Kung Fu Panda 2: movie review
'Kung Fu Panda 2' delivers fast-paced 3-D adventure as Po wisecracks his way to inner peace.
In this film publicity image released by Paramount Pictures, Po, voiced by Jack Black, is shown in a scene from "Kung Fu Panda 2."
DreamWorks/Paramount Pictures/AP
鈥�Kung Fu Panda 2鈥� is somewhat better than its predecessor, though not quite good enough to warrant what threatens to be, according DreamWorks Animation, another three installments in the franchise.
Dream Warrior panda Po (voiced by Jack Black) is now older and marginally wiser, though no less wisecracking. Along with his Furious Five 鈥� Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Viper (Lucy Liu), and Crane (David Cross) 鈥� he is having a high old time protecting the Valley of Peace. Maybe they should team up with the Fast Five and combine franchises?
A new nemesis intrudes: Lord Shen (Gary Oldman), who wants to take over China with an 鈥渦nstoppable鈥� new weapon. In the course of stopping the unstoppable, Po鈥檚 search for his real father yields some dewy-eyed dividends.
For a movie touting 鈥渋nner peace,鈥� this 3-D sequel sure goes in for its share of battle scenes, but for the most part they are excitingly conceived by director Jennifer Yuh Nelson and her writers, Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger.
鈥淜ung Fu Panda 2鈥� premi猫red at Cannes, where Dustin Hoffman, who once again voices a wise old guru, was quoted as saying, 鈥淭here is no inner peace in Cannes.鈥� Wise man indeed. Grade: B (Rated PG for sequences of martial arts action and mild violence.)