Kung Fu Panda 2 follows Po and his gang of Kung Fu masters sometime after the end of the first one. By now Po has become famous and has master multiple forms of Kung Fu. This time around a new villain threats the peace, Lord Shen. He utilizes technology and gun power to hold fear over the citizens of China. Po though is having trouble discovering his past and coming to terms with who he is. Will Po and the gang stop Lord Shen and save the day or will Po let his past get the best of him?
The last thing I was expecting from this movie was an emotional struggle with our main protagonist, Po. Though as this story progressed this story got stronger and actually shown some real heart. Not only was Po dealing with his past, but the main villain Shen also had problems accepting his past and moving on. In the end this movie was a fight between two was with dealing with your past: acceptance and pain. Po, who is trying to figure out who he is and where he comes from, moves on from the past and decides what he wants to be instead of his past controlling him. Shen, who feels that his parents never loved him, lets his past tear away at him and control his actions. Even Tigress, who we barely learned anything from the first movie, gave us hints of a painful past. Really at the foundation of this movie is a story about progression and controlling your future. Po reflects us the audience member and lets us know that only we control our lives.
There are some great cameos from Danny McBride, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and Dennis Haysbert, the guy from the Allstate commercials!Jack Black was great as Po and Angelina Jolie did a much better job than her last run as Tigress.Now as a big Gary Oldman fan, I was excited to see him play the villain Lord Shen. He did not disappoint and did a great job as always as the merciless villain. He also did a great job at being funny and not being too serious for a kids movie. David Cross and Seth Rogen also did great at their supporting roles.
The other great part about this movie was the visuals. First time director Jennifer Yuh was impressive and gave a glorious vision of China and of Kung Fu. The action was a lot of fun to watch and a great step up from the first film. One of the best parts was making the fighting more idealized and fun. Characters giving names to their moves and spectacular lights and weapons that made it a fun time.
Really this movie was a lot of fun. It had some really funny moments and some great action sequences. It was surprisingly emotional and not in a bad way. I think this could be enjoyable to anyone who is willing to get past that its a kids movie. Overall I would suggest this to people who are in the mood for some fun. If you get the chance stop by and check out Kung Fu Panda 2. If you enjoyed the first one, then you will definitely enjoy this one. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
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