filmland / By Charlie Myers

Ages of Man

I am very happy that I did. For one thing, it helped erase the Zohan experience from my system. But beyond that, DreamWorks’ Kung Fu Panda is simply an enjoyable viewing experience.

The story is one we’ve seen in countless martial arts films, coming-of-age stories and children’s literature in general. Here, the weight of the hero narrative rests on the chunky shoulders of Po (nicely voiced by Jack Black), a panda who serves noodles in his father’s shop but dreams of being a kung fu warrior. No matter that he’s a bit heavy and hopelessly clumsy, when the opportunity presents itself, he rises to the occasion as countless heroes-in-the-making have done before him.

But the real story here is the gorgeous animation and the nice array of voices that help give life to the various creatures that inhabit this world, including Ian McShane as the evil warrior Tai Lung, Dustin Hoffman as kung fu master Shifu and Angelina Jolie as Tigress (of course). The film has an effective, aesthetically consistent color pattern, and the petal imagery that runs through the story nicely provides a visual unity.

Perhaps best of all, the film seemed to totally captivate the young audience at the screening I attended as well as the accompanying parents. Not to mention a confirmed curmudgeon like me. I hope this isn’t just an aspect of the brain deterioration I mention above. Rated PG for sequences of martial arts action. 88 m. At the Broadway, Mill Creek and Fortuna.

Continuing

BABY MAMA. Infertile business woman hires working-class woman as unlikely surrogate. Rated PG-13. 99 m. At The Movies.

CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN. Newest installment of series based on C.S. Lewis’s sci-fi/fantasy books. Rated PG. 144 m. At the Broadway, Mill Creek and Fortuna.

HAROLD AND KUMAR ESCAPE FROM GUANTANAMO BAY. Harold and Kumar are mistaken for terrorists and have to run from the law. Rated R. 102 m. At The Movies.

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