Well, it's the opening day of Kung Fu Panda, and the Rotten Tomatoes suspense I mentioned earlier did not disappoint.

The film's tally started with one bad review (0%), to include 2 good ones (80%) to (91%) with more praise until 4 bad reviews knocked it down to 69%.  Now, the general rating is wavering around the mid 70s while the Top Critic section gives it 83%.  The frustrating thing is that for major film releases, RT usually would have amassed sufficient reviews for a consensus statement by now and it seems that it is updating KFP2's page in a maddening trickle.  I know that might be because of the film opening on a Thursday and there might be publications that have a schedule so rigid that we'll have to wait until tomorrow, but it hardly makes the wait any more tolerable.

This kind of anticipation for a number may seem anal and pointless, but to me it gives the filmgoing experience a fuller feel of involvement that goes beyond simply seeing the film.  I read my favourite film history book, Pictures at a Revolution: Five Films and the Birth of the New Hollywood and I can only envy the rich film culture that sophisticates by Robert Benton and David Newman of Esquire Magazine had in early 1960s France and New York City got to enjoy with parties where debates about films and their meaning had such zest, atmosphere and immediacy that participating on an online forum cannot match. So, what I do here is the closest thing I can seem to do for an introvert as myself to.  Maybe the introduction of home video made the experience more insular since you beforehand had to see films either by waiting a TV station to deign to present it, or go to film societies where seeing their screenings was an event.  That's a subject I'll go into later, but I will have my post viewing experience to describe later.

Anyways, it's under two hours before KFP2 screens at my downtown cinema and it's a experience that I am dearly looking forward to.  I just wish I had the option of seeing without the 3D, but at least I know DreamWorks Animation is one of the few productions companies who make it worthwhile at least to some degree.

Either way, I've waited for this and I hope to enjoy it.