in Cinema/Television Production and an M.S. The first time Ryan sees Ling, he actually refers to her as "that funny looking girl."

I mostly wish that they had cut the hideous panda puppet out. And of course since this takes place in Asia, there's a scene where the American kid has to eat monkey brains. The poachers who set up the trap, Shong and Po, accidentally shoot Michael in the ankle, and flee with the panda's cub. "), he's also written to be one of the worst fathers in cinematic history.

Directed by Christopher Cain. Coupled with the treacherous landscape, this makes for a true sense of danger. While he certainly anticipates the latest releases, he is more often found dancing on flying sarapes through the ether of yesteryear and wistfully prancing on clouds of nostalgia. Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) - WTF Happened to this Movie? Trust me, pretty much everything I mock in the following paragraphs are of actual little consequence, because when that damn panda is onscreen you won't be paying attention to anything else. Seen a movie that should be featured on this column? Just as Michael, Ling and Chu set out to visit the panda, Ryan arrives at the reserve. Between KUNG FU PANDA 3 and that viral video of the panda playing in the snow, this seems like an appropriate week to revisit…, Director: Christopher CainStars: Ryan Slater, Yi Ding, Stephen Lang, Christian Slater's little brother gets to play with a baby panda for 84 minutes. Unfortunately, an obvious animal puppet dominates the last third because panda “acting” was required. The Chinese officials who were going to close the reserve see Ryan returning the cub and the cub reuniting with its mother and decide to let it remain open. A young American boy visiting in China helps his zoologist father rescue a panda cub from unscrupulous poachers while his panda reserve is threatened with closure from officious bureaucrats. And when the son later falls from a bridge in to a wild river ten stories below, instead of looking for him, good ol' dad goes home to wait and see if he's activated the panda's tracking beacon. How Video Games Can Help to Improve Problem Solving and Creativity, Screamfest 2020: Short Film ZWART Movie Review, New Beastie Boys Career-Spanning Collection To Be Released On October 23, JULIA SCOTTI: FUNNY THAT WAY Movie Review, Get Ready to Spend your Credits! Airborne Panda: Great band name, bad thing to do in real life.

After falling from several very high places into multiple raging rivers, the trio is assisted by local villagers who help them outwit the poachers to moderate success. Hold on there, Hulkster! So as you probably guessed, the panda is really the only good thing about THE AMAZING PANDA ADVENTURE. Slater surely did not win any awards for his lackluster delivery of 90’s American technology stereotype filled dialogue, but he does get to provide some “amazing” lines such as “Relax, I’m an American. For the first two-thirds of this movie, everyone is interacting with, handling, and carrying around pandas while traversing dangerous terrain. Starring Christian Slater’s younger half-brother, Ryan Slater, and the decade’s most popular mammal, the film was shot mostly on location in Chengdu, China. After they leave, she steps into a trap.
Ryan is not sure he wants to go, but his mother says he can just come back if he doesn't like it. Here's a list of things this dad does: He abandons his son, travels halfway around the world to work with pandas, and doesn't see him for two years.
You're welcome. When the dad encounters poachers, he is willing to sacrifice his life and takes a bullet for the pandas while his son is standing nearby.

The story can bearly sustain 80 minutes, let alone any human characters worth caring about. The Amazing Panda Adventure is a 1995 American adventure film directed by Christopher Cain and starring Stephen Lang, Yi Ding, and Ryan Slater.

After some argument, Michael lets him come. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 20% based on 10 reviews, and an average rating of 4.3/10. Allow me to paint a picture of 1995:  animal conservation is all the rage, ZooNews is one of America’s most popular monthly publications and infomercials, Indiana Jones is still relatively fresh in movie-goers consciences, Communist China’s doors have only recently been open to foreigners, and Free Willy, Andre, and Homeward Bound are already proven hits. Stephen Lang is exactly as excited for the AVATAR sequels as you and I. However, Shong and Po have also arrived. He then takes a medical helicopter and chooses to bring the panda and leave his son in the middle of the Chinese wilderness—the same forest where he was literally just shot by poachers. (BONUS: An example of the fake animatronic panda for comparison.). Kudos to Warner Bros. for having the confidence to put the word "amazing" right there in the title. Thank God it's freaking adorable. With Stephen Lang, Ryan Slater, Yi Ding, Wang Fei. And why do they even need a robot panda, you ask? Script-wise, it’s not much more than one threatening situation after another interspersed with panda footage. Back at the reserve, Michael and the staff recognize from the radio signal that the panda is in danger.

Now they have to watch the panda try to climb over a big log!

B, I just happen to be quite a lady’s man.”  Ding is the only one in this movie not phoning in a performance. Can you bring back the panda please? Recognized Avatar actor Stephen Lang andThe Joy Luck Club’s Yi Ding are also featured in this “magical journey to save the life of a natural wonder.”. Now they lost the panda in a field and have to chase it! The poachers shoot the bridge that Ryan and Ling are crossing, and the two of them and the panda cub are washed downstream, but manage to make it to the surface.

JOHN WICK 2 Interview (2017) Keanu Reeves, Common, Ruby Rose & more! Copyright © 2020 Owned & Operated by Geek Agent Media LLC, All Rights Reserved. Ryan Tyler's father Michael sends him a plane ticket so that he can visit him in China, where he works with pandas. Shoot Jason an email or follow him on Twitter and give him an excuse to drink. However, it is quite memorable because of several unique aspects. Enjoy! In addition to being saddled with some terrible dialogue ("I'm not going to lose another panda! Outstandingly, the epic on-location shooting and generous utilization of real live pandas add immense production value. We've also got a new episode of Awfully Good Movies, which tears the shirt off the 3 Ninjas franchise with Hulk Hogan rampaging through one of the cheesier (oh yes, there's a scale) flicks in his resume. Now they have to wait around in this Tibetan village that worships pandas! Michael arrives and subdues the poachers, and he, Ryan, Ling, and the cub drive back to the reserve. Advertise on this Site | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | Site Map | Links | Shopping, © 1998 - present JoBlo Media Inc., All Rights Reserved | JoBlo® is a trademark of JoBlo Media Inc. It follows a 10-year-old American boy (played by Slater) who travels to China and has to take a panda cub to the reserve so it can reunite with its mother. That is simply not something you would see these days. After a climactic fight scene on the edge of a precarious bluff, Ryan returns Johnny to the rescue station just in time to allow the cub to feed from his mother, rekindle his own relationship with his father, and save the reserve from bureaucratic officials who have decided to shut the place down. The two kid actors are pretty bad, especially Ryan "Christian's brother" Slater. The kids see each other naked, but thankfully for the FBI, we don't.

Dude Abides Podcast – Would The Dude Win at GOLDENEYE, Mini Golf, or Bowling? THE AMAZING PANDA ADVENTURE exists for one reason and one reason only—to show off how f*cking adorable that baby panda is. Jansport's latest line of backpacks had animal rights groups rightfully concerned. Watch as the panda falls off a bridge in to raging river (twice! They eventually discover their hideout, and free the panda cub before Chu lets Ryan and Ling travel on their own because he has to return to the reserve. A, I have cable TV. Ryan remembers that his brother once starred in a movie called HARD RAIN. He has a B.S. The second time they are washed downstream, the pair realize that they are covered in leeches upon resurfacing and are forced to remove all their clothing and wash themselves off in the lake.

That son of…. For those of us who experienced Ryan’s adventure as kids, the most memorable scene involves leeches and off-camera nudity…or maybe that’s just me. Fresh off a high from watching my Amazing Panda Adventure VHS in glorious full screen standard definition on a 12-inch TV/VCR combo, I can say in full confidence that this is not a “good” movie. Anything goes in 90’s China! Nobody wants to watch a "pretty good" or even "great" panda adventure. I also appreciate that the Chinese cultural elements of this film come across as authentic. Rick Baker's company is responsible for the robot panda, and the animatronic results are laughably unconvincing. Ryan realizes that he can use the batteries in his watch to power the radio collar and enable his father to locate them. Despite its flaws, the brisk 85 minute running time, scenic backdrop, well orchestrated stunts, and panda cuteness overload make The Amazing Panda Adventure a moderately enjoyable viewing experience and I’m sure it will be remembered fondly (perhaps we should just leave it there, in our memories). in Recreation and Tourism Management. Michael and the mother panda are returned to the reserve by helicopter, and Ling, Chu, and Ryan look for the poachers. Pretty much everyone is bad in this movie. ), gets violently thrown from a speeding horse cart, gets flung in to the air and hangs off the side of a cliff, and is starved of nutrition until it almost dies.

While the antagonists often come across as dim-witted, they are not over-the-top silly like in movies such as Three Ninjas.