Why Kung Fu Panda 2 is a Worthy Sequel

Funding for shap relis is provided by Squarespace, the sponsor of today's video, before we begin. I just want to remind everyone that I will review the bad guys if they can get my YTP sha classic channel to 100,000 subscribers by the end of 2024. There's been a lot of activity on that front for a while now, so I just wanted to give you another friendly reminder: you're 10 months old , if you really want to, subscribe, the clock is fine now for your regularly scheduled show, so there's a new

kung

. fu Panda movie where po needs to travel to a new city so he can fight a villain there, you know that reminds me of something I just can't put my finger on, oh yeah, Kung Fu Panda too.

I wanted to get to this. In December, but the overwhelming length of the ratings for Spielberg and Mario Kart 8 made me say yes, let's do it next year, so now here we are Kung Fu Panda 2, a lot of people say this movie is better than the first one and such maybe me I'm the wrong person to make this video because I don't think it's the best, I actually prefer Tyong and Shifu's compelling plot, ugu's wise words and the much crazier action, but even though the

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is missing a lot of the originals . best attributes as consolation, offers what is surprisingly one of the most mature and emotionally powerful scenes in DreamWorks' entire catalog of the entire trilogy thus far, this is the one in which the film's central conflict is most intertwined with the own po. and there is a lot of thematic richness both in its story and in how it is intertwined with that of the villains.

There's a lot to dig into, so let's get started. I wanted to start with something that I don't normally praise when it comes to animated films, and to be fair, a lot of other people don't do that either, but I really think the direction of this film is worth admiring. I think the directors of the first film, Mark Osborne and John Stevenson, deserve a lot of respect, especially for the incomparable fight scenes they built, but while the fight scenes are not on the same level in two, I think their new director, Jennifer Yan Nelson really improved the visual presentation of the series in many ways.

The easiest example to point to is this sick traveling montage that employs excellent, unique shading techniques and masterful editing to contrast Po and Shen's preparations for their impending Showdown. It continues the tradition established by the original Kung Fu Panda films by being the first DreamWorks in 3D. movies to really experiment with their visual presentation. I also appreciate the effective use of day and night to indicate the level of darkness at each point in the story. Most of the first half takes place during the day, subconsciously making you feel like this is another silly point. Yippee adventure then halfway through the movie where Po and Shen finally meet the tone changes and it becomes dark outside and remains perpetually night until the point where Po finally defeats Shen, it's a simple little touch but it supports the The tone of the story is very good, then of course there is the excellent editing and presentation of Po's inner peace segment, the clever ways of transitioning to the 2D segments, and the way similar editing techniques are brought back when you have to balance the cannonballs the same way.

It feels like a movie directed with a vision of how everything should look and feel, it really surprises on a directing level and a lot of DreamWorks movies, even the really great ones like Shrek or Mega Minds, don't they? It's the writing and the performances that make movies like that shine, whereas Kung Fu Panda 2 just has this scale, this intensity from the magnitude of the Tower collapse that our heroes have to escape to the overwhelming and consistent use of Infernal Reds throughout the story, this is simply amazing and a well-crafted visual treat with so many little touches that make it feel as dark and dramatic as a middle chapter should be.

I think that's enough of a warm-up in terms of discussing this film, so now I think we should turn our attention to its Crown Jewel. character that plays a very important role in making it as good as it is time to talk. Lord Shen is an absolutely fantastic villain. I think he's a step behind taong in general, but what he lacks in terms of being physically intimidating he makes up for in being much more evil, like the main villain of a silly Jack Black Panda movie, he's committing genocide, this is just in the first 2 minutes and they don't shy away from how horrible it is that he's trying to wipe out the entire Panda species and everywhere.

During the film's running time, we continue to see the traumatic effects this has on PO as Shen takes pleasure in Po's evil deeds and mocks Po for losing his mother. It's really crazy how much personal vendetta he has against this Panda who never did anything to him. being only a potential prophesied threat to his evil ambitions speaking of prophecy. I love the line in the opening narration that Shen tried to avoid his fate, but what he did next only sealed it. What a perfect echo of the first film's theme that one often meets one's Fate on the path one takes to avoid it, it is quite possible that if the

panda

s had been left alone, Po could have grown up far from the Valley of Peace and never become into a Kung Fu Master, so it would never have been a factor for Shen at all, but then maybe some other Panda would have defeated him.

I don't know, they got all the chi. I guess he hears. I always wonder why a black and white warrior had to be a

panda

. What about a zebra, a skunk or a penguin? I guess I didn't have any of those animals back in China's time, so it doesn't matter, there are a lot of elements surrounding Shen that really add to his intimidation factor, like there are so many scenes in this movie that are just drenched in red, which surrounds in the opening scenes is prominent within the walls of the palace he takes for himself, it is the color of his Doom fireworks and is in all subsequent action scenes that feature him whenever he appears, the color red it continues almost as if the blood it was soaked in did so. never escape Escape from him, this simple but consistent color choice perfectly suits the intensity of the character and the story, but his menacing presence comes from much more than excellent art direction.

Gary Oldman's distinctive sinister voice is unforgettable to one and there's also the excellent way they do it. Using his design for the few fight scenes he has, they knew exactly how to translate a peacock of all things into a competent fighter, by having him shoot feathers and use them as a distraction, but mainly his biggest intimidation factor is the fact that he is a superior Kung Fu battles, he has an army of wolves at his disposal and a large number of murderous cannons that no one in this universe has ever seen. As scary as he was he was just a guy.

Lord Shen is the disgraced heir to an Empire. and man, does he feel that way? The way the odds are in his favor in this movie makes the experienced Kung Fu masters so afraid of him that they decide to stay in jail rather than challenge him, he captures the Furious 5 and even when it seems as if they regain the advantage , he escapes and nearly annihilates them, perhaps most intense of all when he fires his cannon at point-blank range, bringing him astonishingly close to death. This is how you establish a credible villainous threat by creating this seemingly unstoppable monster. that he always has something up his sleeve.

I think another element of Shen that makes him so terrifying compared to the rest of this series' villain roster is the fact that his evil power is the most rooted in reality. I know what nonsense to congratulate. a Kung Fu Panda movie, but ultimately, his ability to conquer anyone, anywhere through the invention of gunpowder is a very tangible threat that actually ties into Chinese history. China is where gunpowder originates from and significantly changed warfare, something that is somewhat echoed in this film. where Shen's new weapon is described as something that could end Kung Fu, it is ultimately more grounded and realistic than Kai and the Chameleon's supernatural abilities and although Taong is a mostly grounded fighter, he does have some nervous breakdowns. with supernatural feelings and also let's be real I don't even think the most experienced Kung Fu master in real life can pull off this prison escape.

Shen, despite being a talking peacock, presents the most real and tangible threat in this entire series and the writing, direction and severity of his actions. I support this, but besides how evil he is, I think Shen's character is especially rounded out with a couple of other traits, one of which is his immaturity. He's very much a spoiled brat who thinks he's entitled to his parents' city, all of China, and you. I can see this prissy attitude with his meticulous demands on his subordinates, as well as how often the fortune teller is deceived. I like him because he fits his Dishonored Prince identity very well and sets him apart even more from taong.

He used to have a problem with jokes. the fortune teller makes it at his expense, but I actually really like that now because he represents how fate will always get the better of him no matter how hard he tries in general. I think Shen's relationship with the fortune teller is perhaps the most compelling in the entire movie. because it is related to another important facet that makes his character so interesting that, being his moments of doubt and empathy, nothing with him hits him emotionally as hard as that flash of regret in Ta Long's eyes after his battle with Shifu, but since I was a child.

I couldn't stop thinking about this scene after destroying his ancestral home to get Po and the five in the race. The fortune teller tells Shen to stop so that his parents can rest in peace. Shen expresses his frustration that his parents hurt him and claims that they hated him, but the fortune teller tells him that they loved him and that sending him away was what killed them, and Shen has no rebuttal to that, it's like he's admitting to himself. The same guy who all these years was fooling himself into thinking that they hated him. but he knew the truth deep down and yet he also knows that it is too late to pay attention to what they would have wanted.

He simply says that the dead exist in the past and I must deal with the future. His parents and the love and concern they had. It doesn't matter to him anymore and by extension neither do the pandas he killed, as long as he obsesses over seizing their future he no longer has to worry about the past in any way and that includes no longer needing to obsess over the fortune teller's prediction I guess. that means he can finally kill her and free the fortune teller. For a villain who did surprisingly evil things, this is perhaps the most shocking action of his in the entire movie.

He couldn't stop thinking about it when he was younger he let the fortune teller go. action that in your opinion leads directly to her downfall, since the fortune teller was able to heal po after the cannon shot, it would be very easy for such a gleefully murderous guy to just kill her, but the fact that he didn't is so fascinating which I feel like If this is his inner commitment, the last time he will accept what his parents wanted him to be, show Mercy not for his own interest, but as a final peace offering to the people who raised him and loved him, you can really see him.

He swallows hard just before uttering the words that indicate his hidden nervousness and his reluctance to allow his link to the Future to simply slip away, but he presses on, internally reassuring himself that nothing will stand in his way, regardless of whether an Old Goat goes free. or not. but just like before, Shen's actions are ultimately what robs him of destiny, just an incredibly fascinating villain with very unexpected nuances. I can't emphasize enough, it's crazy how hard the Kung Fu Panda movies try, now that I've discussed almost everything I wanted to. When it comes to the villain of the movie, why don't we focus our attention on the hero before we get to that?

Why don't I give you my favorite Shen scene from the movie? He's fine, I guess, if you're so smart. Why don't you tell me what is the best way to create a website? Shen, computers haven't been invented yet, how do you even know what a website is? I don't know, it doesn't matter, just do what I say, okay, okay. For my future vision, the best way to create a website is with Squarespace H, perfect, then I will have this square space. Actually, can you give more details? I I I I I I don't know what that is, yeah, I bet you don't, idiot, hey, what's Squarespace?

An amazing online website builder that allows you to create beautiful websites for your personal business or hobby. Create your own online store to sell your products, whether physical, digital or services. You better believe Squarespace has the tools you need to start selling online. Choose one of their professional website templates with designs for every category and use case, then make it yours by customizing the design, updating the content, and adding the features you need.need. Any Squarespace template can do whatever you want, allowing your brand or business idea to stand out. and on any device too, you can even host video content using Squarespace, organize your video library, display your content on beautiful video pages, and sell access to exclusive videos with member areas.

The possibilities are almost unlimited. Visit squarespace.com to get a free trial and when. are you ready to launch visit squarespace.com sheris to save 10% on your first website or domain purchase of all movies Kung Fu Panda 2 features PO with the most compelling and complete arc. I mean, I love his story. the first movie and it's really cool how he becomes a Kung Fu master at the end, but the personal interest he has in this movie. The shocking emotional weight of his journey to accept and overcome his trauma is simply beautiful. The movie begins, happy with his place among the Furious Five and having a great time defending Justice and fighting these metal bandits.

Just as an aside, I wanted to mention how good this opening fight scene is. It makes really creative use of Furious 5's musical instruments, skills, and necessity. To keep this bunny safe with various Kung Fu moves, it's all fun and games until Po sees this mysterious symbol from his past that temporarily paralyzed while having visions of what appears to be his mother clearly bewildered by this, he needs to leave immediately and leave. see best character in the series woo Mr. Ping I feel like if I ever did a top 100 favorite character ranking video Mr. Ping would be somewhere on that list, he's just Peak from here we see Po realize quite first-time humor that he was adopted by the goose is a funny expression of Po's naivety, but it's also very sweet to hear Mr.

Ping tell how he found Po when he was a baby and how he raised him. Such a genuine and heartfelt story from this adoptive father and yet it doesn't satisfy Po. who just wants to know what's going on before he then gets the mission from him and prepares to leave even as Mr. Ping begs him to stay for the day. Po tells him that his job is to save Kung Fu and if he doesn't do it, what is he and Mr. Ping says that you are my son, right? and Po doesn't give him an answer, brother, don't disrespect him.

Mr. Ping, come on. I imagine this is a reflection of the mentality of many adopted children. You appreciate your adoptive parents for raising you, but in some cases. level, you don't see yourself as their child and you become obsessed with the idea that you need to find your real biological parents. I feel like most kids develop this mentality over time because adoptive parents are just as valid as biological parents, but it still takes a whole movie before you realize that right now you're haunted by the image of your child. mother and is the main thing that stands in the way of her achieving inner peace in the first place.

Shifu, who basically has no role in this story or the third. one or the fourth, it looks like from the trailer I feel like they should have killed him off in the first movie, in fact his Arc ended in that movie and now he's kind of vibing, but whatever Shifu tells PO, he needs to accomplish inner peace, which Po can't seem to do, especially with all this parenting stuff on his mind, gets hit by a radish in his 2D dreams and eventually vents to The Tigress about it. I really like the friendship that the two form, and I especially like it.

I'm so glad it never turns into a romance in all of these movies. This is the only DreamWorks franchise without a Central couple other than the boss baby. I don't think I'm seeing it, I don't know, but it's so nice that we don't see it. I don't have to force any romance and these movies can be about more interesting things, but through this conversation we get to see a more empathetic side to Tigris, a big surprise given how much she actively hated Po in the first movie and I really like him. How Later, after interrogating Po about why he always freezes during these fights, he explains that Shen knows what happened to her parents and she immediately softens and hugs him, surprising everyone, she insists that Po stay. back out of empathy and it's just a nice arc for her that makes perfect sense based on everything we've seen, but PO is the focus of our analysis, so let's go back to the middle part of the movie, where they arrive at Gong Men City , it's crazy fun, they fight a group of wolves that they turn into.

Pac-Man tells these experienced Kung Fu Masters to fight back even though they have completely 100% surrendered. I mean, surely the presence of six other Kung Fu Masters would convince them to take on Shen and her Cannon as if they didn't. Actually, I don't know that Shen has more than one Canon at the moment, as far as they know, it's only one, so I'm pretty sure that the eight of them could come up with a plan to destroy him before he points him at the city, basically he that I. What I'm trying to say is that these two are kind of stupid, oh well I guess they're really stubborn and will never join the good guys again, oh never mind.

Master Shifu convinced them off-screen to fight in the final battle. Hey, I'm sure the monkey is a bit of an idiot too. Don't know. I think the middle 10 minutes of this movie are kind of decent, but it doesn't really have any interesting character moments or exceptional action and there's nowhere near this movie. However, the first movie I've watched like this isn't really that big of a deal. long and the movie speeds up considerably when we see po and Shen meet, as I mentioned before these are pretty much the exact midpoints of the movie where the tone changes, we had a little fun so far but from now on the movie lacks anything similar to The Silly Dragon Pac-Man, as the threat becomes considerably more serious.

Shen is amused by Po and his apparent lack of knowledge of what Shen is. Done then, after taking down the definitively only Cannon, Shen has PO, once again he is taken by that piercing red eye symbol which gives him another vision of his mother, this time with Shen there, this distraction allows Shen to escape and bomb their ancestral home. with cannon shots leading to a harrowing escape that PO and the five barely make due to Po's lingering trauma freezing him in place for the second time in this film after being told to stay behind for his own good, he He doesn't and risks his own life to confront Shen to learn the truth.

This is set in perhaps the most hellish place of all yet: Shen's metal factory with lava pits and blaring reds everywhere. Now I'll be totally fair and mention when the funniest Jack Black. The jokes in these movies are a bit screwed up with the dark tone looking for me. I said too soon, right? Well, that just happened, but it all soon comes together when Shen claims that Po's parents didn't love him only to shoot him at point-blank range. Range with his Shifu Cannon even senses this moment through the force, that's how you know it's serious and now we finally get to the most powerful scene in this movie and the entire Trilogy, honestly it's absurd how dramatic and mature it is. .

Po is rescued by the fortune teller and told to face the recurring nightmare he keeps having about his mother in striking and distinctive 2D animation, we see him witness his green and prosperous Village childhood, this actually sets up the third film very well, as that green is his primary color seen not only by Kai, but the vivid greens of the new panda village he finds and reconnects with his past, but of course his past also consists of darkness and blood. Shen overcomes the memory and bathes him in red. It's all a place of truly tremendous dramatic score and ultimately the fortune teller.

He tells Po to stop fighting the memory of him and let it flow, essentially saying that in order to heal from his trauma she must process it first. The only way to overcome and grow from his dark past is to acknowledge it, not fight the memories of it. come to terms with his unhappy beginnings and does so in a beautiful sequence that fuses 2D and 3D animation with clever editing, simultaneously elegant and intense music and the depiction of Po's last moments he had with his mother simply incredible, leaving Po and presumably the audience is on the verge of tears, but the fortune teller echoes what Mr.

Ping told him earlier: it's okay if your story doesn't have a happy beginning because of who you choose to be in the rest of your life. history. This is, of course, the central message. from the movie that our trauma does not define us, that we can live incredible lives and do incredible things even if we suffered a lot in the past and now that PO accepted what happened to him and achieved inner peace, it is time for the finale. battle with the guy who just can't get over his past, there's not much to say about the climax at first, it's just a pretty fun and exciting battle against Shen's Fleet, but once they reach the port, this is where the genius really comes from standing alone in front of Shen's Cannon and since he was able to achieve inner peace by perfectly balancing a raindrop with his hands, now he does the same but with a cannonball, oh my God, that's the coolest thing. that has ever existed, is so well built. moment within the narrative and culminates with Po holding a cannonball briefly becoming the yin and yang symbol and then performing the no you scouche attack by throwing the ball directly at Shen and destroying his gun in their final conversation.

Shen asks how po could find peace after he scarred him for life and po. He echoes the mindset he just adopted by telling her that it's okay to let go of the past and choose to be something else now. Shen, of course, doesn't think twice and chooses to attack po. but ultimately, Shen's stubborn fixation on the past is what led him down this path to destruction. He was obsessed because his parents had wronged him and he dedicated years of his life to getting revenge on him. He couldn't grow. He couldn't get over it. And perhaps most damning of all.

All the trauma he suffered from being disowned and banished was his damn fault, since he tried to eliminate the entire Panda species and never considered that he was the one in the wrong, meanwhile, Po not only overcame his trauma but had all the reasons. resent Shen for what he did and yet it never comes up because PO is that sweet and genuine. The thought that he should hate Shen doesn't cross his mind. Po has many character flaws that often hold him back, but one of his greatest attributes is his unwavering compassion. He offers it to Shen, who responds by stating that he can never change and ultimately meets his end by falling a mast in this final battle.

The day he is saved. Everyone congratulates Po and he finally returns home to Mr. Ping. with a bunch of radishes because it was found on the radish card, oh that's so sweet and now we come to the conclusion of the POS character arc, the sweetest moment of the entire trilogy and just as powerful as the inner peace scene, This is the moment that constantly makes me cry the most. I'd play it for you, but DreamWorks hates me and won't let you watch this video. If I do, I'll just tell you what happens. Po tells Mr. Ping.

I discovered who I am. I am your son, brother. That's so good, it's a perfect conclusion to this arc. I love him so much and the movie itself concludes, of course, with the revelation that Po's biological father is alive. I love this ending. It's a perfect hook for the third and at the same time I feel. conclusive in its own right, while I personally don't love Kung Fu Panza 2 as much as its predecessor, it's ultimately a very worthwhile

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that goes to deeper, darker places than the previous films. Some parts are a little uneven and I'm not going to say for the billionth time in this video that the action was better in the first movie, but instead I will say that the first one was a little more fun, but that being said, Kung Highs Fu Panda 2 are the highs of the entire movie. series this film has many of the best moments and individual scenes of any of these films.

I think it's a fantastic sequel. I love it so much that you should watch it if you haven't already and yeah, it looks like it's basically the fourth installment. I'm already here, I'll talk about it in its own video soon, but I just wanted to end here by saying that I think the series peaked in terms of tones and themes with the first two installments of the pre-release. Promotional materials four are similar to the other three in terms of not being bad, but not as strikingly compelling, dramatic and dark as the first two installments. Kung Fu Panda 3 is tonally the kind of movie you expect from the title Kung Fu Panda, it's not. surprise you like one and two did.

I hope I don't surprise myself with this fourth installment, but you never know what might and even if not, I hope it's a good time anyway, we'll see good night, Valley of Peace.