[Spoiler included]The unexpected sequel of Dream Works Animation’s “Kung Fu Panda” now tells the story of a deceived ruler of China, a villain peacock, for whom was not satisfied for being kicked out by his emperor parents.
The previous emperors brought to China happiness with their development of fireworks. Their son, Lord Shen, has found another application of his parents’ invention. With his “unstoppable weapon,” Lord Shen threw the country into complete terror.
The entire story of “Kung Fu Panda 2” revolves around Dragon Warrior Po and the Furious Five who embark on a journey to defeat Lord Shen’s mission of taking over China.
“Kung Fu Panda 2” brings back the A-list voices with Jack Black as Po the Panda, now comfortably fulfilling his celebrity role as the prophesied Dragon Warrior, and the Furious Five consisting of Angelina Jolie as the no-nonsense, hard-hitting Tigress, Seth Rogen as the wisecracking Mantis, David Cross as Crane, Lucy Liu as Viper and the underused Jackie Chan as Monkey.
Also returning are Dustin Hoffman as Master Shifu and James Hong as Mr. Ping, while joining the frontline are Gary Oldman as the chief villain Lord Shen the vain peacock, Michelle Yeoh as The Soothsayer, Jean-Claude Van Damme as Master Crocrodile, Dennis Haysbert as Master Oxen and Victor Garber as Master Thundering Rhino.
Malaysian Dato Michelle Yeoh voiced-over the Soothsayer.
Meanwhile, Po begins to question his identity as he sees visions of his mother abandoning him, of which bothers him a lot.
Po became so disturbed that he could not fight the enemies attentively and finally ran to his so-called father to find out about his real background.
In the end, we learn that Po was adopted and that he was not really the son of a goose (thanks for the clarification!). Po’s parents had to abandon him in order to save him from being killed by Lord Shen’s army. It was then this divine love that Po’s felt towards his parents that later helped him to overcome fear.
The comedy became a mashed-up drama when Master Shifu tries to teach Bo how to discover “inner peace.” Maybe that could be the only part of the movie that is really related to Kung Fu.
Too many things tried to take place and competed to appear as important – including the two jailed Kung Fu masters that come from nowhere – unlike previously, where Po was only taught to trust in himself.
Yet, the funny-ness the furry warrior did not decrease. His clumsiness, sometimes stupidity, and jokes continue to keep audience entertained.
One thing that audience may take away from this sequel is that staying true about one’s self can help them to overcome obstacles.
The ending of the story is a recycle of (almost all) superhero stories where the warrior returns home bringing victory and peace.
“Kung Fu Panda 2” is overall a pleasant story and a visually striking movie for the family.
(Written for SCSU University Chronicle. All Rights Reserved.)
