There is no way a Goose is that Panda's Dad!

Rating: 7/10 (11 June 2011)

Who am I? Kung Fu Panda 2 is about a panda with an identity crisis. Po, our hero (voiced by Jack Black), has mastered the art of kung fu, but when his father (a goose) reveals he isn't really Po's father (I know, shocker, right?), Po begins to wonder who he truly is. All the while Po has dreams of what he believes to be his real parents, and a peacock who haunts the darkness in the midst of flames.
Kung Fu Panda 2 is a character piece, that has some astonishing action set pieces, both highly creative and well choreographed with the camera, a rarity in this day and age of confusing whiz-bang action. The villainous peacock, Shen (voiced malevolently by Gary Oldman), has deep ties to Po's past, making him a villain that seems more menacing than your average, "I wanna take over the world," bad guy, even though he wants to do that too. No other character is ever given anytime to develop or grow further than what their archetype allows, which kind of echoes the overall sentiment. There is an attempt at depth to the story, but it is rushed at almost each attempt to reach the next cool action set piece. While the story and humor always works, the emotion is not always there. Perhaps if more time had been taken and certain things fleshed out, this would be more than an enjoyable kid's movie and be something more, regardless, the action and humor of Kung Fu Panda 2 charms the child inside.
I give Kung Fu Panda 2 a 7 out of 10!