Customer Reviews

Kung Fu Panda 2

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
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After seeing the movie I can surely say that this soundtrack is a must-have for all fans. This album sends listeners spiraling across a plethora of different emotions and mind imagery. From the calm and mystical sounds of Ancient China/ Story of Shen or Inner Peace to the very fast and exciting Musicians Village, Rickshaw Chase, and More Cannons! Above all else it was indeed the musical score of Kung Fu Panda 2 that left the biggest impression! Fans of the movie and the Asian style of music will love this soundtrack!

In 2008 something great happened. Hans Zimmer teamed up with John Powell for the first time in 8 years and gave us an amazing score filled with amazing themes, full of colorful instrumentation and most of all it packed an incredible emotional punch. The first Kung Fu Panda was a huge hit and I'm sure this one was greenlit the day after opening weekend results came in. When I heard of this one being in the works of course I was excited for one major reason, and that was that it would allow for Hans and John to team up again. Powell definitely had the greater influence on the thematic material while Hans fleshed out some deeper emotional points and overall flow. What I loved about the first score was how "un-childish" it was. The score was intense, heartwarming and in the end commanded such great emotional depth. Sequel scores are always interesting because I like to see how composers try to use established themes over again in new ways.

This time around the first half of the score is where you will find the lighter stuff. Our characters are back and of course they are fun characters. So the music for the first half is fun and light. We get some comical homages to 70's Lalo Schifrin scores and our themes are all reintroduced. The score really gets going with the track "Po And Shen/Face To Face". From this point onward we are treated to some amazing arrangements that use our favorite themes. Things get a bit more serious too as the score shifts tone from the light family comedy to the action filled kung fu epic. The music becomes a grand sweeping roller coaster that only Hans Zimmer and John Powell could bring. Their styles blend so well that the score gains a life of its own. I never once felt like I was hearing a rehash of the first score either. This journey is a continuation of the first one and a great continuation at that. Po's character is felt throughout the entire score as well. Po's theme echoes the strength and confidence that he as a character now has versus back in the first movie where he was unsure of who he was and what his purpose was. The track "Zen Ball Master" is pure gold as the score dives head first into the climax and resolution. The score is then beautifully wrapped up.

The score is simply stunning to say the least. Musically it's much more developed than the first one and there are so many more textures this time around. The final act is hair raising greatness and is an example of how a score should function as a storyteller and emotional backbone. Hans Zimmer and John Powell are two of the best working today. Hans helped usher John Powell into his own career and now that they can collaborate and make stuff like this is pure living poetry. This is definitely not a rushed attempt at a sequel score and will go down as one of the best of the year. With a CD running time of around 64 minutes and with lengthy tracks this is how a score should be presented as well. Kung Fu Panda 2 is a beautiful lush experience that incorporates the setting and characters flawlessly into the motions of the story it's telling, and that makes it an exceptional score.

Who would have expected Kung Fu Panda to become a surprising, heartwarming summer hit back in 2008, where I thought it had captured the very essence of a typical martial arts film, and distilled it into an animated piece appealing both to kids and adults alike. The big risk involved is of course coming up with the inevitable follow up film given the profits that it had raked in, that won't be an insult to its fans, and yet maintaining that same level of appeal the original had. Kung Fu Panda 2 succeeded.

Although it certainly did seem that passing the reins over to rookie director Jennifer Yuh was bewildering, but Yuh turned out to be perfect in guiding the sequel and the beloved characters in yet another adventure, with bigger set action pieces, touching dramatic moments, and retaining plenty of humour from the get go. Credit of course must go to writers Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger in coming up with a natural progression of the story of Po (Jack Black), and filling it with a lot more elements from classic martial arts film formulas such as a jail break involving skilled pugilists in captivity, a pagoda, getting beat down, recovery and recuperation, and the learning of a new, ultimate skill. To think that the worries came from the scribes being responsible for the snooze-fest Monsters Vs Aliens, and Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel.

Kung Fu Panda 2 brings back the A-list voices of Black as Po the Panda, now very much comfortable in his celebrity role of the prophesied Dragon Warrior, and the Furious Five consisting of Angelina Jolie as the no-nonsense, hard hitting Tigress, Seth Rogen as the wisecracking Mantis, David Cross as Crane, Lucy Liu as Viper and the underused Jackie Chan as Monkey, recognizable animals used in distinctive martial arts boxing styles. Also returning are Dustin Hoffman as Master Shifu and James Hong as Mr Ping, while joining the fray are Gary Oldman as the chief villain Lord Shen the vain peacock, Michelle Yeoh as The Soothsayer, Jean-Claude Van Damme as Master Croc, Dennis Haysbert as Master Oxen and Victor garber as Master Thundering Rhino, the latter three forming some formidable masters of kung fu whose city they're protecting falls under siege.

The story continues to loosely adopt from historical developments in China, with the premise being set during the time when gunpowder was discovered and fireworks created, but with the more sinister use of the material also for the creation of weapons such as the cannon, threatening the extinction of martial arts with its formidable firepower. Lord Shen becomes fanatical in plundering metal from the land with the ambition to rule all of China, but for his Soothsayer to predict his downfall to come from something black and white, hence his dogged massacre of pandas with his wolf pack goons, before setting his sights on and signaling his diabolical intent on some legendary martial arts masters.

It's pretty amazing how this under 90 minute film also managed to squeeze in plenty of pathos in the form of Po having to unlock his repressed memory of being necessarily abandoned by his parents following a pattern ala Moses with the pandas being threatened with forced extinction, which provides tons of baby panda to milk some scheming, crafty moments to tug at your heartstrings, and you can hear that audible gasps of "oh so cute"s from female members of the audiences. Well done, if the studio decides to make money from merchandising. Narratively it's pretty predictable following the generic essence of typical kung fu film classics, what with the learning of inner peace and new skills involved that resembled very much like Taichi-quan, but what mattered of course is the delivery that hit expectations, and not buckle under that same weight brought over from a successful first film.

Then of course there's the spectacular fight sequences, especially when Po and the Fearsome Five combine to protect the innocent masses against hordes of enemies that come with the requisite comedy, from slapstick to lyrical, like poetry in motion when they showcase their respective, distinctive moves. Big action set pieces are well designed, and I give my thumbs up to how the villain is modelled after the peacock, which in itself brings about the theme of vanity that almost all villains possess, but in the context of kung fu, it's extremely smart to design Lord Shen to move and utilize his own innate weaponry, that of sneaky darts and fans - a weapon that in Chinese martial arts film, is the weapon of choice of the "wei jun zi" - the "fake gentleman" (sorry if my interpretation sucks, but you get my drift).

No qualms about this installment, I would put it in my highly recommended list as a sequel that didn't forget about the spirit of the original, and if the filmmakers can continue to capture exactly what makes martial arts movies tick and distill it like it did for the first two films, I dare say we're in for a mighty strong franchise that will appeal to kids, and every kung fu film fan out there who will probably go nuts at how well this animated series managed to get the formula right.

by DICK STEEL (Singapore)

Hans Zimmer and John Powell are two of (in my opinion)the best film composers out there, and the idea of them collaborating blows my mind. For those of you who are familiar with the first score, you will remember that the two did a masterful job of making the film sound distinctly Chinese in tone, and did so by subscribing to traditional Chinese musical techniques. For those of you who are returning for that sound you may be slightly disappointed, seeing as some of that sound was thrown out the window in the sequel. However, for those of us who are staunch film score fans because a composers ability to twist our emotions around, look no further. This score is one of the most epic and inspiring that I have ever heard. The track "Zen Ball Master" (the climax of the film)is the most bombastically excellent pieces of music I have heard in a long time, while the tracks "Rickshaw Chase" and "Musicians Village" embody humorous chases through the busy Chinese streets. Overall, while not exactly matching the tone of the original, this is a masterful score, worthy of anyone's collection.

how today's most amazing soundtracks are from animated kid's movies (well, I love them also). Hans Zimmer and John Powell... what else can you ask for? After How to Train Your Dragon (another spectacular animated movie soundtrack), John Powell elevated his own bar and is now up very close to becoming a true regarded master. Alongside Hans Zimmer, one of film's industries most debated but, amongst all, successful composers, this is a team worth listening to.

Now, the first time I heard it I thought it was not that impressive. But yet, I came back and listened to it again because I know that first impressions are deceiving as well. After listening to the songs more carefully I realized something truly unique about this soundtrack.

If you are like me, the first time you listen to a soundtrack you will listen to parts of the songs just to glimpse at it at first and see if you really want to listen to more. Now, the conclusion after listening to parts of the songs at first is this: It's too loud and bombastic. This is because there is no single calm or soft song but, likewise, there is no single imposing or bombastic song... every song has parts of both! So my advice is for you to listen to these three songs COMPLETELY: Po Finds the Truth, Zen Ball Master and My Fist Hungers for Justice. Ancient China/Story of Chen and Save Kung Fu are also two great songs that mix very well the spectacular and calm. Inner Peace is an exception (mostly calm) but truly beautiful also.

So, at the end, this is unique and nice as well. Most soundtracks have calm songs and heavy songs (at least balanced soundtracks) but this soundtrack has calm and grandeur moments in almost every song, making it a very enjoyable listening experience per song.

My final listening experience was that I kept playing the songs again, again and again. Conclusion: This soundtrack rocks with soothing moments and truly powerful evocative themes, mixing quite nicely Chinese music with adventure and emotional touches.

I loved the first Kung Fu Panda movie and especially the musical score. I've worn out my first CD or tried to and loved Hans Zimmer's orchestral scoring using Western as well as

typical Chinese instrumentation. I had high hopes for the second CD and was not disappointed especially with his re-working of Po's theme, my favorite, into the new

score. I also loved the high quality of the background animation and beautiful evocation of Chinese landscape drawings. Even though I work for Disney and my heart belongs to

the Mouse, the Kung Fu Panda movies are the best!

Now first off, I thought Hans Zimmer and John Powell did a spectacular job on the first soundtrack and I couldn't see how they could top that. The soundtrack for Kung Fu Panda 2 is beautifully written and draws you in like a black hole. This music is very complex with severale brand new themes but still (yay!) has the old themes. Very well written. Bravo Hans and John for another spectacular job!

The first Kung Fu Panda soundtrack was a sprawling soundscape utilizing a skillful combination of Zimmer's typically lush style with traditionally-inspired Chinese sounds. It had some amazing, chill-inducing tracks, such as the opening pop-inspired beats of "Hero," the awe-inspiring "Sacred Pool of Tears" and the subsequent "Training Po" montage, and the heart-pounding "The Bridge" in which many of the established themes come together in a fantastic musical representation of the height of teamwork.

Enter Kung Fu Panda 2, almost 3 years later, a collaboratively combative effort between Hans Zimmer and John Powell (hot on the heels of his fantastic, Academy Award nominated soundtrack for How to Train your Dragon). The opening track is a lovely throwback to the original's tone, very traditional eastern sound coupled with western conventions to great effect. But from there, the themes keep rehashing, mostly from the original Kung Fu Panda. The reinterpretations are dry and somewhat boringly implemented, and there are some instances, beginning chiefly with "Save Kung Fu" where instrumentation begins to sound artificial. Especially noticeable are the plethora of plucked strings from low strings and harp which seem to mesh oddly with the rest of the score. Strings start to become more prevalent through the rest of the soundtrack, and rather than actually using guqin and guzheng, we end up with western strings making poor attempts to imitate, which ends up clashing rather fiercely with the authentic-sounding sanxian and erhu. The only solo string instrumentalists credited in the booklet are the Cellist (Anthony Pleeth) and the Erhu (Hua Qi), which makes me wonder if the other strings were synthed.

Another complaint is the sheer amount of choral accompaniment. It's a new addition to the tapestry of the Kung Fu Panda themes, but while choral flavor can enhance a soundtrack, it's far too easy to overdo it, and on some of the last tracks, we have billowing calls of triumphant brass and chorus. It's really painfully out of place, and it feels like Dreamworks is aiming for a Disney-esque feel.

String and choral issues aside, the flavor of the soundtrack starts to drastically change with "Gongmen Jail", and that and "Rickshaw Chase" end up sounding like a Looney Tunes soundtrack (*SPOILER* given the amount of slapstick involved in those segments of the film *SPOILER*, it's understandable, but I think they could have gone a different way to better, more original effect). The odd Western/Eastern clash continues through the rest of the CD while busily overusing old themes with frenetic, bombastic effect. In the end, Zimmer and Powell end up with a soundtrack feeling like it's at odds with itself without bringing much new, thematically.

I do like the soundtrack, but I was really hoping for a lot more from it. Perhaps I'll post a followup review after a few dozen more listens.

FWIW, I'm listening to lossless digital conversions from the CDs, with a line amp on studio cans, so I my nitpicky review can be taken with a grain of salt.