“The furious five” are considered some of the most powerful kung fu masters in China: Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Viper (Lucy Liu), and Crane (David Cross). Because these are the best warriors, wouldn’t you expect them to the most fearsome creatures in existence? Then why is Mantis a member? He even remarks, “Who am I to judge a warrior based on his size? I mean, look at me.”
Then again, Master Oogway (Randall Duk Kim) is apparently the most powerful creature in this world. He is the one who stops Tai Lung (Ian McShane). Not even a fortress full of rhinos could stop Tai Lung. But Oogway is a turtle. Turtles are slow and small. Not what you think of when you think about power.
Even Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) as a red panda is not an animal that strikes fear in your heart. Although these animals are territorial, they are not terribly violent. Again, I would think a powerful teacher and kung fu warrior would be a more frightening animal.
Some of the tamest animals in the real world are the most powerful in this movie. Even when no one expects you to do anything spectacular, you can still do something amazing and make a name for yourself. This movie shows that stereotypes and expectations can be proven wrong if you put your mind to it.
I had not thought about analyzing this movie through the hero’s journey lens, but others have. Here is an analysis of this movie through a few aspects of the hero’s journey.
This is a review as well as an interpretation of the moral values in this movie. Check it out!
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