Good, but didn't really grab me

Rating: 7/10 (7 July 2011)

I went into this without enthusiasm. I quite liked its predecessor but it left no lasting impression - this may be because Jack Black simply doesn't do anything for me (although I do prefer him when I can't see him).
I found 2 rather better. Firstly, Po is now a bona fide hero and doesn't have to go through the tiresome passage of personal growth which defined the first movie. This time the personal growth element concerns searching for his roots (turns out Mr Ping isn't Po's natural father - who knew?). Plus we have a villain with a nefarious plot, so there is a fair amount of drama and action as well as some heartwarming moments.
This is a pretty good film which the kids will love.
I found that, in common with so many movies these days, the action went so fast that it was difficult to follow. And I had great hopes for the 3D - so often better in CGI features than live action - but it mostly made no difference.