The Kaboom of Doom

Rating: 8/10 (27 May 2011)

With the success of Kung Fu Panda Dream Works finally managed to surpass Pixar with it's heavily detailed and achingly beautiful animation.
3 years later it's sequel picked up from where it's predecessor left us in a small tiny village in the Republic of China no wait,China wasn't republic then it was still under the Imperial rule.Never mind history,Part 2 begins with the Villain Lord Shen (Gary Oldman) embarking upon a mission to take over China,as the story progresses Lord Shen's and our Hero Po (Jack Black) paths intertwine as prophesized by his soothsayer.Po discover's his past while in pursuit to stop Lord Shen from destroying Kung Fu and taking over all of China.
I particularly found Lord Shen a bit tamer than Tai Lung from the first part.Lord Shen when compared to Tai Lung cannot do awesome Kung Fu or does he emit the same evil as Tai Lung does.Though Tai Lung had a lot less of dialog than Lord Shen i prefer Tai Lung over Lord Shen as Villain for his super powers and imposing character.
The heart of the story remains the same with Po overcoming odds to see out any challenge to the peace and tranquility of his village.Underneath the silly gags and Laugh Out Loud moments there is an underlying message in the movie."Your Past doesn't matter,it is what you choose to become" Po chose to become the Dragon Warrior and he finally finds "Inner peace" and come to terms with his past in the movie.Audiences often ignore the message a movie tries to convey to it's viewers,all they want from a motion picture is to be entertained the whole 2 hours.Even the first Kung Fu Panda had a beautiful message,which urges one to go out and achieve their dreams despite the many obstacles that confront them.
Kung Fu Panda 2 has a lot more "Kung Fu" in it.It's fast paced action and equally fast editing leaves you bedazzled with you wanting more of it.I personally feel the animation got better than the previous Dream Works production's,it had the same detail and shades of their hit animation picture 'How to train your Dragon'.However i felt the sequel was less comical than the prequel.Part one was a laugh riot with every passing scene,also part two had it's moments but not in the same volume as part one.
Another comparison between the two being the movie's climax.Part one wins hands down with an epic sorts of fight sequence laced with humor over part two's slow ending with a hint of a possible 3rd movie in the making (i learnt today that Kung Fu Panda is a 6 part franchise,can you imagine the fun that awaits us?).