Po (Jack Black) and pals venture across China to battle a new villain, voiced by Gary Oldman, and uncover the secrets of Po's mysterious origins in this all-star sequel to DreamWorks Animation's 2008 original.
Living his dream as The Dragon Warrior, Po is happy protecting the Valley of Peace alongside his friends and fellow kung fu masters - Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Crane (David Cross), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Viper (Lucy Liu) and Monkey (Jackie Chan). But all is threatened by the emergence of a formidable villain, Lord Shen (Oldman), who plans to use a secret, unstoppable weapon to conquer China and destroy kung fu.
There are several moments during Kung Fu Panda 2 that might force you to take a breather, remove those 3D glasses and rub your eyes in awe: is this how good it’s got? Indeed, this swiftly paced sequel to one of Dreamworks’ better CG-animated efforts overwhelms our senses with one stunning, phenomenal set-piece after another: there are crashing pagodas, hurtling cannonballs, wild chases, and of course, a lot of whiplash-inducing kung fu, effortlessly balancing elegance, ferocity, variety and comic timing like the genre’s pros. And yes, it’s all ridiculously beautiful look at, even when there’s nothing happening on-screen (which doesn’t happen very often).
However, the film could’ve definitely done with a wittier script. There’s a bit of slapstick to appease the kids, but where the action soars, the humour comes up short. Likewise, the central drama isn’t as emotionally engaging, even though the story does give our cuddly, overweight hero Po (Jack Black) a valid reason for returning: an existential journey to recall the fate of his biological parents and fulfil a prophecy to stop a power-mad peacock named Shen (Gary Oldman) from conquering China. So while this is often an altogether darker Panda than its predecessor – look no further than the fiery infernal lair of Shen as a point of tonal difference – and its appropriation of the martial arts genre scales some dizzying heights, the plot itself doesn’t always inspire the same kind of giddiness.
By Aaron Yap, Flicks.co.nz
Going by my 3+4 yr old boys, i think it Draged on a little in the Middle But they Loved the Fighting Scenes
Great take on all the old school kung fu movies. My girlfriend even had a tear in her eye haha. Nice and colour full with some very take bits done with the colour faded a bit. Some good laughs in it too of course, it does have Jack Black in it! Brilliantly done... would easily watch it again
Panda goes on a personal Journey on WHO he is & where he came from, it's dark in a way that he finds the truth about his past & also why he truly is the DRAGON WARRIOR. He grows to become a better person because he learns his own INNER PEACE, as we all should learn to forgive.
expected more as enjoyed the first one but this wasn't as good
Not as good as the first, but a decent animation with characters a lot of people have come to love none the less. The animation itself was great, but the story kind of boring.
The sequel remains visually beautiful and strikingly designed, but otherwise, it's a surprise in all the wrong ways.
The animation is elegant, the story is much more involving than in the original, and there's boundless energy.
The 2008 original Kung Fu Panda was pretty much impossible not to like.
A richer plot, life lessons and loving Chinese cultural references rendered by turns sweet, scary and charming, with yet more fantastical kung fu, make this an engaging winner. Stunning visuals make it real art as well.
It all moves along briskly, with a degree of visual grace and a solid feel for 3D.
We've been told the NZ release date for this flick is Thursday, 7th Jul 2011.
Release date: July 7th 2011.
We haven't received times for this movie in this location yet. However these are updated as cinemas announce them, so check back soon. Hopefully the lovely cinemas in your location will choose to play it shortly. ~Ed.
