Movie Review: Kung Fu Panda 2

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Great continuation with laughs

Cons: Not quite as good as the original

The Bottom Line: 

More fun since Po's back

Continuing his story

With pure awesomeness

"Tell Those Musicians to Start Playing Some Action Music Because It Is On."

I'll admit I had to get talked into going to see the original Kung Fu Panda, but I quickly got caught up in the story.  So when they started advertising Kung Fu Panda 2, I knew I would have to see it.  While not as funny as the original, it is still quite entertaining.

The story picks up at some point after the first movie ends.  Now officially accepted as the Dragon Warrior, Po (voiced by Jack Black) is known as a national hero.  He regularly joins the Furious Five as they use Kung Fu to defend China from enemies.

Unfortunately, a new enemy is about to return.  Shen (Gary Oldman) was banished because of his desire to use fireworks for evil.  But there is a prophecy that Shen will be defeated by a black and white warrior.

Meanwhile, Po is beginning to think that he might not be related to his father the goose.  He is seeing flashbacks of his old life and begins to think that Shen might hold the answers.  Will Po learn the truth?  And if so, will Po find the inner peace to defeat Shen?

In my opinion, there are two kinds of sequels - those that basically rehash the plot and those that try to continue the story.  This is definitely a sequel in the later category.  Yes, Po still has much training to learn.  No, he's not a perfect fighter.  But he can hold his own, and the Furious Five have accepted him as an equal.  In fact, it is clear early on that he is a much loved member of the group.

Having said that, the Furious Five are hardly better developed than they were before.  Angelina Jolie's Tigress and Seth Rogan's Mantis get the best development, but it's honestly hard to remember who is who from the rest of the five.  Really, Po and Shen are the only characters who get a decent amount of development this time around.

I mentioned that this movie wasn't quite as funny as the original, and that's true.  There are still plenty of laughs.  There are great one liners, sometimes in a least expected places.  And the action scenes are often funny as well while still taking the Kung Fu seriously.  In fact, I'd argue that the action scenes hold up better here than some of them do in live action movies.

The computer animation is good, but that's hardly surprising.  While there are no breathtaking shots, everything looks fine and there is nothing to push you out of the story.

And the voice cast is wonderful.  The fact that almost everyone in the cast is a well known actor doesn't get in the way at all.  I hardly recognized their voices, instead getting caught up in the story unfolding on the screen in front of me.

So Kung Fu Panda 2 is a worthy follow up to the original.  No, it's not quite as good, but it still entertains.