Reviews by Matt

Working at a summer camp means that I spend a lot of time around kids during the summer (Not exactly a shocking statement, I know). I can also count on one summer movie for the kids to be quoting (or in some cases singing) parts of the movie. This summer that honor falls to “Kung Fu Panda 2.”

Po (Jack Black) has become the Dragon Warrior and along with the furious five, protect The Valley of Peace. When Lord Shen (Gary Oldman) looks to wipe out kung fu, Po and his friends fight back. Along the way, Po learns the secret of his past.

I was not a huge fan of the first movie. It is a good movie, but my general dislike of Jack Black, tainted my view of the first movie. That being said, I really liked this one. It was funny, action packed and had a pretty strong story to back it up.

Jack Black basically plays the same character in every movie: a goofy schlub. In this case, it works. Po is kind of a klutz and uses humor to cover for insecurities-basically Jack Black. In this movie he has taken on the role of Dragon Warrior and mastered kung fu. The important thing in a sequel is character development (I’m looking at you all sequels to “Pirates of the Caribbean”). Po grows through the revelation of where he comes from. We find out about his family and how he ended up being raised by a duck.

There are some great action scenes in this movie. I did not see this in 3-D, but I would have purely because of those scenes. In animation there is a lot that can be done that cannot be done in a traditional action movie. There is one scene where Po and the Furious Five run up a building as it is falling down. You won’t see that in any other summer blockbuster.

Is this better than any of the Pixar movies? It might beat “Cars,” but it does not reach “The Incredibles.” Still, on its own, the movie is really good. I had only a passing interest in seeing the movie, but it as well worth paying for. With this and “How To Train Your Dragon,” Dreamworks Animation is showing that they can reach Pixar level of awesomeness if they keep trying.

8 out of 10
90 min
PG for sequences of martial arts action and mild violence.