Kung Fu Writing! Just for pun kicks!

Rating: 8/10 (28 May 2011)

I Want Pandy!!! So I decided to get my kicks with a "Kung Fu Panda 2" viewing. I was aware that it was a sequel and there is always a "more of the same" element to sequels. However, I was pandily surprised that "Kung Fun Panda 2" played at more being a prequel than a sequel. Dragon Warrior Po (awesomely voiced again by Jack Black) is now on a mission to defend Kung Fu & China with his mates "The Furious Five" against an evil peacock called NBC, I mean Shen. However, within the fighting pandamonium there is also a subplot in the movie of Po trying to search his past and figure out who he really is and where he is from. The two plot lines interconnect in "Kung Fu Panda 2" not just to provide narrative depth to the movie, but to present how one's upbringing is so relevant to one's survival & also character. "Kung Fu Panda 2" looks beautiful on screen, and besides the latest computer graphic animation design included in the movie there is also "old school" simple animation inserted to differentiate the time periods. Director Jennifer Yuh did a yeoman's job or should I say yuhwoman's job by incorporating noble Chinese culture into the narrative, as a love letter to China. However, Yuh did get carried away with too many explosion sequences that for the most part bombed. Nevertheless, it is the comedic protagonist Po that makes the Kung Fu Panda movies work. Po still demonstrates that his love for the culinary arts is still his favorite thang! This Panda still loves to munch it down. I just hope we don't see an offshoot of his dietary habits in a Part 3 called "Kung Poo Panda". Besides Black, Angelina Jolie also nailed it once again with her lipwork as Tigress, 20% of The Furious Five. Gary Oldman playing a villain never gets old, and he does some badass vocal work as Shen the Peacock. Dustin Hoffman just gets in a scene or two this time around voicing Master Shifu, but when Hoffman speaks you better listen "He's talking here!!". "Kung Fu Panda 2" does not hit on all cylinders, but it is no ancient Chinese secret that it is quite entertaining, mostly due to its Black comedy! **** Good