Thanks to Paramount Pictures we were in attendance in the advance screening of KUNG FU PANDA 2, the sequel of the popular animated hit DreamWorks Animation’s KUNG FU PANDA (2008). This is our review of the movie, but remember, we still recommend for you to go and watch the film, because there is no better critic than yourself!

Kung Fu Panda 2: The Kaboom of doom follows the original story from Kung Fu Panda to perfection. In the second installment we can find Po (Jack Black) as the Dragon Warrior together with the Furious Five: Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Viper (Lucy Liu), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Mantis (Seth Rogen) and Crane (David Cross) in rigid trainings with Shifu (Dustin Hoffman).

The story starts when Po and the Furious Five, now recognized heroes, have to defend China from an maleficent peacock called Shen (Gary Oldman). Many villages, including their own, are threatened to be wiped out by Shen and his army of wolves who are looking for metal for their own gun-powder factory. Moreover, Shen has created a massive gun-powdered cannon capable to overpower the ancient art of Kung Fu.

On the other hand, Po can’t find inner peace in his training with Shifu. He suddenly starts to have dreams and visions about his childhood. The situation get worse when an important memory is triggered after the battle with the wolfs in the village when Po saw a symbol in a jacket. For that reason he starts to question his origins. Later on, Po mets his very proud dad, Mr Ping (James Hong) and after some questions he realizes that he is not his biological father.

Leaving everything behind, Po and the Furious Five start a journey to save two Kung Fu legends, Master Croc (Jean-Claude Van Damme) and Master Ox (Dennis Haysbert), in order to defeat Shen and bring peace back to China. In this journey Po must figure out how to achieve his inner peace. If he can make it, he will obtain the key to defeat Shen.

Kung Fu Panda 2 brings twice as much awesomeness as it promised in the trailer. It contains great action pieces and astonishing visuals. The 2D animation on Po’s dreams is amazing as well as the 3D in the action sequences. It’s incredible to see how good the fighting scenes were created to fit each animal, especially Shen.

The film is a darker version of the first movie and at the same time is funny, but not as much as the first. Kung Fu Panda 2 it is suitable for all ages and everyone will enjoy the great story line and the action scenes. It is immensely entertaining and at the same time has a lot of heart especially in the part where Po is searching for his origins, bringing a strong message about family.

Director Jennifer Yuh brings a great story that is visually very artistic and complements beautifully with the 2D work. We also can see the influence of the producer Guillermo del Toro in the darkness of the movie as well Gary Oldman and his outstanding voice performance as Shen. The film exhibits a lot of emotions that is brought up with an amazing musical scoring of Hans Zimmer.

Kung Fu Panda 2 brings you more enjoyment then you can ever imagine!…and don’t be surprised if in the future there will be a part 3, because this saga still has so much to tell!

Kung Fu Panda 2 opens in local cinemas this Thursday 23rd June, 2011.