KungFu Hustle VS. KungFu Panda
Round 1: Autuer Ingeniusality
KungFu Hustle
Stephen Chow was first discovered hustling on the streets of Hong Kong to scratch out a living. Taken under the wing of a blind repertory theater owner it wasn't long before Mr. Chow revealed himself to be a prodigy in the field. Only one year after being lifted from squalor he wrote, directed, and starred in KungFu Hustle. At the time, Stephen Chow was 12 years old.
KungFu Panda
Jack Black is obese.
1 point: Kungfu Hustle
Round 2: Critical Receptionality
Kungfu Panda is going to the oscars this year. It will get trounced by Wall-e, but they always say it's an honor just to be nominated. Kungfu Hustle will never receive any amount of critical attention because there is no justice in the universe. You live and die alone.
1 point: KungFu Panda(?)
Final Round: Historical Accuracy
Kungfu Panda manages to work in some really great history lessons without feeling contrived. You're watching action of pure awesome pouring from your screen, yes, but you are also learning what hold Master Wuxi developed in the third dynasty. The fact that Po attains enlightenment without having to die/go insane/read a scroll/receive simultaneous chi driven manipulation of thousands of pressure points is an incredible oversight. Unfortunately, this is typical of how hollywood will brush aside realism in order to pander to their target demographic.
Kungfu Hustle manages to get the enlightenment angle right. It also demonstrates some little known facts such as the ability to amplify the already lethal lion's roar technique, or that tai chi chuan can prevent injury from abusive spouses. What's really noteworthy about this film is it introduces some nearly forgotten techniques such as the deadly melody to a brand new generation. Could we expect anything less from the Yuen clan's most renowned member?
Winner: Kungfu Hustle
An epic battle for sure. It was anyone's game. Look for me to revisit this when we see Kungfu Hustle 2 and Kungfu Panda 2 in the coming years.
