Kung Fu Panda 2

Review by Jason Donner

I have to admit it: I love Kung Fu Panda.  The first movie was a bright and snappy movie full of wit and humor, some great voice acting, and some of the best fight choreography I had seen that year.  I'm not exaggerating on that last bit, mind you, there are rare scenes that can rival the kinetic energy of the bridge fight and it goes so unappreciated!

Kung Fu Panda was also notable in that, at the time, Dreamworks was a veritable and decaying mass of pop culture references and the putrid stink of projects like Shark Tale and Bee Movie.  Kung Fu Panda ushered in the fledgling golden age of Dreamworks Animation that has since gone on to rival Pixar instead of being trounced by them at every turn.

It was with a tad bit of trepidation that I heard that Kung Fu Panda was going to get sequels, but on the other hand, I loved the characters so much that I was equally excited to have another adventure with them.  If only the quality of the new picture could match the quality of the first, all would be well in the world.  It worked with Shrek, right?  For one movie at least...

Thankfully, I can report that Po and Company are back and looking as awesome as ever.  Kung Fu Panda 2 not only matches the wit and action of the original movie, but at times even surpasses it as it eventually goes into darker and more personal territory for the Furious Five and their chubby little panda buddy.

If the original movie was Po's debut, the new movie is his origin story.  I'm sure that it probably passed without your notice, but it turns out that Po is adopted (news that shocks him, I'm sure) and the question of where he comes from finally surfaces when a new enemy named Lord Shen comes into the light with a new and dangerous weapon that could mean the end of Kung Fu forever!

As Po and the Furious Five are dispatched to bring this pernicious peacock down once and for all, Po begins having disturbing flashbacks that start to affect his inner peace and his ability to defend China.

Now, Po must stop Shen and his plans to conquer all of creation and come to peace with a truly horrific chapter of his life.

Kung Fu Panda 2 is a more than worthy follow up to the enjoyable sequel.  It's exciting, action-packed, and beautiful with all of the character moments that make good movies great.  This movie could actually be one of those rare instances when the sequel eclipses the original -- which, given the quality of the original, is no small task.

Kung Fu Panda 2 is a movie that is so deep and so wonderful that is practically screams for multiple viewings.  Even the 3-D which is usually nothing but a blatant rip-off, enhances the movie in a million different ways.  This is a sequel that the fans weren't sure they wanted in the beginning, but now its got us clamoring for more.

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