Thankfully not the cash grab it could have been.

Rating: 6/10 (27 December 2011)

Let me start out by saying that most of the charm in the original KFP was found in getting to know Po (Jack Black), Master Shifu and the Furious 5. The plot was fairly unspectacular and served only to pad the gaps between the action sequences. Well Dreamworks can't use the 'getting to know them' shtick anymore.
We know that Po was a starry eyed son of a goose with no Kung Fu skills. We know that he coincidentally was nominated by an elderly short sighted turtle to be trained by a surly possum named Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) alongside a praying mantis, snake, crane, tiger and monkey to become the Dragon Warrior, saving China from danger.
Re-read that Anyway this time we know all that, so all they have to 'wow' us is the action sequences and the plot. The action sequences are effective and occasionally as awe-inspiring as the posters demand we must find them. The plot is actually pretty thin and derivative, and is actually where Kung Fu Panda comes perilously close to Kung Phooey.
This time around Po is instructed by Master Shifu to find inner peace in order to save China from Shen (Gary Oldman), a naughty peacock banished from China as a chick I guess – who dreams of taking over the country with his army of wolves and other nasty looking creatures through the introduction of weapons, with which he plans to kill kung-fu! Shen is particularly concerned that the Soothsayer (Michelle Yeoh) has foretold Shen's death at the hand of a black and white entity – gee wonder who that might be? Meanwhile Po and the Furious 5 are now local legends and spend their days as peacekeepers in the area, defeating ne-er-do-wells with kung-fu skills and exceptional teamwork. In a convenient revelation just before Po heads off to save the day he finds that his Father the goose is actually perhaps not his real Father after all who woulda thunk it? So off Po and the 5 go to kill two birds with one stone, only in this case there is in actuality but one bird, and they eschew weapons in favour of kung-fu, leaving the bird to use the 'stones' in his newly invented cannons.
In Kung Fu 2 Master Shifu takes a noticeable step into the background, appearing only a few times through the film, Tigress (Angelina Jolie) steps up to almost co-star duties, with her serious and determined ying counterpointing Po's casual and carefree yang. The rest of the Furious 5 retain their famous voices but are consigned to being mere comic relief and being momentarily spotlighted in the frequent battles that dominate the second half of the film.
Of course in between battles Po learns of his true origins alternately through interactions with Shen and the Soothsayer, and continues to search for his own inner peace deemed necessary to defeat his many feathered foe. This leads to an all star animal showdown with fur and feathers flying all over the shop in intricately choreographed and animated ways, and I don't think I am letting the cat out of the bag by saying that at the end of the day 'skadoosh goes the weasel'.
As with the original Kung Fu Panda the action sequences and growling menacing animals might prove a little much for the tots under say 7, but even though this was reasonably similar to the original film the action carries the bulk of Kung Fu 2, and the moving sequence that ends the film will leave you heading home with a warmer feeling than perhaps the slightly hackneyed story deserves.
Final Rating – 6.5 / 10. Not the best animated movie you'll see this year (Rango will take some beating), but also not the most blatant shoulda been direct to DVD cash grab that I've seen.