nickmesafilms

(2012-05-01 13:28:02)

Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011) - Get Ready to Feel the 'Awesome-Tacular' Thunder....Again!

I was one of the many fans of the first 'Kung Fu Panda' movie. It wasan entertaining piece of animation, and the action was quite enjoyablefor an entire family. Now, DreamWorks Animation has brought us "Kung FuPanda 2". The sequel now brings some action-packed fight scenes, andsome exciting new characters. The film brings us back to the tale ofthe Dragon Warrior, Po, portrayed by Jack Black, who has spent the restof his life as the Dragon Warrior, learning the sacred teachings ofMaster Shifu, and fighting crime with the Furious Five (Tigress, Viper,Monkey, Crane, Mantis). Now, a villainous peacock named Emperor Shen,voiced by Gary Oldman, has been planning revenge to the land of China,and has created a deadly weapon that could destroy China, and theexistence of kung-fu. But while Po and the Furious Five must team up todefeat Shen, Po faces problems of his own, by trying to understand hisorigin, who he really is, where did he really come from, who were hisreal parents, and how did he live with a long-necked goose for afather. Then we have our movie, and it's awesome! From start to finish,this movie is entertaining as hell. The voice talent is just super,since the ensemble from the previous film has returned, such as JackBlack, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Lucy Liu, Seth Rogen, DavidCross, and Jackie Chan. Now, there's Gary Oldman, who's one of the mostperfect actors to play villains in the history of cinema. He resemblesthe previous villain, Tai Lung, perfectly. You really love to hate thisguy, and he delivers the role in such a powerful way. The animation isgorgeous, the humor is hilarious, and the heart of this movie made mecry of joy. Also, the fight scenes are both exciting andfamily-friendly, and we also receive some interesting characterdevelopment on Po's character, and the movie perfectly reveals hisorigin. But, the ending of the movie will make audiences go "wow". Butit mostly means that a "Kung Fu Panda 3" may be in session. Funcharacters, great storyline, terrific animation, and incredible fightscenes. What a family-friendly piece of entertainment. Go check it outwith your kids, they will love it, and so will you. "Kung Fu Panda 2",in my review, "family-friendly action, funny and moving".

revenge_of_shinobi

(2012-05-01 11:54:54)

Shame shame shame

What a disappointment, I was looking forward to this, the originalbeing one of my favorite animations. This sequel however suffers fromhaving no soul and no comedy. Everything uttered from po's mouth seemscontrived and predictable.the action scenes, although filled withcomplicated fight scenes and gorgeous colors, lack the poetry andcomedy of the original. There is no way of connecting with po in thisfilm, it doesn't seem like he is on a journey you can relate too andthe villain, though voiced well, is incomparable to the villain of thefirst movie.For me its just big disappointment, and its score on IMDb isridiculous.

Kristine

(2012-04-30 19:22:16)

What the first film should have been, a great animated movie

A couple of years ago during the summer time Kung Fu Panda came out, itwas a cute film with a very predictable story. I liked it over all, butI couldn't get into the voices as much and also the story had been doneto death. The overweight goofy outcast wants to be with the cool group,he finds out he can but doubts himself but gets with the group when hediscovers who he is. The sequel I was thinking I could just wait forthe rental which I did and I have to say that I'm disappointed inmyself that I didn't see it in the theater. Kung Fu Panda 2 is veryoriginal and has some amazing characters as well as some very beautifulanimation.Lord Shen, heir of the peacock clan that ruled Gongmen City in ancientChina, sought to harness the power of fireworks as a weapon with whichto rule the entire country. When he learned from the court's goatsoothsayer that "a warrior of black-and-white" would one day defeathim, Shen assumed she was referring to a panda and exterminated much ofthe panda population to avert the prophecy. Shen's parents werehorrified at this atrocity and exiled Shen, who swore revenge. Thirtyyears later, Po is living his dream as the Dragon Warrior, protectingthe Valley of Peace alongside his friends and fellow kung fu masters,the Furious Five, but is told by Master Shifu that he has yet toachieve inner peace. While fighting off a pack of wolf bandits who havebeen stealing refined metal for Lord Shen, Po is distracted by a symbolon the head wolf's armor, which causes Po to have a flashback of hismother and allows the wolves to escape. The group realizes they muststop Shen from taking over China, but there's more to the story of Poand his parents that Shen knows about and it becomes very personal.One of the things I loved about this movie was the villain, Shen. Hewasn't just a typical bad guy who really had no motive to be bad, buthis parents had banned him from his home when they realized that he wasbad. You can see the pain I his eyes when they are mentioned around himand could really understand his pain. Plus the animation on him wasjust beautiful, being a peacock he has some really great weapons withthe knives as feathers. Po, despite Jack Black's voice still being adistraction, was really wonderful in the film as well and gives somegreat laughs. Although there were some moments where I wished theytoned down the slap stick a little bit. There were some moments wheresilence would have worked better to make this a perfect film.While the film has little flaws here and there, this was still aterrific film just on the story alone. The characters are all likableand the message of the film is very beautiful. To find an inner peacewith yourself is very hard, but to let kids know that it's alright tolet go of anger was a wonderful message. I loved the way the characterswere animated and the fight scenes were just exciting and kept you onthe edge of your seat. I would recommend Kung Fu Panda 2, it definitelywas what the first film was missing and was what it should have beenthe first time around. This was a big step up and if they make a thirdfilm going in this direction, I'll be the first in line buying aticket.9/10

maximvit

(2012-04-30 05:28:23)

Nice, but wearing the curse of the sequel

Sequels are almost never better then its originals. The BourneUltimatum and Kill Bill: Vol. 2 might prove me wrong, but those aremore like final parts of a three- or two-part story, so it is trueanyway: sequels rarely beat originals. And so it is in Kung Fu Panda 2as well.The animation is breathtaking, the humor very fun, the kung-fu actionextremely stylized, the story fine and morally educating to children asthe original Kung Fu Panda, but it is still a tiny bit worse. But it isnothing wrong with that. As i have learned from watching many sequels,i expected it to be worse and Kung Fu Panda 2 is still a very fun,spectacular movie for children and adults of all ages.

big_ryan15

(2012-04-30 00:58:28)

The return of Awesomeness INDEED!

WOW. Thats the only word i uttered during my KUNG FU PANDA 2experience, Im confident that you will be the same. The visuals areunparallelled, the story is as touching as Toy Story 3 and the maincharacter every bit as lovable as he was in his first outing. JackBlack returns to the role I'm sure will be what he will always beremembered for, Po the Panda. The all star voice cast is by the far thehighlight, with everyone involved being given the chance to have a bitmore fun with their respective characters. The story, to which i wontgo into too much detail, follows Po on his journey for inner peace, andto take down evil Peacock, LORD SHEN. Comedy ensues, as does (quitesurprisingly) a whole lot of heart and the best animated fight scenesto date. Loved everything about this movie. Highly recommended. 9/10

GoneWithTheTwins

(2012-04-29 15:58:36)

This second outing has the opportunity to utilize each role purely for action, adventure, comic relief and even a bit of pathos.

Kung Fu Panda 2 capitalizes on the same techniques that made itspredecessor successful: a goofy lead character struggling desperatelyto fit in; comical character designs and playful animation; and anall-star cast of voice actors with such recognizable articulation thatthey breach the visual barrier of their 3D alter egos. Although thefirst film defined the characters, their relationships, destinies andthe setting of ancient Asia, this second outing has the opportunity toutilize each role purely for action, adventure, comic relief and even abit of pathos. Just when the sappiness ramps up to the point ofunbearable, the script has enough sense to thwart eye-rolls (or tearsif the manipulation worked) with sharply contrasting humor.Po (Jack Black) the overweight panda has been proclaimed the almighty"Dragon Warrior," and oversees the safety of China with his band ofcapable sidekicks, the Furious Five: Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Mantis(Seth Rogen), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Crane (David Cross) and Viper (LucyLiu). As he speaks with his patient master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) aboutfinding inner peace, a gang of wolf bandits pillages a nearby city insearch of metal objects, forcing Po to depart for a hasty rescue. As hewill soon discover, the banished peacock Lord Shen (Gary Oldman) hasforged fire-breathing, metal-spitting cannons to wipe out all who standin his path to world domination.It's debatable whether or not the story has grown more entertaining,especially considering the plot is little more than a generic kung futale of good vs. evil, like the kind found in just about everylive-action martial arts film in the last several decades. While themain conflict is a relentless overlord with an obedient army anddestructive weaponry, the underlying discordance is Po's hazyrecollection of the past and the desire to know who he is, how he endedup the son of a goose, and what happened to his real parents. Is Po inneed of confidence or the drive of revenge? Are his actions provoked byinner peace, as the movie insists on preaching, or by the powerfulforce that is adrenaline-pumping payback? Perhaps he's simply trying tosucceed at being "hardcore" so that he can measure up to hiscompanions. And if that's the case, it's a shame that so much of histime is spent annoyingly foiling reconnaissance, ambush and rescuemissions with his numbing defiance and cack-handed clumsiness. It'sfunny at times to see how pathetic he is compared to his generallyno-nonsense warrior counterparts, but equal parts infuriating that hedoesn't have to learn the hard way that there are consequences for hisreckless actions. This leads to the invincibility exhibited by allparties, which reduces the urgency and seriousness of everypredicament. Po is immune to injuries and haphazardly shields himselffrom harm with an accidental frying pan, a lucky misstep, or a loosefloor plank that swings up (like stepping on a rake) to block anonslaught of throwing knives. Crane similarly avoids danger withspastic flight, and Tigress has no excuses at all – she suffers onlysinged whiskers after taking a cannonball to the face. Gravity andphysics also seem to utterly evade the heroes, playing no part in theirunlikely escapes – although it does make the creatively complex chasesequences more intense and spontaneous.- The Massie Twins (GoneWithTheTwins.com)

Lightsoncn

(2012-04-29 00:03:14)

Awesome one!

As a whole, the story continued the style of Kung Fu comedy + cutepanda of the first "Kung Fu Panda"; the script may be a little weakcompared with the last one, but still a masterpiece. Po the pandaunderstood the importance of self-confidence in the last movie, and inthis one he realized the Eastern philosophy of Conquering theUnyielding with the Yielding. However, the ending part of Kung Fudefeating artillery reminded us of the ignorance of the time of "theBoxer" in the very beginning of the 20th century more or less, which Ireally would not regard as a good point.The villains were somewhat weak in this movie, perhaps I gave them toomuch expectation. Gary Oldman's voice failed to chill me.In fact, just as the same with the first Kung Fu Panda movie, theessence of this one was still the combination of both Chinese andWestern. The first story was the combination of the western self-struggle and a Chinese Kung Fu teacher-student routined story, and thesecond one was the combination of the western family rebellion and theeastern philosophy of Conquering the Unyielding with the Yielding.As some Chinese newspapers said that this was the assault or insult toChinese culture or so, I rejected them all. The high political pressurein China made domestic newspapers lack the creativity for animationsand everything, so they need excuses to blame the other countries'wonderful movies. This sense of inferiority was nothing but trulyridiculous.

ministryman678

(2012-04-28 09:59:58)

Worth going with friends and family.

The first movie was great in that it delivered laughs, excitement andkung-fu (duh). This movie I guess I can say the same. As it is, I'm notone to go watch an animated movie by myself. If there's a group of myfriends going then I'll gladly join in. So with the fun association,this made the movie more enjoyable. Po is his usual goofy self withcorny jokes that will make the kids laugh and maybe the adults cringe.There were some good fight scenes enough to make me pay attention andsee what would happen next. It is worth a watch if you liked the firstone. If you didn't, don't even waste your money. On a side note, I'mactually surprised that this movie went a little on the.... dark side?I guess that's a nice way to put it. Similar to how in the end of ToyStory 3 were it went in the dark side by the toys nearly dying. Wellthis is similar in that it went to the dark side (not saying no one wasdying just giving an example) in it's own way. You will just have tosee it for yourself. 7/10

princebansal1982

(2012-04-28 00:59:57)

As Good as the Previous One, And with good 3D

My expectations were a little low for this film. Mostly because sequelsare seldom able to capture the magic created by the original work. ButKung Fu Panda 2 was able to recreate the same magic again. I think the3 year gap also helped.Kung Fu Panda 2 retains the same sense of humor and appears reallyfresh. Po shows some vulnerabilities and has to go through an emotionaljourney, albeit a short one. More stress is on humor here than anythingelse, just like in the previous installment.There are some animation sequences which are pictured in past whichwere really fantastic and quite a nice change from the usual style ofthe movie. The 3D is really good unlike some other recent movies. Thereare enough good 3D scenes here to make it worthwhile to wear the clunkyglasses.

delightful-life

(2012-04-27 12:05:56)

Japanese visuals meet Hollywood!

The visuals were so good that it reminded me of some of the mostbeautiful Japanese movies (The Girl Who Lept Through Time, Totoro,etc.) this movie is that GOOD!! And this movie merges those visualswith the traditional Hollywood feel good factor. :-)..................Hope you have already read the official story line. Don't worry if thestory seems a little cheesy, you will love it when you see it. I thinkits not even the story that matters much. Everything is done sostylishly, its like a Matrix movie in Panda style. Each sceneindividually is a treat to watch.They have avoided most of the clichГѓВ©s, and places where you feel thatyou are going to see one, it surprises you with a simple and eleganttwist, which almost always left me grinning or laughing.Is this movie recommended? YES, VERY. Whatever age you are, it willmake you happy. :-)........... But do remember to see it in the highestresolution you possibly can, else you may miss out on a lot of thismovie's beauty.Cheers!

estebangonzalez10

(2012-04-26 22:16:43)

A Decent Sequel

¨ My fist hungers for justice! ¨Po has returned to save China once again in Kung Fu Panda 2; with thesame writers (Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger), but a differentdirector (Jennifer Yuh). Many consider that the original Kung Fu Pandais DreamWorks's best animated film to date; in my opinion their bestone is How to Train Your Dragon, but Kung Fu Panda was still a greatmovie. I had my concerns with the sequel because I knew it was going tobe hard to meet expectations. Cars 2 failed in this respect for Pixar,but Kung Fu Panda 2 worked a little better. This film isn't nearly asgood as the 2008 original, but for a sequel it works really well; itprobably won't win an Oscar (Rango seems to have it pretty much lockedup this year, although I didn't like it), but it is still veryentertaining and the entire family will have a good time with thismovie. The best thing about the film is the animation. Guillermo delToro was brought in as the creative consultant for the Art Departmentand it really paid off because the look of the film is impressive andso are the visuals. The story is actually the weakest link, but itworks mostly thanks to the characters we grew to love in the firstfilm. There is also an interesting villain, voiced by Gary Oldman, sothat was also a plus, but the story was really predictable. After thefirst 15 minutes you knew exactly what was going to happen at the end.Jean-Claude Van Damme also has a small role as the Master Croc, and itwas fun to hear him. Po (Jack Black) is living in the temple with the five kung fu warriorshe has always idolized since he was little: Tigress (Angelina Jolie),Monkey (Jackie Chan), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Viper (Lucy Liu), and Crane(David Cross). They seem to be training very hard as we hear Pobreathing very heavily, but they are actually all staring at how manybreads Po can fit into his mouth. Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) callsfor Po and tries to teach him about finding inner peace. Po is more ofan action kind of Panda and is waiting to show off his kung fu skillsas the Dragon Warrior (title which he achieved in the first film). Hisopportunity comes when the Village where his father Mr. Ping (JamesHong) lives is attacked by a group of wolves who are stealing all themetal from the village. The wolves are gathering metal in order tocreate a secret weapon that will put an end to Kung Fu. They all workfor the evil White Peacock named Shen (Gary Oldman) who is threateningto conquer China with this new powerful weapon. There is somethingabout Shen that bothers Po and reminds him of his forgotten past. Pobegins to have flashbacks about his childhood and discovers that Mr.Ping is not his actual father. Along with his friends, Po begins aquest to stop Shen before it's too late, and at the same time discoverthe truth about his past.Kung Fu Panda 2 is not as fresh and fun as the first film, but it stillwas a lot of fun. Po is really a fun character and one can't help butbe reminded of Jack Black when watching Po trying to do his kung-fustunts. Po is not only voiced by Jack Black, but he seems to beinspired by that character. In the same way there is a scene where wesee Master Croc (voiced by Van Damme) do one of his singular moves fromhis action films. Jack Black is an incredibly funny actor and we findsome of that comedy in Po's animation. Gary Oldman also brought a lotof things to his new character, and he is always great at playing thevillain. Kung Fu Panda 2 might not be as good as the original, but thatdoesn't mean you won't have fun with this family friendly film. My onlycomplaint relies in the story, but the animation and visuals make upfor it. Kung Fu Panda is a fun film you can enjoy with the family, butnot much more than that.http://estebueno10.blogspot.com/

lucy-wainwright-827-448455

(2012-04-26 10:35:29)

Actually better than expected

My partner and I took his teenaged sister and her boyfriend to thecinema, and when she chose Kung Fu Panda 2 the only upside - from mypoint of view - was that she hadn't chosen Bad Teacher.The first thing to say is that you do need to have seen the originalKing Fu Panda, and you need to have paid more attention than Iapparently did because I spent the first twenty minutes going"...what?". But, rather unexpectedly, it IS good fun. Shen - the newbaddie, voiced by Gary Oldman, is well-developed and pleasantlysinister (particularly considering he's a damn peacock - who'd'vethought?), and the back-story that's gradually presented tying him andPo together is surprisingly dark for a kids' film. It sounds like atrivial point, but I also enjoyed the styling of the flash-backs andnarrative sequences too. The other Kung Fu warriors have becomesidelined slightly which is a shame, but Mr Ping comes into his own andthe little sub-plot about Po's adoption is actually rather sweet.It's not brilliant, but it's engaging and funny in places. Your kids'llenjoy it, and you;ll probably be mildly entertained too.

gavin-thelordofthefu-48-460297

(2012-04-26 13:46:15)

Compelling Voice Acting + Darker Story + Great Animation = Excellent Follow Up To A Good Movie

Well, it's been two months since I last saw this sequel in cinemasbefore I saw Pixar's Cars 2 (I'm one of the few people who liked thatmovie). Let's just say I enjoyed the predecessor that hadgroundbreaking animation, an amazing voice cast, spectacular actionscenes, hilarious comedy, and Hans Zimmer's and John Powell's beautifulmusic score. So, I like when Dreamworks Animation makes very successfulthat captures the magic of the original. That's why we get Kung FuPanda 2, a satisfying sequel to an amazing movie even though it's not amasterpiece. It captures the magic of the first movie that makes itvery entertaining to watch. Here are three reasons why.#1: The story about a villain with a powerful that can destroy Kung Fuand Po's journey into finding out about his origins was amazingly puttogether with darker themes. There is one flaw with the story, however.It used story elements from the original and incorporated them intothis one like Po is destined to become a warrior and is so fascinatedinto meeting kung fu masters which removes its freshness. Still, it's amagnificent piece of writing for a sequel along with its incredible andintense action.#2: The computer animation is very gorgeous. The look of the JadePalace/Valley of Peace, Gongmen City, and the panda village weredetailed perfectly and the character animation along with new ones likewolves, gazelles, goats, crocodiles, and a peacock were amazing. The 2Danimation flashbacks (like the Secrets of the Furious Five short) ofPo's origins and the Chinese shadow puppetry in the beginning of thefilm were very unique. It looked very nice and I wish Dreamworks wouldmake more of that than always sticking to computer animation. Don't getwrong. They still use it to make amazing visuals and great characterdesigns which makes this sequel worth watching, but I think it's been along since Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas was the last traditional 2Danimation from this company. Still, the computer animation is stillpretty good.#3: When we watch sequels, the characters were just their normalselves, going on a new adventure. In Kung Fu Panda 2, though, not onlythe characters are their lovable selves, we got a new side on some ofthem like we start to see a softer side of Tigress and a moreheartwarming side to Mr. Ping. Po is still his hungry self, but is nowdetermined and serious when it comes to finding out about his past andonly Monkey has a few lines in this movie. The new characters werepretty good, too. Master Ox and Master Croc weren't important to thestory and something tells me they're like the Furious Five in this filmbecause of Po freaking out about them. At least I did enjoy the cageflipping scene with them, however. Then, there's The Soothsayer, who islike a goat version of Rafiki from Disney's The Lion King, tellingprophecies and stuff. The wolf bandits are the henchmen of the villainLord Shen (We'll get to him in a second.) and with them in the movie, Ifelt like there's a Lion King Bibe into the film. Anyway, we get toLord Shen, who is the best Dreamworks villain and new character voicedby Gary Oldman. His character development and back story reallyunderstands why he would do this and for what cause, although, he maybe a little over the top. But when he's in a fighting scene, he is socool and so menacing even when he's with his cannon. DreamworksAnimation had succeeded in giving us the old and new characters justthe way we like it.Although, Kung Fu Panda 2 may not be a masterpiece, it's an excellentfollow up to a really great movie and it's worth checking out.I'd be excited if Kung Fu Panda 3 is gonna start production becausethis franchise is about as good as the Shrek series.9/10

(2012-04-25 16:44:52)

If your hjh/H

Now is important, waste your time going to the theater if you must,waste your time writing a review, but I have nothing better to do isnot a good excuse but it is an excuse. IF you like it buy the DVD in afew weeks.Go see this is your TV is broken naw read a book play a educationalgame, breath and meditate about all the time you have wasted in the nowwatching cartons when you were young. I saw this movie with a 4 yearold, neither of us wanted to watch it again which is not the case withsteam boat Mickey or the first one with the airplane.If you have a child to take with you it may seem like an excuse to seeit but it is not, it is the regular trivial movie one has come toexpect from a carton. Is it better than the cartons that were playedbefore the movies in the past? No, is it worth 10 bucks a person? No,is it better than an old episode of Kung Fu? No, is and sentient adultable to watch it without changing the channel? No, can I finish writingthis review, No the summary was partial written by the 4 year old GR.So in summary the panda wins again and some bad people like being bad,its in da jeans or something. Why does the panda look like William theRefrigerator Perry oh yeah its just a carton that you can watch on TVfor free or find on DVD from 5.99 soon.

collipal-1

(2012-04-25 08:08:32)

A mediocre but not bad sequel

I found Kung Fu Panda to be a very entertaining animated comedy whichsimultaneously worked as a sincere tribute and gentle parody of the"kung fu" cinema from the '70s. The story was not totally original(rookie who defeats his insecurities in order to become into themaster), but on the other hand, there were enough positive elements,specially the funny interaction between the main character and hismaster. Besides, the animation moved a bit away from the boring"DreamWorks standard" in order to amalgamate a semi-3D anime with theethereal Asian traditional art, achieving a refreshing and innovativeaesthetic. Would it be possible for a sequel to reach the levelobtained in that film? The executives from DreamWorks thought so, but Ido not, because Kung Fu Panda 2, despite being moderately entertaining,feels mediocre and not nearly at the same level of the original film.Unfortunately, Kung Fu Panda 2 could not preserve the humor nor thefunny dynamic between the main character and his classmates. There ispretty much action and fights which attempt to be cool, but it rarelymade me laugh. At least we have the impressive animation and artdesign, which are both even richer in colour, shapes and atmospheresand more polished than in the first movie. And I also admired the fireand particles effects.The voice cast from this movie includes various famous actors (JackBlack, Dustin Hoffman, Michelle Yeoh, Angelina Jolie, Gary Oldman,Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu and Jean Claude Van-Damme), but their work lacksof any personality or passion. I guess that that is the price ofrecording the celebrities' dialogs with too much anticipation andcompletely out of context. On the positive side, I liked Hans Zimmer'smusic and Jennifer Yuh's direction, which exploits the incorporealimaginary camera in order to create elaborated sequences withoutsacrificing any clarity during the whirlwind of fights, effects andstunts.In conclusion, I did not dislike Kung Fu Panda 2, but it did not leaveme very satisfied either because of the narrative aspect. The story isnot very compelling, there are various humor moments which fail andonly the ending gets a fraction of the emotionality and suspenseachieved in the first film. Nevertheless, I think it deserves a slightrecommendation because of the animation and because it kept memoderately entertained.

Athena_The_Penguin

(2012-04-24 18:07:11)

Po is back! Bringing more of his SKA-DOOSH!

In 2008, Dreamworks brought us the marvelous tale of a giant panda whodream nothing more but to do kung fu with his heroes, The Furious Five,and was now accidentally chosen to be the dragon warrior and savechina. Since then, everyone love the film. But the question remains;where did Po come from? Why was his dad a goose? Well 3 years later, wefinally got our answer in Kung Fu Panda 2. In the latest news of thesequel, a peacock named Lord Shen (voiced by Gary Oldman) wantednothing more but to make his parents proud (much like Tai Lung wantedto please Master Shifu in the first film.) but when a Soothsayerconfirmed to his folks that he would be defeated by a warrior of blackand white (remind you of anyone?) Shen did all that he can to make surehis future would not happen to him, but as he done the deed of gettingrid all of the pandas he could find, Lord Shen was banished, but vowhis revenge that he would return.Now many years later, Po finally gets the chance to learn about hispast and finds out why he's at where he is right now as he faces hisgreatest fear; battling Lord Shen.I haven't really review that many sequels expect for a couple of badones (like Open Season 2 and Open Season 3) but this? This one was verypromising! New bad guy means more new action, which means morechallenges Po has to take care of (even if he's by his own or not.) Italmost stood up as much as the first film did, but it also delivers avery special message; and that message was to let go of the past; nomatter how bad it might of been. The flashback scenes were doneincredibly beautifully as it brings out much a lot of tear-jerkingscenes (think of the ending from Toy Story 3. Did that one made youcry? Cause it did for me.) The music is set wonderfully (though I thinkit's almost the same similar ones in the original, if you have listento the soundtrack, but just only half of the tracks don't always soundlike they're alike.) And the direction where it took us brought us toan unforgettable adventure.If you love Kung Fu Panda 1, then don't miss out on seeing the secondone because more stories will be told very soon into the future as theyears for us passed.

hcsr1982

(2012-04-23 19:45:22)

Fast paced, cute and thoughtful

I did not expect much from this title other than a few laughs and maybesome cool stuff from master Shifu (much like the first one). As asequel the risks were to the downside but this time it was the otherway around. It is light, colorful, packed with pretty cool actionscenes, and most importantly, it was engaging and touching. The searchfor the "inner peace" and for Po's family history at the same timeworked very smoothly. As the story unfolds the concept of inner peaceis developed and the ending is magnificent. Very touching for an adult.I can't imagine how special this is for a child (I believe they mustget this easier than anyone else). I highly recommend this film foreveryone but specially for those with children.

griffolyon12

(2012-04-23 04:51:44)

There is no way a Goose is that Panda's Dad!

Who am I? Kung Fu Panda 2 is about a panda with an identity crisis. Po,our hero (voiced by Jack Black), has mastered the art of kung fu, butwhen his father (a goose) reveals he isn't really Po's father (I know,shocker, right?), Po begins to wonder who he truly is. All the while Pohas dreams of what he believes to be his real parents, and a peacockwho haunts the darkness in the midst of flames.Kung Fu Panda 2 is a character piece, that has some astonishing actionset pieces, both highly creative and well choreographed with thecamera, a rarity in this day and age of confusing whiz-bang action. Thevillainous peacock, Shen (voiced malevolently by Gary Oldman), has deepties to Po's past, making him a villain that seems more menacing thanyour average, "I wanna take over the world," bad guy, even though hewants to do that too. No other character is ever given anytime todevelop or grow further than what their archetype allows, which kind ofechoes the overall sentiment. There is an attempt at depth to thestory, but it is rushed at almost each attempt to reach the next coolaction set piece. While the story and humor always works, the emotionis not always there. Perhaps if more time had been taken and certainthings fleshed out, this would be more than an enjoyable kid's movieand be something more, regardless, the action and humor of Kung FuPanda 2 charms the child inside.I give Kung Fu Panda 2 a 7 out of 10!

alxfdrmn

(2012-04-22 21:14:33)

The Power of Awesomeness

In a summer packed with superheroes, pirates, and aliens, I wouldn'thave guessed that my favorite movie so far would involve animals doingmartial arts. Kung Fu Panda 2 was extremely impressive.The Po (Jack Black) of the first Kung Fu Panda is still the same goofypanda with a strong spirit and unique karate moves, but in this moviehe faces unanswered questions about his past. While the first movie wasmore of an origin story, the sequel shows his quest to find out wherehe came from, a gap that he needs to fill in order to become at peacewith himself. If you wondered how a panda could be the son of a goose,your questions will be answered, and Po's backstory is much moreemotionally developed than you might think.Po also has to confront the villainous Lord Shen (Gary Oldman), analbino peacock. Tai Lung (Ian McShane) in the first movie relied moreon brute force, but Shen is much crazier and unpredictable. In typicalsupervillain fashion, he plans to take over China and destroy Kung Fuforever (yes, Kung Fu is treated pretty lightly in these movies, butthere's enough philosophy involved, and it is a kid's movie). ThoughTai Lung held a personal grudge against Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman)in the first movie, Shen is a more fitting antagonist for Po because ofa strong connection to Po's past.And of course the colorful supporting cast is back too. The FuriousFive are all well-designed characters, and although they don't havemuch speaking time, they all have their moments to shine (especiallyAngelina Jolie as Tigress and Seth Rogen as Mantis). Though Jackie Chanbarely had any lines. The new characters all help to expand the worldof the movie.Though the first movie had a lot of juvenile humor, Kung Fu Panda 2 hada lot less fat jokes and a lot more slapstick. Despite the marketing,Po only says "Skadoosh" once, and it's actually pretty cool. The movieis darker overall, but that only serves to increase the epic tone. Shenis played by Gary Oldman, and though I didn't realize that until thecredits, it makes a lot of sense. The villainous peacock is verysimilar to other self-obsessed, off-the- hinge villains Oldman hasplayed in movies like LeГѓВіn and True Romance. But however dark the moviegets, it's always a lot of fun. Jack Black isn't as annoying as he canbe sometimes because Po just seems like the kind of character he'smeant to play.The animation in Kung Fu Panda 2 is extremely well done. It'sincredibly cool to see the group fight as a team, and the characteranimation is expressive in both emotional and action scenes. Thecinematography embraces a wide variety of techniques, from slow motionto first person chase scenes, and several sequences use 2D animation togreat effect. The set pieces are action-packed, and entertaining. Afterone scene, I thought the movie was going to end soon just because ofhow big it was, but the real finale topped even that. And thelandscapes and backgrounds are beautiful to look at, artfully designedbut still realistic.I saw this movie in 3D, and for the first time, I definitely recommendit. I haven't had many good experiences with live action 3D, butanimation is much better suited for it. Kung Fu Panda 2 is a thrillride, and the 3D was crisp and well done.I have to give props to Hans Zimmer. After Pirates of the Caribbean: OnStranger Tides was a bit of a letdown, the soundtrack to Kung Fu Panda2 is quite awesome, adding to the already epic tone.I honestly can't think of much that I can criticize about this movie.Po's "this is awesome" comments get a bit repetitive, and some sceneswith Shen are a bit long. There's a plot point where the group and Pohave an argument that kind of doesn't make sense. Otherwise, this moviewas really entertaining, both as an action movie and a (admittedlyaimed towards kids) comedy, with a strong heart in the center.If Cars 2 doesn't completely blow everyone away, Kung Fu Panda 2definitely has a rightful chance at winning Best Animated Feature(which my brother jokingly called "The Pixar Award") this year. It'sinteresting to see animation take on different genres, and if you tookout all the animals, this movie could definitely stand on its own as akung fu epic. Dreamworks really stepped up its game, and I would gladlypay to see Kung Fu Panda 2 (maybe even in 3D).

the-eyes-have-it

(2012-04-22 13:04:13)

pleasing entertainment

Another of those world domination scenarios involving the intendedtakeover of China by a lord and usurp kung fu. On that matter I don'tmind but on the matter of world take over the villain can getkick-butted. As you can see, I got involved with the storytelling. Itworked for me. This is action packed and full of flurry which kept myeyes peeled until the relaxing slower moments made me yearn for moreand I did get it. It's a diverting way to spend a couple of hours. Nicejob, boys and girls, and great colorful characters to boot. AngelinaJolie, Jackie Chan, Jack Black, Gary Oldman, Lucy Liu and SethRogen—all big name actors in this stylish big Hollywood animatedproduction—all do a marvelous job at tweaking the vocal nuances andkids will love that. It's superb animation, too, bright and bold to usethe design lingo.