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Sequel to 2008 hit Kung Fu Panda, much was expected at the box office if not quality of the actual film. Dreamworks have had a spotty record with both box office and quality of sequels and true to form, their curse hit once again here.

For a long time Dreamworks were lambasted by being sellouts and pop-culture slaves whilst Pixar was lauded for continuously upping the bar they set every year. Recently the former have put in a lot more effort into their stories instead of relying on just humour and whilst critics may like it, it doesn't seem to have gone over very well with audiences. For all the hate some of their earlier films received, Shark Tale, Over the Hedge, Shrek the Third etc. all had their own unique identity and the first viewing always guaranteed a fantastic time at the cinema, even if the films never held up well. These days, not only do the films not hold up well, but they have lost all their charm and pizazz. Monsters Vs Aliens, Bee Movie, Madagascar 2, MegaMind each have valiantly tried to create a Pixar-esque story but the final product has been not only underwhelming but the humour has been sucked dry. They no longer are any fun and if an average film doesn't even have one good showing in it, well, you're not going to get any goodwill.

It seems that audiences are responding reciprocatingly with the constant underperformances of their films. Not since Monsters Vs Aliens in 2009 has any Dreamworks film met initial expectations and even then that did well because of Katzenberg's declaration and persistence of making a mark with 3D. So, the next Shrek's failure to capitalize on an empty market and to even challenge the likes of Shark Tale's audience is worrying for Dreamworks but despite the awful marketing, it's becoming easier and easier to say that people are simply no longer caring for them. Last year newcomer Illumination's first effort surged past every single Dreamworks film save the first three Shreks and Disney's comeback continued with a breakout performance in Tangled, which also reached 200m, something only 2 non-Shrek Dreamworks movies have achieved.

Going into the movie, I had middling expectations; Kung Fu Panda was a fantastic first viewing but it didn't hold up as well, reviews were good, legs were bad and actual audience reception/reviews seemed mixed. It was a pleasant surprise then that Dreamworks did exceed their reputation but only by a smidgen. Kung Fu Panda 2 is a very solid piece of entertainment but falls short of greatness by just as well constantly missing that marker.

The 3D was used very well and it is sad that as much as a proponent Katzenberg/Dreamworks are their efforts are being undermined by shallows attempts to cash-in by other studios. From the opening scene to pretty much every action scene the effect was used very well to illustrate depth and give the image a real pop off the screen. For $150m I didn't think the animation was that superb. The 2D scenes were brilliant but there was so much more potential on the journey to Gongmen City, as well as the scope of the landscapes to really wow and it failed to do that which, since the first Kung Fu Panda, has been propelled further by the incredible animation in Up, How to Train Your Dragon, Legend of the Guardians and Rango. Too many times it felt 'safe' and gave the impression it was holding back, which given the open promise of 6 Pandas may not be that surprising but it is foolish to ever hold back to make the next film greater as there is never a guarantee, and it is a self-fulfilling prophecy of failure that to ensure success of the future you hold back in the present. Similarly, the fact that approaching its third weekend Dreamworks have not announced a third Kung Fu Panda is a sign of its immense disappointment domestically. Indeed, the spin, has most definitely failed by now, if there ever were a question it were spin.

The humour was less funny than the first but was still scattered nicely and worked the majority of the time, it falls short of the original by simply not having probably any memorable laugh-out-loud worthy scenes. This knock-on effect carries on to the action scenes where Kung Fu Panda excelled and from Tai Lung's escape, the choosing of the Dragon Warrior, the long bridge fight and the showdown at the end spoils you for choice. Kung Fu Panda 2 hasn't a scene which matches any of those. As stated, the decision to hold back simply does not work from the villainous peacock in itself, to his firework canons, just never had a real epic scope about it, especially for a movie about Po's origins. The initial bandit attack, the comedic jail breakout persuasion and the city infiltration just all feel too safe.

Script-wise and story-wise it does seem like it will hold up much better than Kung Fu Panda despite all its problems because it just is too solid even though it's never exceptional. The Furious Five are wasted again and the addition of Masters Croc and Ox don't help the cause. The latter two were supremely underdeveloped and pretty much unnecessary if they were going to be so shallow about it, the former were carbon copies of the first but Crane and Monkey also became uncharateristically sources of humour which didn't jive with me. The story had just so much more potential but was kind of random, underdeveloped and detached. The addition of the last revealation scene was also a complete farce considering what was described and related in the film prior and also lacks continuity. The film also barely manages to walk the tightrope of seriousness and levity that the first was superb at. Many a time the jokes, whilst funny, felt a little out of place.

The final problem with the film is its running time. 90 minutes with credits is just pathetic any which way you cut it. Just like Legend of the Guardians and MegaMind last year, so much more potential for story and character fleshing out is forgone with the length. As Pixar put it, they make stories they want to see not stories for kids. A good movie will be accessible to every and anyone, not just a certain demographic. This cultural stereotype notion that animation is for kids is incessantly annoying and instead of trying to break the preconceptions it seems that these animation studios are conforming to it. Making it short for kids attention spans and having ridiculously infantile narration are death sentences to any degree of creative integrity. I want to watch a film that is unafraid to push the envelope and redraw boundaries and Kung Fu Panda 2 is not that film. The relationship between Po and Tigress and the dynamic of the Furious Five could be scrutinized and developed as characters on the journey to Gongmen City instead of having the generic training montage. The hinted at genocide and background could have much more emotional impact as well as making it more coherent if more time was given to it.

Once again Dreamworks has fallen short of their potential and the barrier set by other studios, most notably Pixar, but this time it is a valiant effort that manages to hit all the right notes for a seal of approval and structured so that repeat value remains high.

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Total Comments: 4
David
David    Jun 10 2011 11:23pm
Yo! Title! ;-)
Karl Schneider
Karl Schneider    Jun 11 2011 1:49am
Hehe
Bluebomb
Bluebomb    Jun 11 2011 2:44pm
Just for the awesome title, I gave this article 5 stars.
Jack Sparrow
Jack Sparrow    Jun 12 2011 3:34pm
Really well written article...repeat value for this article also remains high..hehe