Kung Fu Panda 2 - Review

Saw the Kung Fu sequel featuring Jack Black as a martial arts Panda. I had mixed feelings going into this one. Ever since I learned a sequel was in the works, I was a bit anxious. My "problem" is that I am a huge fan of the original movie. It is practically the perfect mash-up of my favorite genres: martial arts and animation (Disney/Dreamworks/Pixar). I've seen it countless times and my kids love it too. Some of our favorite quotes come from the first Panda movie. So, a sequel had a lot to live up to.

I will say that I liked Kung Fu Panda 2. It was every bit the sequel. The action was turned up to 11. And some of the scenes were much larger in scale than Panda 1. It was all together bigger and faster. There was consistency with the first movie that I liked. Po's dream sequences have the same style as in Panda 1. The evolution of Po and the Furious Five working as a team was logical and evident. There were some historic nods to advance weaponry, like guns, replacing martial arts. The voice acting of the villan (Gary Oldman?) was superb.

The best part of the movie was it's lesson. It holds a special meaning to me for a couple reasons: I happen to personally know a vengeful peacock that can't let go of the past. Over the years, I have also come to realize that my family does not have to be biological; and that anyone willing to be family, is indeed family. It's basic stuff, but hits home nicely.

Some little stuff I caught, was that Jean Claude Van Damme had a minor part. And his character of Master Croc did a completely unnecessary splits move toward the finale. That's pretty cool. Also, Michelle Yeoh had an extensive part; and I loved her in Crouching Tiger. Yet to be honest, I did not recognize her voice.

I've heard many people say that they liked this movie better than the first. I'm not one of them, despite the emotional ties. That's not to say I didn't really enjoy it. I want to watch it again. But it is such a tall order to capture the magic of the original. They both have a great mix of action and humor, and a touching/meaningful ending. Maybe the first movie had better balance with the Sifu/Po/Uguay characters? I thought the music of the first movie was amazing, and it's hard to re-create that, even though the style was the same.

Probably the best part of Kung Fu Panda 2 is that they didn't ruin the first movie, but successfully built upon it. And having done that, are going to make a third installment. Bring it.