POW and ZEN

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This article was published 26/05/2011 (5594 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In revisiting the martial arts career of a doofus panda bear named Po, Kung Fu Panda 2 features dazzling state-of-the-art animation, voicework by impressive movie stars, unusually graceful action sequences, and a cheeky sensibility when it comes to subverting movie convention.

So why was a child crying during the preview screening?

Without getting too specific, put the blame on something we could call Bambi’s Mother Syndrome. The martial arts-steeped sequel is mostly comic, but all those aforementioned selling points also serve to deliver a fairly intense experience for the preschool kids in the audience. One scene in particular may have the wee ones somewhat traumatized. Exercise discretion, parents.

But one can’t really hold that lapse of tot-friendly content against the movie overall. Kung Fu Panda 2 bolts forward with the momentum of a flying roundhouse kick, expertly utilizing just about every device in the animation toolbox. Everyone concerned may have gotten a little carried away.

We find Po (voiced again by a predictably enthusiastic Jack Black) happy to be accepted by his kung fu-master peers in the Furious Five (including Angelina Jolie’s Tigress, Jackie Chan’s Monkey and Seth Rogen’s Mantis).

But when kung fu master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) introduces Po to the notion of “finding inner peace,” it sends our hero on a journey to learn about his true history, finally facing the long-ignored question of how a panda happens to be the son of a goose restaurateur.

It turns out his past is tied in with the evil doings of a deposed prince of a peacock named Lord Shen (Gary Oldman), a despot intent on conquering all of China with a device that not only “breathes fire and spits metal,” but threatens the future existence of kung fu. (“But I just got kung fu!” Po whines.)

Director Jennifer Yuh, along with the platoon of Dreamworks animators, steeped themselves in kung fu movies to inspire the movie’s rather spectacular action sequences. If Jackie Chan is underused as a voice actor, the inventive spirit of his best movies is here in spades. (It’s best to ignore the attention-getting use of actors such as Jean-Claude Van Damme, Jolie and Rogen for their minimal voice contributions. Black aside, the most impressive vocal work is delivered by James Hong as Po’s adoptive dad.)

It’s all beautifully rendered, with gorgeous Chinese design elements in harmony with classic ‘toon slapstick.

Yuh cheekily skewers the conventions of the action/revenge movie, too, especially in the film’s dramatic final confrontations, in which Po tries for an intimidating Dirty Harry-like pose, except he’s just so darn chubby and cuddly.

randall.king@freepress.mb.ca

Other voices

 

Selected excerpts from reviews of Kung Fu Panda 2.

 

Kung Fu Panda 2 is a sequel that delivers more heart than laughs, and is, if anything, more visually dazzling than the 2008 original film.

 

— Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

 

It all moves along briskly, with a degree of visual grace and a solid feel for 3-D.

— Todd McCarthy,

Hollywood Reporter

 

Kung Fu Panda 2 packs lots of firepower: detailed, reach-out-and-touch creature design, lush settings, big 3-D action set-pieces.

 

— Kathleen Murphy, MSN Movies

 

While not as fresh as the first, the sequel certainly makes good on its promise.

— Peter Debruge, Variety

 

 

Substituting action for charm, the sequel is a visual treat but not a sufficient comedic or narrative one, taking only modest advantage of Jack Black’s game voice work.

 

–Tim Grierson,

Screen International

 

A precisely calibrated crowd-pleasing machine, balancing action, comedy and just the bare minimum of pathos.

 

— Kerry Lengel, Arizona Republic

 

Lacks the novelty of the original, which found a sweet spot in between martial arts and goofy animated critters, and milked it for every last laugh. This one feels like leftovers that have curdled.

 

— Christopher Lloyd,

Sarasota Herald-Tribune

 

A fleeter, funnier beast than its 2008 predecessor.

 

— Nick Schager, Village Voice

 

By the end, Po experiences some of the same recycled epiphanies from the first film, sans their emotional panache.

 

— Ed Gonzalez, Slant magazine

 

— Compiled by Shane Minkin