Review of Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011) by Delta_Assault — 27 Sep 2011

Finally got around to seeing Kung Fu Panda 2. And I gotta say... this was a great experience. Quite amazing that they managed to create a second film at least equal to the first one, which was a sensational animated film. Not prepared to say it's better than its predecessor, because it's still new and fresh in my mind and there's some afterglow lingering about. The first film had a few majestic shots that this one lacked, like that tranquil scene where Master Oogway ascends in a flurry of petals while Hans Zimmer and John Powell's powerful music swells. On the other hand, there are jaw dropping scenes in this one that you didn't find in the first entry. So yeah, all in all it feels about as good as the first.

The thing with these two Kung Fu Panda films that I am so damn thrilled about and which engenders great love for them is that they know how to come up with third act climaxes that actually do deliver. The third acts in these films have final showdowns/battles that are legitimately spectacular and you can sense that the film is at the height of its power, that these really are the animators working at their high point. With a lot of recent superhero films like Iron Man and Iron Man 2 and Thor... you don't really get that. You're usually left with somewhat disappointing climactic battles at the end, and this is a sin that the KFP films effortlessly avoid. When something begins to spin around and around in a white hot fury in the closing battle, your eyes pop open along with the main villain's in the film, as the significance of that image truly becomes clear. The artistry of Dreamworks is not just evident in its CGI animation, but in simple and effective composition of shots from 2D hand-drawn images that are placed in between the 3D animation.

The emotional depth of KFP2 is surprising for a kid's movie, and recalls much of Pixar's previous work in this area. Here, most of it is centered around Po's relationship with his adopted father Mr. Ping, and with his search for his true parents. Most people aren't at all familiar with the dynamics of adopted children and their foster parents, not having experienced anything like that themselves, but it's handled with touching grace and empathy and humor. You might never imagine a goose and a panda could comprise a family, but at the end of the film you'll have a hard time believing otherwise, the strength of the material and the performances makes it so. Po's memories of his actual parents are deeply affecting and become more so as the picture progresses, due to the aforementioned artistic vision of the creative team. At the beginning of the movie, Po's memories are rendered as 2D hand-drawn animation, with bold broad strokes which look simplistic and convey the distant and unnatural nature of his recollection. Later, when he finally makes his breakthrough and his mind is clear, these memories are transformed into the 3D animation of the rest of the film, with subtle detail and a realism that make the flashbacks incredibly heartbreaking to watch. This is first rate storytelling, and something that could have only been done in these animated films.

Now, having given all these accolades, I do have to say that the main villain of this film, Lord Shen, was not as good as Tai Lung was in the first film. I've been hearing a lot of praise for this character, but honestly, I don't really see why. He's this psychopathic **** who saw a prophecy that he would be defeated by something black and white, and decided to go cause, basically, a panda holocaust. Then he's shunned, and rightfully so, by his parents for said holocaust. So he's bitter and later returns to get revenge on... well, everyone in China, cause his parents are dead by this point. This is not a deep or complex antagonist here. Don't get me wrong, I think Gary Oldman gives a great voice acting performance as Shen, Oldman always does good work in whatever role he's given, so that's all fine. But just talking about the character itself, it's not anything to write home about. He seemed about as evil and one-dimensional as your average cardboard villain.