Movie Review: Kung Fu Panda 2
Dreamworks Entertainment has long relied on the Shrek brand as their flagship property, even as each sequel became less charming and more reliant on tiresome pop culture jokes, and eventually resulted in a fourth, final film that was stale, empty, hollow, and really just not all that funny even when it tried. In other words, I don’t know how the company that made Shrek Forever After was capable of producing something as entertaining as Kung Fu Panda 2.
Jack Black returns as Po, the lovably over-sized panda, who fights evil as the prophesized Dragon Warrior along with the Furious Five. Their skills as defenders is once again required as the vengeful Shen (Gary Oldman), a peacock with a serious grudge against pandas, has built a weapon of devastating power, which he plans to use to conquer China. But Po and Shen have met before, many years ago, and Shen may be the only one who knows what happened to Po’s birth parents.
It’s a simple story, and actually a more literal retread of the original’s “find your destiny” theme; instead of discovering the hidden warrior within, Po instead must come to terms with his roots if he has any hope of succeeding. That’s the movie’s weakest point; since it basically covers the same ground as the original, there’s not much room for character growth; Po is much better at kung fu than he used to be, but still goofy enough to garner laughs, which puts him…well, right back where he was at the end of the first film. Not to say the movie lacks heart or doesn’t know how to push the right emotional buttons…it just doesn’t expand much further thematically beyond the first film.
And as far as characters from the first film go…other than Mr. Ping (James Hong), Tigress (Angelina Jolie), and Po, they might as well not have bothered calling the actors back. While Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) provides a couple of words of wisdom before grabbing his paycheck, the rest of the Furious Five could literally have gone through the whole movie as mimes, since their dialogue consists of nothing but throwaway lines (Lucy Liu in particular says, I believe, fewer than 10 words in the whole movie; if Lawrence Olivier was getting paid by the word, surely she was getting paid by the syllable). Even Tigress, despite her more prominent role, really doesn’t do a whole lot other than engage in her “not-quite-romance” with Po, which was already well-established in the first film.
That said, if these are two steps backfor the series, the rest of the film is about twenty steps forward. With a lack of any sort of development for much of the returning cast, the rest is filled admirably with the new additions. If you’ve never found much reason to find peacocks particularly villainous, Gary Oldman will certainly change your mind with his portrayal of Shen, never mind the fact that the design of his character is one of the most elegant and impressive in recent animation (that his English accent, oval-shaped head, and desire for world domination inadvertently made me think of Stewie Griffin from Family Guy only added to the fun). Even Dennis Haysbert and Jean-Claude Van Damme (yes, he makes an appearance) make the most of small roles, and Danny McBride gets a number of suitably amusing lines as the leader of Shen’s band of wolves (even more amusing considering he’s better here than he was reading his own script in Your Highness). And Hong, while not necessarily out and out funny, is delightfully charming as Ping, and his scenes with Jack Black are easily the best dialogue scenes in the film. And for those who normally can’t stand Mr. Black, he restrains himself admirably here, only going for the “I AM AWESOME!” angle when it actually works.
Along with Shen, the other major star is the background design. Not to denigrate other computer animated films and the work that goes into those (like the lush greenery and flowers blowing in the wind from Tangled), but the work done here is truly extraordinary, and worthy of an Art Direction Oscar nod. There is a scene later in the film which combines fog and rain in a spectral way that is truly moody and atmospheric, and like its predecessor, combines multiple types of animation seamlessly throughout the film, including a beautiful opening sequence resembling paper cut-outs. Odd that in 2011 a film that uses computer animation so well reminds us of how powerful traditional animation can be.
Speaking of traditions in animation, for those who dread the idea of seeing Kung Fu Panda 2 in 3D, don’t be: not only was it much easier on the eyes than both Thor and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, it uses the medium to excellent effect, zooming through cannon barrels, providing natural depth in Shifu’s meditation cave, allowing for foreground objects to appear from the sides of the screen like a camera is actually present and filming, and even adding to the two dimensional animation. It is one of the few films I can recommend without hesitation to see with glasses on; even at its worst, it is only mildly flat, and goes a long way in proving the advantage of computer-based 3D being much more effective than live-action.
Let’s face it, if you have kids, you will be dragged to see this no matter what. There’s no reason not to go. Kung Fu Panda 2 is action-packed, funny when it’s supposed to be (and not a second more than necessary), heartwarming, and one of the most stunningly designed animated films I’ve seen in quite some time. The story may be light, but then again, it’s essentially cuddly animals fighting not so cuddly animals; if it’s heavy plot you seek, go rent The King’s Speech. But if you can only see one movie this Memorial Day, make it Kung Fu Panda 2, be you kid or adult.
Seth Paul
Latest posts by Seth Paul (see all)
- Box Office Weekend: Eight Figure Box Office for Magnificent Seven - September 26, 2016
- Box Office Weekend: Sully Rides High for Second Week - September 19, 2016
- Box Office Weekend: Sully Lands On Target - September 12, 2016
