Now, I’ll concede that this is not the way that movie reviews are done. But in context of the facts that these are both intended for the summer crowd, and that both are comedies (although in wildly different sub-genres), this review/these reviews make(s) sense. Also, I am aware of this unearthly dearth of posts in the past few weeks, and am sorry that I have little to offer apart from this rather half-baked post about these 2 movies.
Now I think the right way to go about this post would be to first give a short synopsis about each movie.
The Hangover Part II, predictably (as can be made out from the movie poster), is about the guys’ night out gone horribly wrong. The wolfpack, consisting of Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helps), Alan(Zach Galifianakis) and Doug (Justin Bartha) head over to a tropical resort in Thailand for Stu’s wedding. Predictably, a couple of beers on the beach turns into complete and utter chaos, which involves gallivanting across Bangkok with the wedding being the ultimate deadline for setting things right.
Kung Fu Panda 2 on the other hand, tackles the expectations placed on it in an entirely different manner. The core characters are all there – Po (Jack Black), Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Shifu (Dustin Hoffman), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Viper (Lucy Liu) and Crane (David Cross). Except that the story does not attempt to borrow heavily from the first movie. Sure, there are a few references to maintain continuity, but apart from that, KFP2 is a movie in its own right. In fact, it takes things a step or two further, adding a depth to the narrative which actually adds to the overall appeal of the movie – attempting to explain some gaps in the narrative of the first movie.
Now, many will lambast me for even attempting to compare these two radically different movies, but as I explained earlier, these are both summer comedies. Agreed, not everyone who manages to get tickets for KFP2 will be allowed to buy tickets for Hangover II, but this blog post focuses on those who can. I’ll be blunt – if I compare, directly, the number of ell-oh-ell moments from both movies, I’d have to say that KFP2 leads by a clear margin. This is not to say that Hangover II doesn’t have it’s share of laughs, but for the most part, it’s laughs are categorized as the cringe-worthy, I-can’t-believe-I’m-seeing-this-so-I-might-as-well-laugh kind of comedy. Of course, it’s appealing, but not universally so, which is why I’d maintain that a movie like KFP2, although grossing marginally lesser than Hangover II at the box office, will offer you better value for money. Oh, and KFP2 is in 3D, which is an added bonus. This was probably the first full-feature film that I’ve seen in 3D, and have to say that it was a pretty immersive experience, albeit slightly disorienting at first.
DISCLAIMER: The Hangover Part II is an R rated movie in the US and pretty much an A movie in India. I don’t encourage any one under 18 to go watch the movie without parental permission.
And I think I’ll introduce you to trailers for both of these movies:
Now I’ll be slipping into some more analysis, which many of you may/may not wish to follow.
Hangover II does a good job of conveying Bangkok as a city. But I’m pretty sure that lots of Thai people will beg to differ. In terms of both things that are overdone, and some experiences in the city that have been entirely left out. But then again, there’s only so much you can fit into a movie without eating into the plot itself. Speaking of which, the plot in itself isn’t really worth talking about. Why? Because it’s pretty much the same as the first movie: wedding coming up, guys need a time-out, things go horribly wrong, one of the guys is missing, wild goose chase around city, time running out, fiancée calling, blah blah, get there just in time. Y’know. The usual Hangover deal.
Thing is, although the comedy draws liberally on the first movie, it still retains freshness, and if you go watch the movie after disconnecting your higher brain, I can guarantee that you will walk out of the hall with an obscenely large grin plastered across your face. And speaking of obscenities, this movie has liberal doses of it, including, but not limited to full-on frontal nudity, though it’s possible that you might see a censored, or cut version. Highly amusing and mildly traumatizing at one and the same time.
As for KFP2, well, the story’s pretty fresh. Sure, you can predict that there will be some kung fu, but then, you need to read the name of the movie to realize that you just had it coming, didn’t you. But as I mentioned earlier, the story’s deeper, involves panda introspection, and yes, there are a bunch of tear-jerking moments too, but I guess that’s just for people who get completely engrossed in the narrative, like yours truly.
But then, care has been taken to make sure that the seriousness does not last too long, and even in the climatic scenes, humor has been added in a way that it stabs you in the eye, for fun, to break the monotony. It’s been pretty brilliantly executed, and can be certain. And the fact that the existence of a third edition is guaranteed only sweetens the deal.
Visually and aurally, KFP2 does not disappoint. The good folk at DreamWorks have been working hard, and it shows in the movie. Watching it in 3D is pretty immersive, and the particle effects have been executed supremely well, as is showcased in several scenes.
So if you do a head-to-head comparison, you’ll realize that KFP2 really does offer more bang for the buck. Though, if you’re literally looking for bang for your buck, you’d end up going to watch Hangover II. The final word: If you can only watch one comedy this summer, please let it be Kung Fu Panda 2.
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