My Movie Review on Kung Fu Panda 2 · 10:15pm May 7th, 2020

Greetings, Kemosabes?

This is your friendly film, TV show, and episode reporter here with another review.

Today, for my 150th film analysis, I'm gonna give you guys my take of "Kung Fu Panda 2".

Here's the rundown of this tale:

Po is now living the high life as the Dragon Warrior, protecting the Valley of Peace alongside the Furious Five and being a master of kung fu.

However, when the villainous Lord Shen makes himself known and forcefully takes over a place called Gongman City, Po and the Furious Five realize that they must stop Shen before he conquers China and destroys kung fu forever. Along the way, Po discovers that Shen holds a connection to his past and that he's part of a prophecy to defeat the malicious peacock.

Will Po and the Furious Five be able to stop Shen? Or will the peacock's plans fall through?

What's more, who is Po? And will he come to terms with his past?

After watching the first movie a while back, I knew that I definitely wanted to review this film next. And what better time to do so than now, right?

I really must say, I can see why many consider this movie superior over its predecessor. If the production team's goal was to go all-out on making sure this film beautifully succeeded the original as much as possible, then I'm proud to say "Mission Accomplished".

For instance, the animation of this sequel was more astonishing than in that of its predecessor. I love that the character animation was upgraded to where the textures of each character looked so real, even though the characters themselves are computer-animated. The film's settings and backgrounds were likewise absolutely gorgeous, maintaining the same style and feel as the first while also being something new. The hand-drawn animation that was used for Po's flashbacks and dreams was handsomely well-done, if I may add. The visual style of it was like that of a Chinese artist's picture book, only you don't have to flip the pages to witness the beauty of those pictures.

The direction by Jennifer Yuh Nelson, and the story by Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger, were awesome too. And like many other reviewers, I couldn't help but note the influence of executive producer Guillermo del Toro.

When it came to going bigger and deeper with this film than previously, the filmmakers didn't mess around. Among the incredible things they did was provide a narrative that was undoubtedly inspired and given much thought, and it doesn't mimic the predecessor either. The larger amount of emotional resonance the movie had was also compellingly heart-tugging, and the wit and humor that was showcased throughout successfully balanced the tone and gave the movie a sense of fun. The exploration on Po's background and past was one of my favorite parts, as I found my heart being consistently tugged on with sympathy for Po. Plus, the film's morals and themes were nicely worked.

The voice acting, casting, characters, and character development were fantastic, if I may add.

Out of all the old cast members and characters, Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, and James Hong, and their characters of Po, Tigress, and Mr. Ping astounded me the most. As I watched the scenes featuring Mr. Ping, I noted that Hong was not only able to maintain the same fiery personality and sense of humor like in the first film, but...the amount of emotion and heart he incorporated for Ping's fatherly and vulnerable side was so genuine I felt my soul getting pulled on. It was also astonishing to see how emotionally and physically into it Black was in portraying Po, and the character development Po had throughout the movie made him all-the-more compelling. Angelina Jolie likewise caught me by surprise, as she gave her character of Tigress an unexpectedly powerful amount of depth and sense of authority, each of which were accompanied by a feeling of care. Seeing how far Tigress had come since the last movie and the softer side she displayed was what I found to be a real treat among others, along with her loyalty to Po.

As a plus, the film's new characters and cast members were deeply impressive. Especially Gary Oldman and Michelle Yeoh and their characters of Lord Shen and the Soothsayer.

Gary Oldman was literally perfect for the character of Shen. Every piece of dialogue Oldman had, he said with astounding class and powerful emotion, and he gave the character awesome theatricality and personality. In addition, Shen himself was not only a brilliant successor to Tai Lung, he's one of the most fully-realized and well-developed villains in animation history.

Whether anyone besides me thinks this is something I don't know, but I thought that the Soothsayer was a wonderful addition to the series. Her kind and wise personality was truly admirable, and Michelle Yeoh did a beautiful job capturing that with her voice alone. The character's humorous and witty side was fun to watch too.

Finally, the music by Hans Zimmer and John Powell was as magnificent as ever. As composers, the two of them truly knew how to extend themselves creatively. The melodies they made were filled to the brim with a sense of emotion and depth, and there was a cinematically Chinese purity about the music that was so irresistible.

In conclusion, "Kung Fu Panda 2" is a spectacular sequel that marvelously succeeds the original. The animation is remarkable, the narrative is fabulous, the voice acting and characters are total awesomeness everything!

So, I rate "Kung Fu Panda 2" five out of five stars.