“I find your stupidity mildly amusing.”
The H-Bomb: Once upon a time in China, peacocks invented fireworks (just go with it), and the evil peacock Lord Shen (Gary Oldman) has figured out a way to turn it into a little weapon called a canon. He uses it to kill Thundering Rhino (Victor Garbor), the greatest Kung Fu master in the land, thus defeating Kung Fu itself (the horror!) and now plots to take over the entire country. Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) gets word of this and sends the Great Dragon Warrior, the hefty Kung Fu Panda himself (and clumsiest action hero since Paul Blart), Po (Jack Black), to stop this dastardly peacock. Accompanying Po on his mission are the Furious Five (as opposed to the Fast Five, I guess); Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Mantis (Seth Rogan), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Viper (Lucy Liu), and Crane (David Cross).
While on the journey, Po is having strange, troubling dreams about himself as a cub, as he’s also coming to grips with finding out that he was adopted. This news is indeed very shocking to Po… even though Po’s father is a goose (James Hong), and Po… well… isn’t. Did I mention that Po is also the smartest action hero since Paul Blart? Anyway, we come to find that Po and Lord Shen have crossed paths in the past, and that in order to defeat him, he must find his “inner peace.”
That is the story of “Kung Fu Panda 2”, the rather needless but admittedly enjoyable sequel to the hit 2008 kid’s film. Point of fact, I enjoyed this a lot more than I did the original, which I only just saw when I found out I would be reviewing this one. That movie, I thought, had an amusing premise that it only quasi-successfully followed through on. The sequel, on the other hand (or paw), I feel did a much better job of delivering on the idea’s potential. The jokes are funnier, the action, cartoonish as it is, is bigger, and the story is more epic, with much more at stake than who gets to be the dragon warrior.
The character of Po is also more fleshed out this time. Yes, he’s still the laid back lug who’s much more skilled at stuffing his face with dumplings than he is at martial arts, but we find out where he came from this time around, and the film has some dramatic moments between he and his father that are pretty effective… considering. Black voices the big bear with his easy going like-ability, once again making Po a very endearing Panda indeed.
Jolie is back and is given more to do as Tigress, the real butt kicker of the group. It’s demonstrated time and time again that she is a much more skilled fighter than Po, yet he gets the title of Dragon Warrior and the celebrity status… just can’t get my head around that one. Jolie is fine, but nothing special, and they really could‘ve had any actress voice this part. Sadly, the rest of the Furious Five; Rogen, Chan, Liu, and Cross, get about a dozen or so lines to divide between the four of them. Seriously, Chan had like two lines… probably the easiest check he‘s ever cashed.
Oldman’s vocals are appropriately sinister for the villainous Lord Shen, and we get nice cameos from the voices of Jean-Claude Van Damme (who is actually intelligible!) and Michelle Yeoh. Hoffman’s role has been scaled back from the first film, but he’s does a good job with what he’s given to work with. The scene where he’s describing the worst day of his life is priceless.
The animation is nothing short of stunning, and alone makes this worth seeing on a big screen, but personally, I would pass on the 3D. The action scenes, as stated, are a step up from the original, far more elaborate and entertaining. The sequence when Po and Co. are being chased through the city while hiding inside a giant dragon costume is a real stand out.
As far as flaws go, the movie did seem a little drawn out, with maybe one or two endings too many (the final scene being a set up for another sequel. *sigh*), but that’s really about it. “Kung Fu Panda 2” is a high kickin’ flick that I think kids and grown ups can enjoy equally, as there are enough laughs and action aimed at both camps. Though, if nothing else, this is one that parents can safely send the young-ins to while they go see “The Hangover Part II”.
Today's nomination is a huge boost of encouragement for the hundreds of dedicated cast and crew that have created such a beautiful film. I am deeply proud of what we have achieved together and honored by the Academy with this recognition."
-Jennifer Yuh Nelson, Director, "Kung Fu Panda 2"
This was definately better than the 1st. I happened to see it in 3d (apparently the theatre I went to only has it available in that format…) and it didn't detract from the film. The punched up drama is what made this one better I thought. Or it could just be that Gary Oldman rocks when he's evil….