Marval Movie

Neil Gaiman once said "People think the opposite of funny is serious, no. The opposite of funny is not funny. Just because someone is telling a joke that makes you laugh doesn't mean it's any less serious than any other serious material." Even though Kung-Fu Panda 2 is a children's animated franchise does not mean that it's good for what it is, it is a movie and a great one.

From the very opening we are given exposition told to us as a story so it is not forced and shown with cut-out puppetry. We are told that in Gongmen City there was a Peacock family that created fireworks, their son, Lord Shen saw it's destructive potential, their soothsayer (Michelle Yeoh) foretells that if he continues on his destructive path then he will be defeated by a warrior of black and white. Then, in an effort to change is fate, goes and destroys a panda village (the only one it would seem), but this only made the prophecy a certainty. Having reoccurring themes, plot-points and tropes are essential in movies, or you must at least become accustom to watching them unless you actively want to be driven insane. What you must demand is a unique spin on said tropes and plot-points so they don't just become stagnant. We get that with having the art style be a) different from the tradition C.G.I. that is in the rest of the movie so it distinguishes itself  and b) is beautiful.

Back in the present the locals of the valley are recounting how amazing it is to have the Dragon Warrior protecting them, making history. They can hear him and the Five exercising within to Dojo. Inside none of the equipment is being used but the Five are all amazed by something, Po has fit thirty eight dumplings in his mouth at once. Po is then called away and must go see master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman), where he is informed that he must now begin the next stage of his training, inner peace. Once one has reached inner peace they are able to guide a drop from the air to another point, without breaking it. Po is however called away again because a local village is being raided by bandits.

After some fun action Po is about to strike the winning blow but one of the Wolf bandits crest catches his eye which then results in flashing images that leaves him open to an attack. They get away. Po knows that something is wrong and goes to his fathers noodle shop for an explanation. Indeed the elephant in the room that has been in the mind of everyone since the first movie gets answered, Po asks his father (a goose) about where he came from and he answer's "You were adopted" to which Po then quickly says "I knew it!"

Having animals in a children's movie is a common trope, because their usually cute and funny. But having a goose as the father of a panda is very clever and deep. It is a metaphor for children of having a parent of different ethnicity. After all, having a parent that is a different skin color is one thing, but if their a different species, what does skin color matter?

So he tells him about how one day he simply found a cute, round baby panda in one of his supply boxes (with all the radishes eaten). Nobody came for him so he looked after him, being that he ate all the radishes he no longer included them in his soup, so as he tells it "And from that moment on, both my soup and my life have been that much sweeter."

James Hong is an actor that is filled with so much heart. His performances are all funny, but this performance comes with laughs and some slight nuance that creates shades to this cartoon character. With his subtle tones and well written obrolan you are able to feel that this is a father that truly cares for his son.

Back in Gongmen City Lord Shen has returned, but Kung-Fu maters are overseeing it, he alone is no match for their skills but he has a weapon which destroys one of the legendary warriors with one shot. News gets back to Shifu at orders Po and the Five to go and destroy to weapon so they can save Kung-Fu.

In the last movie Po had to realize himself as the The Dragon Warrior. Now he has to live-up to his duties. So many movies go as far as they can go in the first one, so when the sequel comes it's just a repeat. This is what sequels are suppose to be. They either need to up the stakes of the previous movie or push the characters further both psychologically and emotionally. This one does both. The scale is brought up by many levels, now its an entire city as well as the consequences of all of China being conquered, should our heroes fail. The last movie took place in a valley, now with any movie sequel the budget is bigger and the scope must be expanded. So we have a location shift to a city. Gongmen City is a colorful, dense landscape that allows for complex and spectacular action set pieces.

A duduk masalah I have with the movie is that it seem like the skill scale is out-of-sync. Previously all of the Furious Five couldn't defeat Tai Long but Po could. Yet there are scenes where it seems like Tigress is the obviously superior fighter. Even others are able to combat Po, would the wolf captain have been able to take-on Tai Long too? However over re-thinking I have come to a possible explanation. Po needs to reach inner peace and has been set-off by all these repressed memories, so perhaps that is hindering his skills? 

Jennifer Yuh Nelson takes over the directing duties for this movie. She does a fine job but she is one of the few Fe-males to have directed an animated movie, in-fact this is the highest grossing movie to be directed by a woman (over six-hundred million).

The first movies villain was not the strongest aspect. However in this movie we are given a memorable, funny and threatening antagonist. He fits all the qualifications! Lord Shen is a peacock that has some Kung-Fu skill of his own but is actually very thin and somewhat fragile and delicate, liking to wear silk. But he uses knives so his deadliness is execute through literal cloak and daggers. Gary Oldman is a powerhouse actor able to give full energy to every one of his performances, here he gets a lot to have fun with and sinks his teeth into a character that is deliciously evil and tragic. There is also the parallel between him and Po, villains must challenge the protagonist in some pacific capacity. Whether it be through physical, psychological, directly or indirectly, our villain must confront an aspect of our satria for them to overcome.
Finally comes the moment where Po must face his past and come to grips with his origin. Shen raided his village wiping out the Pandas (well they are an endangered species). His father defended him and his mother, she fled and in her desperation, she left her son in a basket where she could only hope that he would be safe.

As the soothsayer says, Po didn't have the happiest beginning but he overcame his tragic beginning and was able to make something of himself and find happiness with friends and adventures. It started in the darkness, but he found his way into the light. The mentality of Yin and Yang is not just the balance of darkness but also darkness within light and vice-versa. Po and Shen compliment each-other so brilliantly because of how they mirror one-another. Po had a harsh start but found peace and happiness, Shen started with all the love and privilege in the world, but descended into darkness.

Charlie Kaufman served as a revising screenwriter on this movie. He is a writer that is obsessed with the human mind which is shown through multiple layers, as is obvious with movies like Adaptation and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. But he is also un-credited and so whatever his contribution was I guess we'll never really know. But there are the segments where we go back into the past or at least Po's recollection of the past were the animation style changes, as well as the psychological scaring. Those sounds like elements that Kaufman would either inject or play-up. 

With the climax comes fun. Having action scenes can be fun but they need to be well executed. They have to be well shot, have an energy to them and we the audience need an understanding of the geometry of the charters and the environment so we can follow and comprehend. The movie does this but also inject it with creativity in having the characters (through the limitless possibilities of animation) do greater martial arts that would be possible from physical actors. But there is also the enthusiasm that comes from Po as a character within the scene. We see the creative, visually enriching scene unfold on-screen and smile but Po is so grateful to be a witness and a participate in it. The sense of fun is emphasized because he himself is having fun.

"Kung-Fu Panda 2 is a great movie." Those are words I really didn't think I say but here I am. The development, the spectacle and deeper than it has any right to be, but still is.