It is the PANDA PLAN

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to Bluray from director Luan Zhang and Well Go USA is the story of an action star and the mayhem that comes with the PANDA PLAN.

Jackie (Jackie Chan) is a film star who pics and chooses the projects or events he wants to attend. Going down the list with assistant David (Xiang Wei), one of the events is to go to the Noah Zoo and see the pandas. That is one event Jackie actually thinks he will have some fun doing. Showing up he is greeted by fans and gets to be part of adopting a baby panda. Doing her job, Su Xiaozhu (Ce Shi) takes care of the cute and chubby baby panda Hu-Hu who is a bit stubborn but she adores the little ball of fur.

Taking a break, Su goes to get some ice cream and asks everyone how was Jackie’s visit to the zoo. To her surprise, Jackie is right in front of her! Sitting down to talk, he mentions the pandas and Su offers to take him to visit the Hu-Hu. Jackie gets to spend time with the baby. That’s all great but off-shore, a mercenary ship is being sent on a mission, a large sum of money is being offered if they kidnap the Hu-Hu. As Jackie is giving a speech in the panda exhibit, mercenaries are making their way to their goal. Imagine their surprise when they get inside the exhibit and see the action hero!

Su managed to get the baby panda away and hide while Jackie fights the mohawk wearing bad guy James (Temur Mamisashvili). Attempting to keep things going inside the zoo, the Director (Andy Friend) takes a Rambo stance against the bad guys. Jackie and Su manage to meet up and they have one goal, find a way around the mercenaries and keep the furry baby out of the clutches of the bad guys. When the big boss lands, the danger has heightened.

Now the chase is really on!

Chan as, well, Jackie Chan gets the chance to not only be the action hero but also add comedy to his character. There are so many twists and turns in a fun antic way and Chan honestly looks like he is having fun doing it. His marital arts fit with a gentleman of his age and I still enjoyed what he can do. Shi as Su is thrilled to meet Chan but when things go crazy, she knows that her goal is the panda. She is in the middle of the antics whether she wants to be or not. I think she is actually the clever one of the bunch.

Wei as David has a lot of quirks but will do anything for his friend. If anything, as much as Chan is comedy, Wei is the literal comic relief with his funny moments that bring giggles whether you realize you’re doing it or not. I’ll admit he had me laughing for sure. Mamisashvili as James is the literal bad guy comic to Wei’s good guy comic. He does get the chance to take on Chan’s martial arts and he gets as good as he gives. Friend as the Director is doing his best to be a zoo hero and a few mistakes shouldn’t be a problem…right?

Other cast include Danny Ray as Harry, Ivan Ponomarenko as Farih, Bing Jia as the Ice Cream Shop owner, andSean Kohnke as the MMA fighter.

Well Go USA Entertainment is a theatrical and home entertainment company specializing in bringing the best Action, Genre and Independent films from around the world to North American markets. As a leader in independent film distribution, Well Go USA Entertainment’s titles can be seen across a variety of platforms including theatrical, digital, subscription and cable VOD, packaged media and broadcast television. Well Go USA Entertainment currently releases three to five films per month. To see more please visit www.wellgousa.com.

Bonus Features include English Language Available and Trailer.

PANDA PLAN is definitely a comedy-cute animal-action film that the whole family can enjoy. There are very funny scenes that the kids who love pandas will love. Okay, so adults who love pandas too will smile a lot. The special effect “panda” is charming, cute and squeaky as we would expect a baby to be.

Chan leads the way for the film and the cast choices fit right in seamlessly. The scene where Jackie talks about why he continues to make movies, I thought was lovely. The cinematography is wonderful and colorful from start to finish.

The filmi s in Mandarin but easily switched to English for the kids. So, sit back and watch as a family to see how Jackie Chan handles the Panda stealing bad guys or is there more to the story?

In the end – never mess with a baby panda!