Post by kevinfelixlee on May 30, 2011 1:15:58 GMT -6
Kung Fu Panda 2 review: Family-friendly flick combines action with heart
Don't let the plush paunch, gurgling tummy or the occasional comic aside fool you ¡ª there's a restless dragon warrior just itching to break some heads in "Kung Fu Panda 2." Po, still kicking and snacking and channeling Jack Black, believes he's the panda runescape money to do it. Master Shifu, who carries within him the wisdom of the ages and Dustin Hoffman's pipes, is not so sure.
All of which makes for a lot of tension and boundary pushing in this frothy brothy, noodle-and-action-packed second chapter of the 2008 animated hit, "Kung Fu Panda," a rich vision of ancient China with warlords, Zen masters, old grudges and just a dash of modern day awesome. This is one raucous animal kingdom, no humans allowed.
A martial arts-loving panda discovers his own past. With the voices of Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Gary Oldman. Director: Jennifer Yuh Nelson. (1:31) PG: Animated violence. At area theaters. In 3-D where available.
We're living in a golden age for family entertainment. Practically every month, films filled with technological advancements runescape items and sterling storytelling are creating a generation of young moviegoers wise about genres and styles, and fortunate enough to be able to pick and choose. In that case, "Kung Fu Panda 2" plunks down squarely in the spot marked for "chop-socky action with heart."
Yes, some of its lightning-fast fighting styles seem borrowed from videogame aesthetics, but director Jennifer Yuh Nelson's true cannon runescape accounts fist is how seamlessly "Panda's" wild skirmishes mesh with its eloquent narrative, even if there are less pauses for reflection this time 'round.
As he was at the end of the 2008 original, plump, dumpling-loving Po (Jack Black) is continuing his Dragon Warrior tutelage with Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) when a new threat to China's harmony emerges: Lord Shen, an evil peacock whose peace-loving parents were fireworks artisans.
It was foretold that Shen would rule unchallenged until a black-and-white mammal from a nearby village would defeat him. So Shen slaughters all the village's pandas, an act that leaves him banished. His revenge will come by way of a fireworks cannon created to destroy all kung fu.
Years later, as Shen's minions arrive at the foot of Shifu's mountain, Po and the Furious Five ¡ª Tigress, Viper, Monkey, Crane and Mantis ¡ª get their fu on. Then something triggers a buried memory within Po, which turns the mission runescape gold into a journey to discover his past.
Aside from crisp visuals and no-fat way with martial arts movie traditions, the biggest achievement of the "Kung Fu Panda" movies runescape power leveling is how they distill their star's very Jack Black-ness down to its most bearable form. Always the wildest guy in the room, Black has turned into a living "Gulliver's Travels." Yet here, as in the first "KFP," he gives a charmingly vulnerable but sly vocal performance, with plenty of sass and a decent side order of soul.
Angelina Jolie's fierce Tigress has a bigger role as soon as the fur starts flying, though the general absence of Hoffman's silken-robed Shifu creates a void. Still, Shifu is around long enough to impart some crucial wisdom about inner peace and self-acceptance that viewers as young as 6 will be able to grasp. All the iron-pawed battles and tangled tails of destruction cannot obscure such a noble lesson.
Stay Awake For: The wild rickshaw race that comes 20 minutes into a chase between the Furious Five and some nasty wolves. In 3-D, it's extra furious.
Don't let the plush paunch, gurgling tummy or the occasional comic aside fool you ¡ª there's a restless dragon warrior just itching to break some heads in "Kung Fu Panda 2." Po, still kicking and snacking and channeling Jack Black, believes he's the panda runescape money to do it. Master Shifu, who carries within him the wisdom of the ages and Dustin Hoffman's pipes, is not so sure.
All of which makes for a lot of tension and boundary pushing in this frothy brothy, noodle-and-action-packed second chapter of the 2008 animated hit, "Kung Fu Panda," a rich vision of ancient China with warlords, Zen masters, old grudges and just a dash of modern day awesome. This is one raucous animal kingdom, no humans allowed.
A martial arts-loving panda discovers his own past. With the voices of Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Gary Oldman. Director: Jennifer Yuh Nelson. (1:31) PG: Animated violence. At area theaters. In 3-D where available.
We're living in a golden age for family entertainment. Practically every month, films filled with technological advancements runescape items and sterling storytelling are creating a generation of young moviegoers wise about genres and styles, and fortunate enough to be able to pick and choose. In that case, "Kung Fu Panda 2" plunks down squarely in the spot marked for "chop-socky action with heart."
Yes, some of its lightning-fast fighting styles seem borrowed from videogame aesthetics, but director Jennifer Yuh Nelson's true cannon runescape accounts fist is how seamlessly "Panda's" wild skirmishes mesh with its eloquent narrative, even if there are less pauses for reflection this time 'round.
As he was at the end of the 2008 original, plump, dumpling-loving Po (Jack Black) is continuing his Dragon Warrior tutelage with Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) when a new threat to China's harmony emerges: Lord Shen, an evil peacock whose peace-loving parents were fireworks artisans.
It was foretold that Shen would rule unchallenged until a black-and-white mammal from a nearby village would defeat him. So Shen slaughters all the village's pandas, an act that leaves him banished. His revenge will come by way of a fireworks cannon created to destroy all kung fu.
Years later, as Shen's minions arrive at the foot of Shifu's mountain, Po and the Furious Five ¡ª Tigress, Viper, Monkey, Crane and Mantis ¡ª get their fu on. Then something triggers a buried memory within Po, which turns the mission runescape gold into a journey to discover his past.
Aside from crisp visuals and no-fat way with martial arts movie traditions, the biggest achievement of the "Kung Fu Panda" movies runescape power leveling is how they distill their star's very Jack Black-ness down to its most bearable form. Always the wildest guy in the room, Black has turned into a living "Gulliver's Travels." Yet here, as in the first "KFP," he gives a charmingly vulnerable but sly vocal performance, with plenty of sass and a decent side order of soul.
Angelina Jolie's fierce Tigress has a bigger role as soon as the fur starts flying, though the general absence of Hoffman's silken-robed Shifu creates a void. Still, Shifu is around long enough to impart some crucial wisdom about inner peace and self-acceptance that viewers as young as 6 will be able to grasp. All the iron-pawed battles and tangled tails of destruction cannot obscure such a noble lesson.
Stay Awake For: The wild rickshaw race that comes 20 minutes into a chase between the Furious Five and some nasty wolves. In 3-D, it's extra furious.