So, would the two people who voted Poor like to clarify their positions, and perhaps incite some intelligent debate on merits or flaws of this film?
Kung Fu Panda 2: Grading, Discussion and Review
- Thread starter JD
- Start date
No, China banned time-travel stories because they felt such stories always misrepresented history.
Which ranks among the most ironic things I've ever heard.
I thought it was more expansive than that...but I can't find the article that I read originally. *shrugs* Well, I guess it's good that they still get some fantasy/sci-fi over there.
I saw Kung Fu Panda 2 last night and it was great.
I had heard that the movie started slow, but to be honest, I didn't think that at all.
Upon first watching it, I thought the film was introducing a lot of new material, but when I went back and rewatched the first film today I noticed that many various information points were foreshadowed or outright shown in the first film.
You just didn't know what you were seeing at the time.
Just 20 minutes into the first film, I'd noticed at least 8 nods to things that were later expanded upon in the sequel.
Most notably of which was Master Shifu's discovery of Inner Peace.
I'm kind of shocked how tight both films are thus far in terms of what's been revealed.
More interestingly and notable, the idea that they've supposedly planned out six Kung Fu Panda films in total... is much more likely (and believable) now that I've seen the numerous connections between KFP1 & KFP2.
Five will get you Ten that, Kung Fu Panda 3 has at least a General Storypoint Outline with various character beats already worked out for many of the main characters.
I had heard that the movie started slow, but to be honest, I didn't think that at all.
Upon first watching it, I thought the film was introducing a lot of new material, but when I went back and rewatched the first film today I noticed that many various information points were foreshadowed or outright shown in the first film.
You just didn't know what you were seeing at the time.
Just 20 minutes into the first film, I'd noticed at least 8 nods to things that were later expanded upon in the sequel.
Most notably of which was Master Shifu's discovery of Inner Peace.
I'm kind of shocked how tight both films are thus far in terms of what's been revealed.
More interestingly and notable, the idea that they've supposedly planned out six Kung Fu Panda films in total... is much more likely (and believable) now that I've seen the numerous connections between KFP1 & KFP2.
Five will get you Ten that, Kung Fu Panda 3 has at least a General Storypoint Outline with various character beats already worked out for many of the main characters.
This definitely feels like a lived in world, with references to things from the first installment and hints at future installments. My guess is Tigress' past comes into play next time. They hit that beat several times.
I loved this film. I was laughing out loud throughout and was really invested in what was going on. The 3 styles of artwork (opener/credits, present day film, and flashback) are all excellently done. Top notch voice acting. Emotional, action-packed, funny. Not much more you could ask for. The villain was awesome, too, which is essential. The character design for the peacock and the wolves was inspired. All the animals are great, but those were my favorite. Also like how they incorporate a variety of fighting styles depending on the creatures using them, instead of everyone just being "cool".
If you didn't see the first one, buy it, watch it and then go see this one. Can't comment on the 3D, as I never watch that version (makes me nauseous).
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As for the poor votes, I wonder if the backwards ranking confused some people. I almost clicked poor instead of excellent before I caught myself.
I loved this film. I was laughing out loud throughout and was really invested in what was going on. The 3 styles of artwork (opener/credits, present day film, and flashback) are all excellently done. Top notch voice acting. Emotional, action-packed, funny. Not much more you could ask for. The villain was awesome, too, which is essential. The character design for the peacock and the wolves was inspired. All the animals are great, but those were my favorite. Also like how they incorporate a variety of fighting styles depending on the creatures using them, instead of everyone just being "cool".
If you didn't see the first one, buy it, watch it and then go see this one. Can't comment on the 3D, as I never watch that version (makes me nauseous).
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As for the poor votes, I wonder if the backwards ranking confused some people. I almost clicked poor instead of excellent before I caught myself.
I actually had the same thought about Tigress too, because they definitely put a very big emphasis on her this time.There are real Monkey, Crane, Snake, Mantis and Tiger forms of Kung Fu, so I'm pretty sure that is probably what each of the FF use. Not sure about any of the other characters though.
I too think that Tigress will become a larger part of sequels.
I'm hoping to see an expansion of role for many of the Five down the line.
I keep thinking that with 6 films on the table, there's a good chance we'll start seeing some time elapse between the films to the point where eventually Po takes on Shifu's role and Shifu becomes the Next Grandmaster of Kung Fu only to pass on or "fall" in battle so that Po eventually has to step up and become the next Grandmaster like Oogway was.
I loved that old crazy turtle. Still resonates with me after just one film.
I'm hoping to see an expansion of role for many of the Five down the line.
I keep thinking that with 6 films on the table, there's a good chance we'll start seeing some time elapse between the films to the point where eventually Po takes on Shifu's role and Shifu becomes the Next Grandmaster of Kung Fu only to pass on or "fall" in battle so that Po eventually has to step up and become the next Grandmaster like Oogway was.
I loved that old crazy turtle. Still resonates with me after just one film.
^That's too bad. I like Jackie Chan's voice. Sure, he speaks English with a very thick accent, but his voice has a nice timbre. And I too was disappointed at how little he was heard in the first movie.
I've always considered Tigress as my personal favorite, so I was glad to see some good development this time for her. 
Unfortunately one of the inherent drawbacks to this sort of ensemble film is that when the story has to focus on one or two protagonists in particular, it's harder to give as much depth to the other characters. One criticism I've heard about the first movie, which is somewhat justified, is that each of the Five is voiced by a well known star but their dialogue is relatively small. Even Tigress doesn't have that many lines, and she had the most next to the two most essential heroes (Po and Shifu).
I'll be interested to see where they go from here, as far as sequels go. I think they did a good job and there's plenty of things that could be elaborated and fleshed out in future films.
Unfortunately one of the inherent drawbacks to this sort of ensemble film is that when the story has to focus on one or two protagonists in particular, it's harder to give as much depth to the other characters. One criticism I've heard about the first movie, which is somewhat justified, is that each of the Five is voiced by a well known star but their dialogue is relatively small. Even Tigress doesn't have that many lines, and she had the most next to the two most essential heroes (Po and Shifu).I'll be interested to see where they go from here, as far as sequels go. I think they did a good job and there's plenty of things that could be elaborated and fleshed out in future films.
The sad thing is that the way the entertainment news media is reporting the box office results for Kung Fu Panda 2, it's coming across like the film is a failure right out of the gate... Hangover II & Pirates IV obviously didn't help it's Memorial Day Weekend Haul either.
http://boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=3175&p=.htm
Thinking long term, I don't think they're going to cancel the franchise after the box office results of 1 holiday weekend. But again, Hollywood doesn't always make the smart choice.
Of course if anyone had asked me after the movie, that last scene guaranteed my purchase of a ticket for KFP3.
http://boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=3175&p=.htm
Thinking long term, I don't think they're going to cancel the franchise after the box office results of 1 holiday weekend. But again, Hollywood doesn't always make the smart choice.
Of course if anyone had asked me after the movie, that last scene guaranteed my purchase of a ticket for KFP3.
^Kung Fu Panda 2 has almost entirely made back its production budget, and it hasn't even begun its second weekend in release. It's doing fine.
The media decided to jump the gun based solely upon the domestic numbers (for the first weekend and in comparison to the first movie during that time-frame) and a comparison with Hangover 2. They didn't know how well it would do internationally (though, they probably should have guessed considering the first movie made about twice as much internationally as domestically), and they didn't consider the fact that the movie will have a long shelf life (given previous such movies and the lack of any other animated movies for the next few weeks).
Domestic: $73,117,974 56.9% + Foreign: $55,452,414 43.1% = Worldwide: $128,570,388
http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=kungfupanda2.htm
And I'm not even sure the foreign numbers are fully updated as the $55 million number seems old. I think that's just what was received by the end of the long weekend.
Production Budget: $150 million
The media decided to jump the gun based solely upon the domestic numbers (for the first weekend and in comparison to the first movie during that time-frame) and a comparison with Hangover 2. They didn't know how well it would do internationally (though, they probably should have guessed considering the first movie made about twice as much internationally as domestically), and they didn't consider the fact that the movie will have a long shelf life (given previous such movies and the lack of any other animated movies for the next few weeks).
Domestic: $73,117,974 56.9% + Foreign: $55,452,414 43.1% = Worldwide: $128,570,388
http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=kungfupanda2.htm
And I'm not even sure the foreign numbers are fully updated as the $55 million number seems old. I think that's just what was received by the end of the long weekend.
Production Budget: $150 million
Yeah, as much as I loved the movie, they kinda wasted three very talented actors with those parts. I wonder how long it you took the actors to do the recording sessions. I had no idea until I was on wikipeida earlier just how big the actors voicing the supporting characters were.
Soothsayer: Michele Yeoh (this is the only one I knew about going in)
Master Storming Ox: Dennis Haysbert
Master Croc: Jean-Claude Van Damme
Master Thundering Rhino: Victor Garber
Wolf Boss: Danny McBride (I've never seen him in anything, but I know he's done some big stuff)
Gorilla Gaurd #1: Micheal Bell (Ok, he's not a big name, but he was Groppler Zorn in Encounter at Farpoint, and two other characters in DS9.)
Soothsayer: Michele Yeoh (this is the only one I knew about going in)
Master Storming Ox: Dennis Haysbert
Master Croc: Jean-Claude Van Damme
Master Thundering Rhino: Victor Garber
Wolf Boss: Danny McBride (I've never seen him in anything, but I know he's done some big stuff)
Gorilla Gaurd #1: Micheal Bell (Ok, he's not a big name, but he was Groppler Zorn in Encounter at Farpoint, and two other characters in DS9.)
^Michael Bell is definitely a big name in animation circles. He was one of the most prominent voices in TV animation in the late '70s and '80s: Zan (of the Wonder Twins) on Superfriends, Duke in G. I. Joe, Bruce Banner in the '82 animated Incredible Hulk, Lance in Voltron, Lex Luthor in the '88 animated Superman, etc.
Haven't seen this yet, but one of the things I most loved about the first one is that it was its own thing, a proper kung fu comedy that just happened to be animated, and not just a collection of pop culture references (like, say, the first Madagascar)
So, just to be sure, and with a simple yes or no answer and no spoilers, is this true of this movie as well?
So, just to be sure, and with a simple yes or no answer and no spoilers, is this true of this movie as well?
