Panda vs. Peacock

     When we first met Po (Jack Black) with the release of Kung Fu Panda in 2008, he was just a pudgy, ignorant panda who somehow managed to both be chosen as the legendary Dragon Warrior, and defeat the evil Tai Lung, without even knowing kung fu.
     Now, in Kung Fu Panda 2, Po and Tigress (Angelina Jolie) lead the Furious Five, consisting of  Tigress, Monkey (Jackie Chan), Viper (Lucy Liu), Crane (David Cross), and Mantis (Seth Rogen).  They embark on a quest to save China from the evil Lord Shen (Gary Oldman), who also happens to be a peacock.  Po and Tigress complement each other perfectly -- hardcore, no-nonsense Tigress, and Po, getting the job done (to his own surprise) while being stupidly comical.  We get to know the members of the furious five better in this film; while they spent most of the first Kung Fu Panda avoiding and shunning Po, Kung Fu Panda 2 is nothing but teamwork and joking around, as we learn from some of the funnier animals.
     While all of this is going on, Po starts to remember some of the depressing memories buried within himself.  He searches to discover who he is, where he came from, and what happened to his parents.  
     Though each of these ventures is a worthy plot, both together is a bit excessive for one movie.  Kung Fu Panda 2 ends up having too much happening in too little time.  Even so, it's a fine sequel and an entertaining movie for all ages.

Captain Jack Is Back

     Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides takes place on just that -- stranger tides.  In this fourth installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) returns, as hilarious as ever, to compete against a Spanish armada and Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) as the head of the British navy in a race to the fountain of youth.  Along the way, he escapes from the king's palace where he's held prisoner, is captured by former love Angelica (Penélope Cruz) and her evil pirate father Blackbeard (Ian McShane), and encounters seductive, carnivorous mermaids.  The plot will leave you on the edge of your seat with each new obstacle.
     But the fourth movie in the Pirates series has little in common with the first three.  Taken over from director Gore Verbinski by Rob Marshall, Pirates 4 has a completely different feel to it than the first three; it's darker, less light-hearted.  Combat scenes were frenzied and short, instead of carefully plotted out.  They incorporated almost no classic Pirates music.
     While the previous films had several main characters, including William and Elizabeth Turner (Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley), On Stranger Tides  highlights Jack as the only main character, without even mentioning Will or Elizabeth.  It puts Captain Sparrow right in the middle of conflict, rather than simply along for the ride. The result is a feeling of incompleteness and unbalance.
     In the end, On Stranger Tides leaves you wondering if more sequals will follow.  If so, will they tell us about Elizabeth, Will, and the Black Pearl?  And just how many more Pirates movies will be produced?
     A worthwhile movie, just not the classic Pirates of the Caribbean we all know and love.