I’ll be honest: I enjoyed a great deal of Kung Fu Panda 2 – but ask me about the film three months from now, and I suspect I’ll be drawing blanks left and right. That’s not to say this is necessarily a bad film, because it isn’t – it’s just not a very memorable one.

In Kung Fu Panda 2 Jack Black reprises his role as Po – a plush and lovable kung-fu fighting panda who joins forces with fellow kung fu masters, The Furious Five to take down an old evil enemy who’s recently obtained a deadly weapon.

Much to my surprise the plot here is more or less an excuse for large, bombastic action sequences. Unlike its predecessor, Kung Fu Panda 2 feels more like a video game than a film. The plot is uninvolving and convoluted with subplots about identity, revenge and greed. Sadly, none of the above is compelling.

But it’s the voice work and crisp animation that makes the film admirable. Black delivers his comedic dialect with charisma and sly timing. Seth Rogen is also funny as a small, though feisty Mantis. And Angelina Jolie, like all of her work, whether it is on screen or off, is elegant.

However tying into the voice work, there is a lackluster component: Lord Shen voiced by Gary Oldman. Shen is the villain – and every character in the picture is frightened by him. The problem is, Po and the others shouldn’t be. He’s neither formidable nor devious enough of a character to cause harm to the Valley of Peace. I should probably mention that Shen is, of all things, a peacock – terrifying eh?

The main problem with Kung Fu Panda 2 is that it’s a sequel: which means a consistent plot, proper character development, and nuance goes out the door for marketing ploys to guide the film’s franchise into its third chapter. Perhaps you may find that reason invalid: but let me ask you – was Toy Story 2, Godfather Part 2, or Spiderman 2 not as good, if not better than its predecessor? I’ll let you decide.

Despite not living up to the original, Kung Fu Panda 2 is still moderately successful. The charm is evident, though certainly diminished – and the prolific voice work guides the film through a more-often-than-not sluggish ride.

Jack Black reprises his role as Po in "Kung Fu Panda 2"

Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger have produced a script unworthy of the talent involved. It lacks heart and structured plot lines. But the worst part of all is the 3D – the problems go beyond the dimness of the picture – in fact many of the action scenes are muddled and hard to decipher. One cannot be sure of the logistics behind the transformation to 3D: but from what I saw – I know this much is true: Kung Fu Panda 2 is anything but visually pleasing.

At the end of the day people will still be standing in long lines to watch this highly anticipated sequel. And for the target audience I imagine the film will be sufficient. But evaluating the picture as a whole it’s hard to label Kung Fu Panda 2 anything other than a periodically entertaining, heartwarming – though consistently uninvolving and visually tasteless endeavor.

Rating:

Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)

Cast: Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman

Director: Jennifer Yuh

Writer: Glenn Berger, Jonathan Aibel

Runtime: 90 minutes

Genre: family, comedy, adventure

Trailer Kung Fu Panda 2

by CinemaRx