Jack Black is back as everyone's favorite fat panda in the epic adventure of Kung Fu Panda 2. Unlike POTC 4, Hans Zimmer along with John Powell keep the music fresh and upcoming. Then again, this was the first sequel and not the third, so there was more wiggle room as far as composition goes. The music was pretty intense, matching the mood perfectly in some of the more serious scenes.
And it was serious, very serious at times. Of course, it's hard to have the slaughter of an entire village be the main plot point and not get a little serious. There is no blood, but a lot of characters/grunts meet a G rated death. However, DreamWorks dealt with this wonderfully with some of their beautiful transitions. The flashback sequences merge flawlessly with the 'regular' timeline, although I was starting to get a little tired of the sheer amount of them. I love the 2-D animations. They bring an individual charm to the movie, and really makes it stand out from all of the other animation movies nowadays. In all honesty, I can't find anything I didn't like about the artwork and detail in KFP 2.
I can't find anything really wrong with characterization either. Yes, it's true that the movie focuses a lot more on Po than any other character, but hey, he's the main character, and the whole story is about himself. Po works through a terrible event and suppressed memories, and the audience gets a front seat to experience his internal conflict as well. Tigress has gotten over her jealousy issues, and we get to see some more glimpses of her caring side. The person I liked most, though, was the villain. Gary Oldman was Lord Shen, an understandable villain. I really don't like it when you are given a guy and told he is a villain and completely evil without justifications or reason. What's even worse is when they try to give a reason in the most cliche way. For example:
Mr. Evil McKevil cackled madly as he watched Hero McChero struggle against his bonds. "Fools! I'm going to make them pay for bullying me as a child. I was so alone. No one loved me. Now they will be forced to recognize me in death! I'm going to use my Weapon of DOOM now. Say 'good-bye' to all of the innocent civilians I'm now going to fry, Mr. McChero! Bweeeheeeheeehee!"
There was nothing like this in KFP 2. It's actually very indirect and subtle. Shen doesn't even come out and give the reason himself - he's prompted by the Soothsayer. Words don't do the characterization justice.
Again, I knew the plot from the beginning, but they say it's the journey, right? And the journey was definitely worth it. Let's face it - the movie was lol level funny, and the fighting scenes included combos that made it interesting and not just a repeat of the last movie. Again, the visual aspects were 110%, leading to the standard of fight scenes I missed in POTC.
In conclusion, Kung Fu Panda 2 was a great follow-up to a great movie. The graphics were beautiful, the characterization was amazing, and although the plot was simple, it was forgiven in place of a never-ending string of clever jokes and quips. This must-see movie has my stamp of approval.
Overall : 4.5/5.0
Next Review : X-Men 2
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