Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)

In a summer packed with superheroes, pirates, and aliens, I wouldn't have guessed that my favorite movie so far would involve animals doing martial arts. Kung Fu Panda 2 was extremely impressive.

The Po (Jack Black) of the first Kung Fu Panda is still the same goofy panda with a strong spirit and unique karate moves, but in this movie he faces unanswered questions about his past. While the first movie was more of an origin story, the sequel shows his quest to find out where he came from, a gap that he needs to fill in order to become at peace with 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 more emotionally developed than you might think.

Po also has to confront the villainous Lord Shen (Gary Oldman), an albino peacock. Tai Lung (Ian McShane) in the first movie relied more on brute force, but Shen is much crazier and unpredictable. In typical supervillain fashion, he plans to take over China and destroy Kung Fu forever (yes, Kung Fu is treated pretty lightly in these movies, but there's enough philosophy involved, and it is a kid's movie). Though Tai Lung held a personal grudge against Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) in the first movie, Shen is a more fitting antagonist for Po because of a strong connection to Po's past.

And of course the colorful supporting cast is back too. The Furious Five are all well-designed characters, and although they don't have much speaking time, they all have their moments to shine (especially Angelina Jolie as Tigress and Seth Rogen as Mantis). Though Jackie Chan barely had any lines. The new characters all help to expand the world of the movie.

Though the first movie had a lot of juvenile humor, Kung Fu Panda 2 had a lot less fat jokes and a lot more slapstick. Despite the marketing, Po only says "Skadoosh" once, and it's actually pretty cool. The movie is darker overall, but that only serves to increase the epic tone. Shen is played by Gary Oldman, and though I didn't realize that until the credits, it makes a lot of sense. The villainous peacock is very similar to other self-obsessed, off-the- hinge villains Oldman has played in movies like León and True Romance. But however dark the movie gets, it's always a lot of fun. Jack Black isn't as annoying as he can be sometimes because Po just seems like the kind of character he's meant to play.

The animation in Kung Fu Panda 2 is extremely well done. It's incredibly cool to see the group fight as a team, and the character animation is expressive in both emotional and action scenes. The cinematography embraces a wide variety of techniques, from slow motion to first person chase scenes, and several sequences use 2D animation to great effect. The set pieces are action-packed, and entertaining. After one scene, I thought the movie was going to end soon just because of how big it was, but the real finale topped even that. And the landscapes and backgrounds are beautiful to look at, artfully designed but still realistic.

I saw this movie in 3D, and for the first time, I definitely recommend it. I haven't had many good experiences with live action 3D, but animation is much better suited for it. Kung Fu Panda 2 is a thrill ride, and the 3D was crisp and well done.

I have to give props to Hans Zimmer. After Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides was a bit of a letdown, the soundtrack to Kung Fu Panda 2 is quite awesome, adding to the already epic tone.

Fmovies: The first word I can say about this movie is, wow! Now once again I know that I enjoy animation movies more than anything but this is one of my top 5 favorites. Kung Fu Panda 2 when I first saw the trailer looked like a typical sequel and kind of a corny ending line, "This could be the end of kung fu..." despite the fact that I liked the first movie. However, the past tense of my sentence pretty much tells where this review is headed, not to mention the stars, but onto the review.

I am only going to choose four of the many characters to talk about for understandable reasons. Po (Jack Black) obviously going to be the star of the movie has excellently transitioned into the role he played. During the first movie, he was socially awkward and never took kung fu seriously, but in this movie it really makes it feel as if he has been shown the ropes a little more and he has matured significantly. For example he is enjoying himself with the Furious Five rather than trying to fit in, and he is also more comfortable with his technique, shown during fighting sequences.

Tigress (Angelina Jolie) I feel was a lot more accepting in this movie, which does not necessarily fit her description of the previous movie, but once again maturity comes back into play. On the other hand though I feel she is a little too accepting though. I don't know if this was deliberate, but she kind of has a relationship with Po unlike any of the other members of the Furious Five have. The boat scene is a perfect example of this because she tries to get Po to open up to her, and for those who have seen the movie, the jail scene where she gets the truth out of Po. Perhaps Dreamworks did this on purpose, but I guess I will just have to wait and find out.

Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman), not really a major character in this movie, actually he is more of a minor one. Shifu looks like he has aged a lot more and he is trying to feel his inner peace as if his job is nearing completion. Now I added Shifu in here because he did contribute to the movie, as little of it as he was in. Shifu in KFP was a master to the Furious Five and Po, and only a master, but in KFP2 he is more of a father figure to them. He gives them the direction that he believes is best for them and the valley, and he is no longer intolerant of Po. When Shifu summons Po, Po interrupts Shifu's inner peace by stumbling and making loud noises, but Shifu just shrugs it off and guides Po to his next phase of training.

Now for the final character which made this an excellent movie, Shen (Gary Oldman). Now this character was one of my favorites. In most animation movies you can look at the antagonist and he will be able to fit into society and not be a threat unless he/she wants to be, but from the very beginning he is just a fearful figure regardless of what he is trying to do. Shen shows the true antithesis of good by just being ruthless, unforgiving, and down right murderous. It does not matter what is in his way he will destroy it or get his minions to do it. That is one of the excellent things about this franchise, the villain was truly a villain. Like Tai Lung (Ian MacShane), he was feared by the Valley of Peace just by hearing his name, same with the name Shen, it just struck fear into the hearts of the people.

These four characters really did add to the movie, but this movie also had everything built into it. Not only did it fill the previous holes from the first movie, where is Po from? Who are his parents? How did Mr. Ping get Po? All of these questio

I had seen the teaser trailer for the awaited sequel for Kung Fu Panda...and I was psyched! Now I had seen Kung Fu Panda 2, and I find that both the original film and this sequel are both AWESOME!

Po is now enjoying being the Dragon Warrior. But then a band of bandit wolves were attacking the Artisan Village for metal. But during the battle, Po noticed a symbol on the bandit leader's armor that triggered a memory from his past - thus letting the wolves escape. Po asks his father Mr Ping ,where he came from, but all the goose can tell him is that he found Po as an infant in a vegetable crate behind his restaurant and adopted him.

Afterwards, Master Shifu had receive word that Master Thundering Rhino, leader of the Kung Fu Council protecting the metropolis of Gongmen City, has been killed by the white peacock Lord Shen with his massive weapon, which threatens to destroys Kung Fu tradition. So Po and the Furious Five are sent to stop him. Now I know I would say this too: that is all I will tell of the film, folks, you will have to see the film for yourself how it ends.

So overall, I love really this film from beginning to end, perfect to go with the original film.

Kung Fu Panda 2 fmovies. Kung Fu Panda 2 is pretty much everything a sequel should be. It builds upon its characters, it crafts a plot that is larger as well as more personal and its themes are even deeper than before. It sees Po (Jack Black), who has now been fully accepted by the furious five, forced to battle against a peacock named Lord Shen who plans to conqueror China with a new weapon. It doesn't seem like much on the surface, but Po begins to have flashbacks of why his parents abandoned him and it links directly back to Shen himself. Stories like this are brilliant because the set-up and main goal is relatively simple, but there is a very heartfelt and surprisingly emotion core to the film that is just fantastic.

This feels like its Po's story, and it might annoy some people that the other characters aren't developed more, but for me it was the right move. It makes you always engaged in the journey that he goes through, you want to know what happened to his real parents and he grows as a hero as a result of everything that he goes through. Po himself is again a lot of fun and it impresses me how well balanced the character is, being naive but lovable at the same time with Jack Black adding his usual drive to the role. The furious five are still are really enjoyable team and I think the writers did a great job in giving them all the right amount of lines as well as making them a team you can connect to. Master Shifu has a more limited appearance, but he's still good fun when he shows up.

Arguably the best thing is Lord Shen (Gary Oldman). This is a villain who is both intimidating and really funny, and so many times it's either too much of one or the other yet here they get it spot- on. He is never too serious and he is never too goofy, it is a perfect balance. He has a backstory that explains his actions and connects to Po's spiritual journey. The animation on him looks marvellous and Oldman is absolutely brilliant as usual.

I think one of the main reasons the film works so well is because of the emotion impact it has. The characters all have legitimate reasons for what they are doing and they're feelings as well as flaws are shown fully. The scenes with Po and his adoptive father Mr. Ping (James Wong) are really touching as well as being amusing. The flashbacks are truly moving and even tear inducing. I believe it shows that you can be serious and even somewhat sombre if you can get the balance right. The jokes are consistently funny here, mostly due to Po's behaviour and a lot of Shen's lines. Once again with DreamWorks the animation is absolutely superb with this being some of their sharpest and most vibrant that they have ever produced. Pretty much everything from character designs to the scenic shots of ancient China look fantastic. The more 2-D style in Po's flashbacks is also a nice touch and helps it standout. The speed of the animation is another plus. When it is used for slapstick the quick pace makes everything seem even funnier, and it does a similar thing for the action scenes by giving them even more energy. The score (by Hans Zimmer and John Powell) is another positive, crafting the right amount of soothing melodies and backing the action effectively with some more upbeat compositions.

I think balance is the key word here and it is where Kung Fu Panda 2 succeeds. The story itself is an excellent continuation and the way it unravels as the film goes on is just wonderful. It has plenty of comedy and well placed humour, but it never shies away from darker and more

I loved the first Kung Fu Panda movie. It had everything: amazing story, great characters, not to mention great humor. In fact, I consider it to be the best DreamWorks movie since Shrek. Considering DreamWorks' almost flawless track record with sequels, I couldn't wait to see Kung Fu Panda 2.

I went to see the midnight premiere, and boy was I not disappointed! Everything about this film blew me away. Just like Shrek 2, this was everything a sequel should be. This was a well-written, excellent continuation of the series. It had everything the first film had and more. One of the things I really liked was seeing Po and Tigress become close friends, whereas in the first film she couldn't stand to be around him. With that said, her character was nicely developed; I would have liked to see more of that in the rest of the Five.

Overall, this film was excellent. I can't wait to see it again; I hear there may be plans for a third movie. As long as they keep doing what works in their films, and don't do what they did for Shrek the Third, I'm sure DreamWorks will not disappoint me. 10/10

Let me preface by saying I was rather unimpressed with the first Kung Fu Panda. As entertaining and well-choreographed as it was, it didn't pass my bar for mediocre DreamWorks animated movies. It was amusing and had some heart, but all-in-all was pretty expected. Now when I got a chance to see a preview of Kung Fu Panda 2, I was rather indifferent to seeing DreamWorks trying to pump out a mediocre sequel and a new franchise. But WOW... was I wrong! I take back everything I said earlier because, man oh man, I have to admit that Kung Fu Panda 2 was one of the best animated films I have ever seen.

In in this installment, we find Po and the Furious Five defending the Valley of Peace from evil when a new threat rises. Lord Shen, an albino peacock banished by his parents many years ago, has returned with a technology capable of ending kung fu and conquering China. As the Furious Five embark to destroy the weapon, Po begins to realize that Shen may be linked to his lost childhood past as a panda bear. I won't say any more in fear of spoiling the story, but be prepared for a powerful emotional experience.

I found a big improvement was that they toned down all the things that made the first movie irritating: over-the-top Jack Black antics, overused slow-mo effects, and dialogue silliness. That's not to say Kung Fu Panda 2 doesn't have humor; actually, it has exactly the right amount at the right time. I found myself rolling my eyes a lot at the jokes in the first movie, but the sequel had me (and the whole theater, for that matter) genuinely laughing! The characters have fully matured and been fleshed out to the point where even Jack Black fits comfortably as Po, though regrettably the Furious Five barely get any screen time. Of course, shining in the spotlight was Gary Oldman as the sinister Lord Shen, whose fantastically evil voice acting tops even Ian McShane's as Tai Lung and is the ONLY way that a peacock could possibly be made scary! The 3D was also showcased quite well, enhancing most of the visuals throughout the movie without being a headache.

Maybe you call it blasphemy, but the comparison must be made. Kung Fu Panda 2 was put together with such a degree of excellence that it rivals many Pixar movies (and in my opinion has a good chance of outshining Cars 2 this year). With some fantastic animation, a surprising and touching story, and convincing voice talent, Kung Fu Panda 2 will easily go down as one of my all-time animated favorites.

9/10