Way of the Panda
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Kung Fu Panda 2 (PG, 90mins)
Family/Animation/Action/Comedy. Featuring the voices of Jack
Black, Dustin Hoffman, David Cross, Seth Rogen, Jackie Chan,
Angelina Jolie, Lucy Liu, Gary Oldman, Jean-Claude Van Damme,
Michelle Yeoh, James Wong. Director: Jennifer Yuh Nelson.
Prepare for the return of awesomeness in Jennifer Yuh Nelson's
energetic martial arts comedy which kicks computer-animated butt
and comes close to matching the rumbustious fun of the 2008
original.
Screenwriters Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger flashback to
overweight panda Po's tortured past as the inspiration for this
tale of identity and retribution, taking the story into far darker
territory.
However, Jack Black's whirlwind vocal performance provides a
generous smattering of belly laughs and the visuals are gorgeous
and colourful, notably in the frenetic set pieces which punctuate
the narrative.
The introduction of the 3D format almost warrants the additional
ticket price, adding depth to the gorgeous rolling landscapes of
ancient China replete with bamboo forests and ornate palaces.
Younger audiences will get just as much fun though from the
traditional 2D version without the discomfort or distraction of the
plastic spectacles.
Overweight panda Po (voiced by Black) is living his dream as an
all-action bear, honing his skills under the watchful eye of mentor
Shifu (Dustin Hoffman).
However, he is haunted by fragmented memories, which eventually
reveal how his father came to be a goose called Mr Ping (James
Wong).
It transpires that an evil peacock Lord Shen (Gary Oldman) is
the cause of Po's deep emotional wounds.
Spurred on by a dire warning about pandas from an elderly
soothsayer (Michelle Yeoh), Shen and his army of snarling wolves
are on a collision course with Po, armed with a deadly weapon that
could bring China to its knees.
Thankfully, Po can always rely on The Furious Five - Crane
(David Cross), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Tigress
(Angelina Jolie) and Viper (Lucy Liu) - to avert disaster.
Kung Fu Panda 2 doesn't quite soar to the dizzy heights of
DreamWorks' last animated feature, How To Train Your Dragon, but
Yuh Nelson's film plays to its strengths.
The sequel relies heavily on Black to unleash his verbal
fireworks and to continue sparking potential romance with Jolie's
kung fu kitty.
Hoffman's comic timing is impeccable and Oldman delivers his
lines in suitably Machiavellian tones.
The action sequences are bigger and more complex but still fall
short of the intricacy of Pixar's most recent pictures.
Hopefully DreamWorks Animation will have learned lessons about
animated sequels from Shrek, which dazzled us in its original
incarnation but became a creatively empty husk by yesteryear's
Shrek Forever After.
Alas, the feel good revelations at the end of Kung Fu Panda 2
suggest that as long as box office tills ring, there will be more
chapters in Po's journey of self-discovery.
Having achieved inner peace in this instalment, expect Kung Fu
Panda 3 to tackle global child obesity by having its rotund hero
achieve outer peace through a crash diet.
:: No swearing :: No sex :: VIolence :: Rating: 7/10
To find local screenings for Kung Fu Panda 2, click
here.
Friday, June 10 2011
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