Kung Fu Panda 2 movie review

Here's what you need to know; after decades in exile; the villainous Lord Shen has returned home, with a weapon he hopes to use to rule all of China. But stopping Shen from conquering China isn't the only challenge Po and the Furious Five must face, as Po embarks on the next step of his Kung Fu training, and must learn where he came from, and who he truly is.
I put Kung Fu Panda 3 in the number nine spot on my list of the top ten films of 2016, but I didn't review it when it came out, which makes me think I should watch it again, and go more in detail about what I liked in that film. But at the same time, Panda 3 is, obviously, the third film in the series, of which I've only reviewed one, and I see a really good excuse there to watch and review what I think is the strongest film in the series so far, Kung Fu Panda 2, and with my handy Rogue One note book, I even took notes, so let's go.

Like the first film, Kung Fu Panda 2 opens with a neat little animated sequence to set things up, but while the first film's intro introduced Po and the disparity between his real life and the life he wants to live, this one sets up Shen, this film's new villain, and establishes a few past events that become very important later on in the film. Panda 2 then gives us a quick reintroduction to Po and the Furious Five, before throwing them into a kickass action sequence and unleashing the Kung Fu fury. What's strong and present in this film is the sense of friendship between the characters, there's a mutual respect between Po and Shifu, who plays a role more comparable to Oogway in this film, and while Po and Tigress' friendship is shakier, you can still believe that Po and Tigress have great respect for each other. Po is just as lovable in this film as he was in the first; he's still dumb, clumsy and gluttonous, but now he's a Kung Fu master, and both elements of his character are handled in a fun manner, keeping the stupid moments, while making him a badass in the action scenes. What sets Po in the sequel apart from in the first film is the personal journey he goes on in this film; as part of his training to achieve inner peace, he sets out to learn where he came from and what happened to his family, and it's an ark that goes to some very dark places, and grounds the film with a heavy emotional undertone. Weirdly though, while you're tearing up over Po, you're also kind of feeling for Shen, the film's villain; who undergoes a parallel ark of trying to avoid this destiny, and his attempts to escape his grim fate are woven in very closely with Po's mission to learn about his past, you know the good guys will prevail in the end, but it's a really fascinating way of making that a part of the villain's character, and making their duels all the more intense, as Shen fears more than anything having to face his destiny, something Oogway spoke very cryptically about in the first film. Shen and Po are both afraid of their destiny, Shen is afraid of dying, and Po is afraid of learning the grisly fate of his parents, but these are realities that both characters are forced to face, and it's done really well. As with the first film, the Furious Five occupy a supporting role, but play a bigger role than before, as they accompany Po on his mission to stop Shen, but just like the first film, Tigress is the main player, while Mantis, Monkey, Crane and Viper hold fast as comedic side characters. This isn't to say they aren't good, because when the Kung Fu is going down, they're awesome, as are new players Ox and Croc, though they only make brief appearances. Kung Fu Panda dealt with a nobody with aspirations of becoming a hero having those aspirations challenged, Kung Fu Panda 2 follows that up with the hero being forced to confront his oldest demons and fulfil his destiny, while his enemy seeks not to realise what he believes to be his destiny, but actively fights to prevent or avoid what he knows is his destiny, to say this film is more complex would therefore be an understatement, and this film's story is a fun as all hell ride both through the highs of badass Kung Fu, and through the dark and morbid lows of two adversaries both trying to find peace, can you tell I like this film yet?

While this film appeals more to adults than kids with its story, it's still an animated family film about talking animals. Like the first film, Kung Fu Panda 2 is a very pretty film, the animation is fast and lively, the setting is very well utilised, making for some downright beautiful imagery and some stunning backdrops, for example the sprawling city of Gongmen, and the bleak, misty remains of a panda village. The more lively locations in China are brimming with warm and bright colours, and as mentioned previously, the scenery and architecture of the setting makes for some juicy eye candy. The film doesn't stop being nice to look at in the action sequences, again, the Kung Fu is fast and fun to watch, there's a cart chase in this film that has some good laughs and is fun, and Shen's weapon doesn't just go boom, it literally explodes with colour and light. A few times in the film the animation also shifts to a more hand drawn, two dimensional aesthetic, which is really, really pretty, and carries the emotional weight of the moment perfectly, as does the soundtrack, which goes perfectly with the fast paced Kung Fu and the slower, heavier moments. And whereas the first film's final act saw Po and Tai Lung duel to the death, this film's final act pits a medley of Kung Fu masters against an army of wolves, with a great sense of tension as Shen's conquest of China comes closer to fruition, and the final showdown between Po and Shen is brilliant, it wraps up both characters' arks perfectly, and does so in a comedic and exciting, yet still emotionally gratifying way. When all's said and done, the film ends on a conclusive note, but does leave an opening for Po's next adventure in a way that works without taking away from this film. Finally, in my review of Sing, I mentioned something I called 'the feeling,' which I described as the point in a film where I start loving it, Kung Fu Panda 2 has one of those moments too, but while Sing's is a warm moment, Kung Fu Panda 2's is a punch in the stomach, it's a vicious, hard hitting moment, and I'd be lying if I said it didn't get a reaction out of me, it's great.

I said in my review of Kung Fu Panda that it's one of my favourite animated films, but Kung Fu Panda 2 blows it out of the water, it has the same beautiful imagery and animation, with fun action and destruction, it still has the comedic elements of the first film, but this film's story takes some much more mature turns into some very dark places, and pits Po against a villain that is in many ways just as interesting as he is, as well as fleshing out Po's backstory in a way brings a tear to my eye every single time I see it. Kung Fu Panda 2 is an outstanding piece of animation, I adore it, and it's absolutely a must watch.