Kung Fu Panda 2 - awesome fun!

I am a fan of Kung Fu Panda the moment I had the pleasure of getting acquainted which such an inspirational character as Master Oogway - he would give Yoda a run for his money. So I was doubly pleased to see the wonderful tortoise make an appearance as the Dreamworks ident appeared. 

Better than Yoda! We miss you...

**SPOILERS ALERT**
Kung Fu Panda 2 is a lot of fun and beautifully animated and the story has a lot of 'heart'. Tis great to see our hero, Po having made leaps and bounds and is one kick ass panda - and so cushy. The overall story of the mean peacock prince who had all the pandas killed when Po was just born because he would be defeated by a warrior of black and white was very archetypal but the animation sequence that depicted that was superbly done. It also set up the gravitas of the rest of the film. 


The rest of the narrative was punctuated with humour and poignancy but the film appeared rather long. Personally, I always wish the Famous Five have more lines and screen time but yeh it's about Po etc. There was some great philosophies that layered the story as well - inner peace, focus, parentage, forgiveness etc. 


The action sequences out did themselves - the destruction of the imperial tower palace thing was amazing. Character building happened in bounds with a sweet respect dynamic establishing itself between Po and Tigress. Ultimately though Po comes out top and even figures out how to deflect canon balls - into amaze-balls! (sorry). The best comedic moment came when Po mistakenly thinks the oracle-goat woman is a man: 'Sorry, the beard threw me...it's kinda misleading, false advertising...' LOL


Finally the ending -oooOOH! *Squee*


VERDICT: 8.2/10

M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN'S 'RACIST' CASTING IN 'THE LAST AIRBENDER'

I'll admit I am not a huge fan of Shyamalan's work. I think the man did superbly well with 'The Sixth Sense' and simply couldn't live up to that heart wrenching tale. (some of what I'm about to write is better articulated here: http://scifiwire.com/2008/12/is-m-night-shyamalans-last-airbender-casting-racist.php)

Now here is the crux of the matter - and it has as much to do with Hollywood as it does with Shyamalan himself as a *cough* director. Why Paramount Pictures would get him to write, produce and direct 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' is beyond me. Firstly, the movie content may not be all that bad in terms of a standard blockbuster which promises thrills and no substance. Again. Yet this is part of the point: this is adapted from the hit Nickelodeon animated series. The key word is 'adaptation' but I cannot abide the loose term of the word which somehow gives permission for Hollywood studios to literally leach the story of any value simply to get as many bums on the seats as possible: forget staying power or longevity. 'Adaptation' of a story loved by many - and for real reasons because the narrative encompasses good plot lines, character development and amazing settings as well deep, thought provoking themes - should not mean you can hash it any way the execs want. It should be respected. Yes, film is another medium from literature and television but if you are going to make a movie version, stick to what makes it great; you have a sure win formula - if its a hit TV series already, what have you got to lose?