Kung Fu Panda 2

Another week, another 3D cinema flick. This time, it's Kung Fu Panda 2, the first of this year's threesome of animated twoquels (to soon be followed by 2nd outings for Cars and Happy Feet).

In the last film, Po the Panda (Jack Black) defied all expectations to prove himself as the heroic Dragon Warrior. Now, he and his kung fu comrades, the Furious Five, spend their time training with Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) and fighting the most evil of villains.

Among the most evil villains is the white peacock Lord Shen (Gary Oldman). He and his army of wolves have just invented the cannon and will use it to take over the world. Unbeknownst to Po, Shen has already figured into his fuzzy childhood and the only way Po can stop him is by finding his inner peace.

Its animated cinematography has greatly improved from the original even without the 3D. It shows it off greatly in its flashbacks to Po's past by telling them in stylish cel-shaded animation. Its fight scenes have also gotten bigger for the better; among the highlights are the heroes' ingenious espionage into Shen's stronghold by dragon costume.

Amongst the animated cast, the best one is the goat Soothsayer (Michelle Yeoh). Her unique sense of humor makes her interactions with the deathly serious Shen fun to watch. Returning cast member Mr. Ping (James Hong) is also a highlight, as is his adopted son Po himself. And Shen, meanwhile, makes for a formidable sequel adversary.

If there's any flaw here, it's that its 90-minute plot runs a bit too fast. But since it's still comprehensible, its not much of an issue for me. Overall, Kung Fu Panda 2 is a sequel that's definitely worth the wait.