Review of Kung Fu Pands 2 by KIDS FIRST! youth Film Critic Gabrielle Chu

My 20-year-old nonprofit children's media advocacy organization, KIDS FIRST!/ Coalition for Quality Children's Media launched a new campaign in 2010 to find 5 kids, nationwide to become official youth Film Critics. These kids generated 11 miillion votes for themselves! Quite an accomplishment. Since January, the 5 winners and 2 alternates have been reviewing films and learning how to hone their skills as a film critic. I thought you might enjoy a review of the film, Kung Fu Panda 2 which opens this weekend by one of our 13-year-old critics, Gabriella Chu. Here it is:

The Kung Fu Panda is back with more adventure! This movie is an irresistible action comedy that’s pure fun. In case you have not watched the first Kung Fu Panda before, the protagonist Po, is a panda who transforms from noodle shop employee to kung fu master joining the Furious Seven (a group of heroes who fight villains.) In this sequel, Po finds himself conflicted with his past. He starts to question where he has come from, and why his father is a goose instead of the panda. He also has to defeat evil Lord Shen, a peacock who plans to use a secret weapon to conquer China and destroy kung fu. Will Po be able to defeat Lord Shen even when conflicted with this past? You will have to watch this movie for yourself!

Watching this movie in 3D felt so life-like, especially the action scenes. There are so many action sequences and they all are very intense. My favorite sequence is the one where Po finds his inner peace because the movie is in slow motion and incorporates scenes of his past as well as scenes from Master Shifu’s technique of inner peace. The slow motion emphasized Po’s technique, and made the scene much more interesting. I also thought the humorous voice of Po, Jack Black, is perfect for his role as a lively and entertaining panda. The movie also has inspiring messages such as: look to the future instead of the past, and discover who you are. However, I did not think this movie was as good as the first one. I did not find the story as touching and upbeat. I also didn’t find the voices of the characters recognizable, except for Po and the Tigress’s voice. In addition, the colors of the movie were not very vibrant. They did not fit the comical mood of the movie so much.

Overall though, I think this is a great animated family comedy. I would recommend it to children ages 8 and up because younger kids might not be able to follow the storyline. You should definitely go see this if you are into adventure!

Gabriella Chu, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic
KIDS FIRST! is a project of the Coalition for Quality Children’s Media, a not-for-profit organization whose goal is to empower children to make wise media choices and to promote quality media products that enrich their lives. www.kidsfirst.org.