Jack’s back and leader of the pack

entertainment than the slog that was Insurgent.

Considering that the premise of the series is that Tris is a non-conformist, it is disappointing that everything about the film conforms to the point of cliché. The second Tris meets David you know he doesn’t mean a single thing he says, though she naively will swallow every lie, Four and Christina will discover some secret that Tris won’t believe and Caleb will figure out how to save the day because everyone else is busy.

Ultimately, the friends end up where they started and no one is closer to figuring out what the point was of factions, how the outside world fits into it all or how this will end, which, it seems, is the point, because now you want to see Ascendant, don’tcha?

THEONEthing any film-maker, scriptwriter or actor can learn from the Kung Fu Panda series, is that you can make a story about anything. Think of a panda and then think of the martial arts. The two cannot possibly mix because, physically, pandas cannot do what people can in kung fu. The sport requires flexibility and movement which, unfortunately, the panda is not known for. Yet, when you watch any of the Kung Fu Panda films, all that is thrown out of the window. It is animation, after all, whereas in dreams, the impossible is made possible.

Jack Black returns to voice the main character, Po who has been promoted to lead the pack of kung fu students. If you’ve been following the story you’ll know that he’s always been the worst of the pack so having him as the leader is a recipe for disaster. But that’s how all the good stories go and usually how the Kung Fu Panda story goes. There is always that against-the-odds approach which will leave fans glued for the running time.

Without giving away too much, in this movie, Po meets his past and it takes us back to the first time we met him. A conflict of interest sees him trying to decide whether to return to his roots or stay on as the new master of the kung fu school. Still on the past, there is a bully who comes to attack the dojo Po is now heading. Po has to realise why he, not his experienced colleagues, was elected as the leader.

What’s interesting is that the script ties in what you already know about the Kung Fu titles, but if you haven’t seen any of the previous films, you will still enjoy this film.

Black might be invisible on the screen, but you can feel his presence through his voice. The dialogue is so catchy it is almost a stand- up show on the side. This means the script-writers were determined to make this film work. It could even make a good book.

The flow of the animation shows maturity in the development of the software that DreamWorks Animation used for this film. There are parts of the story that are dark and sad, but the the colours used in most scenes are quite bright. This hints at a happy ending and it helps the kids to digest it without going to deep, emotional places.

Just like those Madagascar films, it might be time for this title to be put to rest while it is still on a high.