Reviewed by James Lynch