Kung Fu Panda

Here's the scene: a group of friends, a Friday night, and four movies to pick from. Of all the choices, three of out of four voted for the less-than-promising animated comedy, Kung Fu Panda. So I went in the movie, saying threateningly to no one in general, "this better be funny."

Honestly, I didn't really like the trailer, and thought that for a movie that hasn't even shown yet, it was overrated.

I'm glad I was proven wrong.

The way it began made it seem like samurai jack - comprised mostly of action and blunt, sarcastic humor - but it turned out to be so much more... and so much better.

The story was somewhat simple - Po the panda, looking for his destiny, which he hopes is something other than being a noodle cook all his life, is "mistakenly" chosen as the Dragon Warrior which can stop the evil Tai Lung from destroying the village. Though no one, not even his own Master Shifu and companions the legendary Furious Five, believed in him, it didn't take long before his own faith in his abilities made others do the same. Other subplots revolve around his strange goose father, and the backstory between Master Shifu, Tai Lung, and the Furious Five.

I thought I was going to hate Po the panda - the trailer made him seem annoying - but I found out he was actually a good relatable character. He seemed really genuine and surprisingly down to earth, for a character voiced by jack black. Suffice to say, I think he did a great job, playing off the obviously flawed but earnest character. The other characters, played by big-time celebrities such as Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu, Dustin Hoffman, Seth Rogen, and David Cross didn't do such a bad job either. The cast was obviously not just picked for their names, but their talent as well.

Then comes the really, really, really awesome animation. i haven't seen anything better since Ice Age and Finding Nemo. The opening sequence looks so incredibly real, and the fight scenes were pretty impressive, considering it was animated. Plus, another great addition was how much expression was put into the character's faces. They actually look like real people, only, well... they're animals. Master Shifu, Po's trainer, was particularly convincing too.

The plot too, fared quite well. You'd expect more cliche, trying-hard, overused stuff in it, but I guess it was the marvelous execution that pulled it off. It had a really old "past, future, present" quote in the script, and the moral was the usual "believe in yourself" kind, but there was a sort of believable aspect to it that made it really nice and nauseating. The serious moments and speeches can actually trigger emotion, and sometimes you forget you're watching a movie meant for kids. The characters seemed so real and well-rounded, and even the villain also seemed dimensional. Even if it was a relatively short film, the characters were developed along with the plot, and they're just really... likable. Even lovable.

And goodness, who can forget the utter laughs? More than once I found myself laughing literally out loud during the duration of the film. The comedy was well-placed, well-humored, and it's the kind that can make you grin widely remembering a certain gag or continue chuckling madly at a scene minutes after it's over. I watched it twice and still laughed at the same damn parts.

All in all, I can say it's one of the best movies I've seen in a while. Because while some films that have shown recently or are showing can scare you, leave you hanging, confuse you, or make you regret paying a hundred bucks, give or take, to see it, Kung Fu Panda is something you watch that can let you sit back, relax, forget about all worries, and laugh 'til you have soda running out of your nose.

Besides, it's been a while since Hollywood dished out a film you can really enjoy.