Movie Preview: ‘Kung Fu Panda’ hits the spot

By John Rieping
The Madera Tribune

When I arrived at the Saturday sneak preview in Fresno’s Imax theater, I did not expect to be especially impressed by “Kung Fu Panda.” I feared it would simply be an uninspired, one-trick pony. In fact, it was a movie I intended to bypass in the cinemas and watch belatedly on DVD.

My spot right in front of a looming monster of a screen due to the family-packed seating didn’t reassure me that I’d have a good experience either. If nothing else I wondered if my eyes could focus on so much area only a dozen feet ahead of me.

But once the film began the engaging imagery, humor and story captivated me so that all else was forgotten. When the film ended I stayed for the ending credits, and a final secret scene, with that pleasant glow inside that in younger years was usually accompanied by the emphatic declaration, “That was cool!”

For the complete movie review of “Kung Fu Panda,” read The Madera Tribune on Thursday. For a movie clip in Quicktime format, click here. For the same clip in a format suitable for an iPod or iPhone, click here.