Critique: Kung Fu Panda (Film) 2/2

This post includes Tai Lung’s escape from prison, negative points, and an appreciation for humour.

 

Tai Lung’s Escape from Prison

 

As Tai Lung escapes the prison, he moves quickly and powerfully and large distances. He also demonstrates great dexterity and coordination as he picked a lock with his tail.

Someone’s muscles need to be incredibly healthy to do any of this, especially as it far exceeds normal healthy movement. However, Tai Lung has been immobilised for years. This would lead to muscle atrophy, where they lose size, strength and coordination. Tai Lung shouldn’t be capable of ordinary movement, let alone extraordinary movement.

An aspect of Chinese culture could explain this, however it’s based on another idea, and this other idea cannot be applied to Tai Lung. In Chinese culture, being great at martial arts requires being one with qi which keeps people beyond healthy. Tai Lung is great at Kung Fu so one might assume he’s one with qi, thus being beyond healthy.

However, to be one with qi, one needs to be a moral person. It is clear Tai Lung is not a moral person. So, if Tai Lung isn’t a moral person, he can’t be one with qi, so he can’t be healthy and thus cannot be capable of his extraordinary feats.

Yet in Chinese folklore, there are many tales of people misusing qi. Is this just because these stories came from the peasantry who, not having access to education, meant they didn’t have an accurate understanding of the philosophy? Maybe only the good people who don’t abuse qi can ever be one with it; Tai being bad, can’t be one with qi, but maybe this doesn’t mean he can’t abuse it to high levels?

This disparity can only be explained by tying arguments in knots. A far simpler explanation is that this is a misunderstanding of Chinese culture, something this film does a lot. (Although they got a lot right! Portraying another culture from one’s own is always difficult.)

 

 

BAD

 

Some decisions that the makers made are off.

The doors are shut when the Dragon Warrior is being selected. I don’t see why. What purpose does it serve? It seems like it was done just to facilitate the plot. Whilst this explains why the writers did it, it doesn’t explain why the characters did it.

In the Jade Palace, there are internal paper walls. This is indicative of Far Eastern culture. However, there are western style doors within the paper walls. This seems like a weird mix up.

The way Tigress runs on all fours is so weird. Instead of rolling her back like mammals do when the run, her back folds in half like a crease in cardboard.

When Monkey hits Tai Lung, the snow leopard makes a sound exactly like a brown bear that’s warning something to stay away. This disconnect between the sound’s species and purpose was very weird.

 

There are two instances where characters say bizarre things.

Master Shifu regularly calls the Furious Five his students. But they’re legendary warriors with a famous reputation. They all have the title of Master! How can they still be classified as students?

Po says, “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say Master Shifu doesn’t want me here.” Considering Shifu already told Po this, I don’t know how Po can have any doubts.

 

When Master Shifu berates Grand Master Oogway for choosing Po as Dragon Warrior, we get some peach seed analogies.

Oogway says a peach seed will grow into a peach no matter what, even if you want an apple. So, the analogy is that something will be what’s it’s meant to be. Oogway then say that a peach can be guided and nurtured in the right way, an analogy for Po becoming talented if Shifu teaches him right. So, the analogy is that something can change into something else.

Individually these analogies are clever. But together they’re problematic. These analogies come straight after one another, that you can’t change something but you can change it? Oogway contradicting himself to prove his point doesn’t seem wise.

I can think of one solution, but it’s tenuous. Maybe there’s a bigger analogy in that Po is the Dragon Warrior no matter what, but he needs guidance to fulfil his role fully? Not all that convincing.

 

 

FUNNY

 

Po provides loads of funny moments.

The film starts with Po in a dream. ‘In legend, there was a legendary warrior whose skills were legendary.’

Po eats and the water buffalo says, “I see you like to chew. How would you like to chew… on my fist?!”

The scene of Po dragging up the noodle cart up the massive staircase takes forever. Yet, upon zooming out, we see that Po’s walked up very few steps.

Po is shut out of the Jade Palace, where the Dragon Warrior is being chosen. He bangs on the door, unfortunately in the same rhythm as the drummers beating their instruments. After some demonstrations, Shifu announces that, “You haven’t seen anything yet” and Po wails, “I know!”

Po’s tummy wobbles and won’t stop until he puts a paw on it.

When Po puts Tai Lung’s tail in the snow leopard’s own mouth, Tai Lung squeaks like a tiny kitten. That was so unexpected.

 

Ping, Po’s goose father, is another source of entertainment.

Ping says, “We all have our place. Mine is here.” Po says, “I know, I know, mine is here.” Ping then says, “No, it’s at tables” then rattles off a list of numbers.

Ping hugs Po which looks sweet. However, when Ping backs off, we see that he’d actually just put an apron around Po.

At one point, Ping says he has something important to tell Po. I fully expected him to tell Po he’s adopted because the preceding conversation was about Po feeling lost in himself. So when Ping tells Po something completely different, defying expectations, it’s fantastic. Considering this change in direction was related to noodle soup, it was even funnier (throughout the film, Ping turns every opportunity into noodle shop work).

 

The kung fu masters made for an amusing bunch.

Master Shifu easily fights of the Furious Five. “Well done, students. If you were trying to disappoint me.”

Oogway has many wise sayings and correctly predicts the future, so when Shifu asks him a question and Oogway answers, “I don’t know,” it’s rather funny. The fact Oogway does it with a goofy voice adds to the humour.

At one point, the Furious Five line up and monkey hops from foot to foot, arms in with limp wrists (much like primates walking through water). Very funny to watch.

Shifu tells Po that Oogway was wrong to choose Po as Dragon Warrior, threatening the panda until he agreed. Then they go to the training room and Shifu tells Po to start, unless Po thinks Oogway is wrong. Shifu actively uses threats and intimidation, as well as the cultural expectation to respect leaders and elders, to get Po to agree to two opposite statements within the same day.

Shifu tells Po that, “There’s no such thing as Level Zero.” After Po’s failed in training, Shifu says, “There is now a Level Zero.”

The Furious Five say of Po that “The very ground shakes as he walks.” This can of course be used to indicate great respect or terror for an individual. But the fact it’s said during the Furious Five teasing Po, it’s clearly about his weight. Whilst it’s funny, we see that Po is walking right behind them. There’s no way the Furious Five don’t know he’s right behind them. So that’s cruel.

 

 

Overall, this was a fantastic film. Good story, good animation, good music, good humour. It’s a film aimed at children yet isn’t childish, making it enjoyable and appropriate for all age groups. The message that everything can be special if it’s believed to be special, i.e. that anyone is special, is heartwarming.