Kung Fu Panda 2 - Movie Review

A couple years after the first movie, Po (Jack Black) is living his dream as the Dragon Warrior, protecting the Valley of Peace with the Furious Five - Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Viper (Lucy Liu) and Crane (David Cross). The peace is shattered when Lord Shen (Gary Oldman), an ambitious white peacock determined conquer all of China, sends his army of wolves to stripe all the villages of metal to create weapons capable of stopping Kung Fu. When Po does battle with the wolves, a symbol on their armor triggers repressed memories of his real parents to surface which cause him to have an identity crisis and conflicted feelings which distract him fighting. However, with the fate of China resting in Po and Furious Five's hands - err paws - Po will have to reach inner peace quickly in order to defeat Lord Shen and his massive army before it is too late.

What can I say but this movie is all awesomeness! The movie brings back familiar characters as well as introduces new ones - Lord Shen, the wolves, a goat soothsayer and Kung Fu masters Storming Ox and Croc. Po is still the same excited, clumsy panda but a lot more confident in his abilities in Kung Fu. You wouldn't think a peacock would be very scary as a villain but the animation team combined with Gary Oldman's distinctive voice created a character that exudes evilness. Lord Shen's feathers are used as his weapon as well. He is the best evil peacock ever!

The movie is even better than the first one. The story is a little bit darker but it is still funny and heartwarming as ever. Po is so cute as a baby! There is a lot more Kung Fu fighting in this installment as well as some amazing explosions. The only thing I wish is that the Furious Five had more dialogue. We watched the movie in 3-D and I can say that this is a movie that is worth watching in 3-D; the effects are great and there are many throughout the movie. Highly recommended, adults and children alike will enjoy this one amazing sequel. Skadoosh!

Kung Fu Panda 2 is currently in theatres everywhere.