Review of Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011) by Chris K — 14 Dec 2012

The Short:

Stellar casting, hilarious humor, HUGE action, great story.

Weak secondary characters and 1 or two jokes are kid oriented. Pacing is too fast.

Overall: A fun and action packed sequel that live up to it's predecessor and is just a ridiculously fun movie to watch.

8/10.

The Full Review:

Seems like we have another case of SEQUEL-itis this summer, and most of them are garbage.

Kung Fu Panda 2 dares to shake that trend, and succeeds and improves upon its predecessor in every way. Some may deem it childish, but this is an animated film with polish and directed with such expertise that is rarely found in animated films (nothing comes to mind except the recent RANGO and Toy Story 3).

The AWESOME(ness):

Fantastic casting and voices. This movie would be nothing without the voice of Jack Black. Other characters are great though.

Amazing action for a kid's movie. The first film had action for more a comedic affect, but this time around huge set pieces drive forward huge brawls and battles. The fights are also extremely well choreographed and I never was confused about what was going on.

Visually stellar. Animation has come a long way and this is the movie to further justify the credibility of the team at Dreamworks. The animation is smooth, and the visual effects are stark and vibrant, and colors pop off of the screen. Also, the 3D is fantastic, serving more as an extra layer of depth rather than cheesy Spy Kids pop-out effects. The soundtrack and sound mixing is also fantastic.

Great story and overall sequel. With an original film that was so well received how do you make a great sequel? By answering those lingering questions and throwing a ton of action right at the viewer.

Don't worry, it still has that Jack Black brand humor. And it's excellent.

The Bad:

The pacing of the entire film is very fast, and at a runtime of only 80 minutes, it's over surprisingly quick. I would've liked to see more character development here and there, and a break from the action sequences, but then this movie would lose its charm. It's so blitz paced, making Kung Fu Panda 2 incredibly entertaining, but also making me hungry for more substance.

Kung Fu Panda 2 is just a great sequel. It's fast, surprisingly action packed, filled with hilarious situational humor, and tells a wonderful, if a little too fast paced, story and is visually stellar.

It is easily the one of the better sequels Dreamworks has ever dished out, and is a must see if you are a fan of the original.