Kung Fu Panda 2 Review
My dad used to say, “Tough times never last, but tough people do.” In this sequel to Kung Fu Panda, we see our favorite Panda, Po, going through a tough time, and eventually learning how to deal with it. Po (voice of Jack Black) is now a Dragon Warrior; which means that he, along with his kung fu friends, The Furious Five, are to protect the Valley of Peace. Initially things are great, and they are enjoying their new life, until they found out an evil villain named Shen (voice of Gary Oldman) plans to use a secret weapon to conquer China and ban martial arts. Now it’s up to Po and his friends to seek out this villain, and save Kung Fu. This is an entertaining, fun movie for the whole family.
Rating: Three out of five buckets
Release Date: May 26, 2011
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 11+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
Talking Points
Po and Shen (the evil villain) both have some insecurities from their past of which they are both dealing with. I don’t want to give too much of the story away, however, there are some lessons in the movie which could spark some great parent/ child conversations. To name a couple:
• In this movie, we’re told that your story may not have a happy beginning, (like Po’s), but it’s who you choose to be. Po learns a lot about how to handle certain hardships, and eventually says, “You gotta let go of that stuff from the past, because it just doesn’t matter.” A good reminder for kids as well as their parents.
• Po doesn’t have any special powers or strengths, he’s just a regular guy who is a good friend and a good son; he wants to do the right thing.
Po is an adorable, likable character, one that kids will be entertained by. Po see’s disturbing visions of his past. We see him as a crying baby, being abandoned by his parents. This was sad, and may also disturb some kids.
Sexual Content: Mild
• Parents be prepared for some questions. In one scene, Po asks his dad, (who’s a goose), where he came from. His dad tells him that geese come from eggs, and then says, “Don’t ask where the egg comes from.”
Violent Content: Moderate
There is a lot of violence in this PG movie. One reviewer compared this movie to a Road Runner cartoon, and then comments; “You get the idea of the level and kind of violence we’re talking about here.” I couldn’t agree more. The violence consists of:
• Characters being punched, kicked and hit, while doing a lot of kung fu moves.
• There are fireballs and cannonballs used in many scenes.
• There is a lot of slapstick violence, similar to cartoons.
Crude and Profane Language: Mild
• Words such as “idiot” and “fool” are used.
Overall I think most kids will enjoy this animated action comedy, which is geared towards kids. However, parents may get a little bored. One man was snoring in the theater. With the fun characters and light humor, this is a good movie for kids ages 5 and up. Having said that, I feel that parents need to know that if their kids are sensitive to violent scenes, it might not be for them.
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