Kung Fu Panda 2

 

 

Kung Fu Panda 2 is an excellent sequel to an excellent preceding film and is a truly fun and entertaining film to experience with your family and friends. Kung Fu Panda 2 is a movie that is just as enjoyable as the second time watching as it was the first time. Here, the elements from the first film are improved and drawn for this sequel to create a wonderful, stunning and memorable adventure this will surely entertain all its audiences and leave them hungry for more Po. In this go around Po and his friends fight to stop a peacock villain from conquering China with a deadly new weapon, but first the Dragon Warrior must come to terms with his past.

 

Jack Black reprises his role as Po and he does a good job. While at times Jack Black can come off as being so over the top that his annoyance takes away from his role. Yet, his performance as Po works perfectly as this is one of those roles that in the end just fits his personality and acting style perfectly. Countering Po in this go around we have Gary Oldman in the role of Lord Shen, an albino peacock who is set on conquering China and Kung Fu once and for all. While a peacock seems like a weak choice for a villain especially after the comparison of the tiger in the first movie. However, Oldman is able to play the role with such strength, confidence and even disdain for everyone that he ends up being a great villain for the Dragon Warrior to go up against. The supporting cast all give great performances once again and the depth added to Angelina Jolie's character was nice and worked well. While her character had a lot of strength in the first film we get some added finesse to her character that makes her tiger character better in the end.

 

The story for Kung Fu Panda 2 is one that ends up working as it is more enveloping then the first movie. While the first movie gave a good story that shows Po becoming the Dragon Warrior and trying to deal with living his dream. With Po and the Furious Five going against Lord Shen and his new weapon that supposedly cannot be conquered by Kung Fu, forces Po to not only grow more as the Dragon Warrior, but by coming to peace with his past in a way this ends up being an origin story for Po. Which surprisingly works for a sequel. The pacing for Kung Fu Panda 2 is set at a pace that not only works for a kids movie, but keeps adults entertained as well.

 

Humor is a big part of the Kung Fu movies and Kung Fu Panda 2 took a fairly different approach then the first. Kung Fu Panda 2 took out a lot of the toilet humor that was a big aspect of the first movie and instead it went a lot more on the slapstick side. the action sequences for Kung Fu Panda 2 really is exciting. Just like in Megamind with the flying sequences, feeling like you are actually flying with the characters. The action in Kung Fu Panda 2 has that same type of feeling. While I did not see it in 3D, it looks like it could have easily been very enjoyable and could have added to the action sequences. Some of the great action sequences take place with Lord Shen, it is great to see how they used the feathers along with his fighting movements. Hans Zimmer delivered a great musical score for Kung Fu Panda 2. The music had a great feel to it and in the end it had a great feeling of China while at the same time it was light and it had a fun feeling to it.

 

Kung Fu Panda 2 is one of those animated movies that ends up being a very good sequel. Oldman as the villain Lord Shen is really a great villain and he gives a great performance. The story for King Fu Panda 2 worked well as an origin story, which ended up being fairly unique for a sequel. The action sequences worked well as they really made the audience feel like they are a part of all of the action that is going on and happening. I am giving Kung Fu Panda 2 three buckets of popcorn out of five. This is one of those movies that is very enjoyable to watch as a family and is one that will be added to the movie man's family movie collection eventually.

 

-The Movie Man