Kung Fu Panda 4
The third sequel in this franchise is somewhat directionless, yet it’s still charming and enjoyable to fans of Po the panda.
Full Disclosure: I’m a fan of this franchise by DreamWorks Animation. While it’s not quite on par with the Shrek or How to Train Your Dragon franchises, it serves its purpose as entertaining moviegoing fare that delights children and adults alike.
Review
Did the world need another Kung Fu Panda movie? Probably not. Did I pay to see it anyway? Yes I did; and considering that its box office run of $100 million has already eclipsed its budget of $85 million in its opening week, I think it’s a safe bet to say that a fourth sequel is imminent.
Speaking of the budget, $85 million is not a lot of money to spend on a tentpole animated film (relatively speaking, of course). In fact, it’s the only film in the series that cost under $130 million to make. It’s an interesting choice, because this fourth installment in the Kung Fu Panda franchise feels smaller than its predecessors; both in scope and in story.
Dustin Hoffman’s Master Shifu, disappointed in the direction this franchise is headed.
In addition to Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman retains his role as the wisened red panda, Master Shifu. Ian McShane reprises his role from the first film as the evil snow leopard Tai Lung. James Hong and Bryan Cranston also return as Po’s adoptive and biological dads, respectively.
The main newcomers here are Awkwafina as a corsac fox named Zhen, Ke Huy Quan as a pangolin, and Viola Davis as a chameleon who is, most cleverly named, The Chameleon.
I enjoyed this film. Jack Black is as charismatic a voice actor as you’ll ever find. Newcomer to the Pandaverse (patent pending) is the always likable Awkwafina, who seemingly has the animation market cornered with her trademark raspy, manic voice. Just in the last few years, she’s lent her talents to Raya and the Last Dragon, The Little Mermaid, Migration, and this. (When you can do two Disney movies, then flit back and forth between Illumination and DreamWorks, your’e doing pretty damn well for yourself.) Also, with a runtime of 94 minutes, it’s a fun watch. It just doesn’t measure up to the three that came before it.
Po versus the Chameleon
Spoilers Ahead
Kung Fu Panda 4 was mostly entertaining, but it was also a letdown in several ways. The fact that the film cost about half as much as its predecessors really shows. Gone are the fan-favorite characters, the Furious Five. Their absences are quickly explained away in an overly clunky bit of exposition. Doing away with the talents of Angelina Jolie (Tigress), Seth Rogen (Mantis), David Cross (Crane), Lucy Liu (Viper), and Jackie Chan (Monkey), really hurt this film.
We need you back, Furious Five!
The fight scenes were also, for the most part, subpar when compared to the first three installments. Maybe they lacked fluidity, variety, creativity, or a combination of all three, but they felt like hacked together set pieces designed to move from one scene to the next, rather than the focus of the film itself; and when Kung Fu is in the title of your film, the fight scenes should be spectacular.
There is also a major villain problem here. Viola Davis’ The Chameleon is by far the weakest villain in the series. This is exceedingly ironic, considering she manages to absorb the powers of all of Po’s previous villains. She does this, not for supreme cosmic knowledge of the universe or to avenge a long lost ancestor; she simply wants to be able to fight better so she can hold sway over other mob bosses in the area. It’s a really weak motivation and even a massive talent like Viola Davis can’t overcome the lackluster material she’s given.
Obviously the star here is Awkwafina’s Zhen, an adorable corsac fox of questionable scruples. Her character arc is so bland and predictable though that it almost buries her charming performance. Zhen is a wanted thief with a heart of gold and abandonment issues that leave her unable to trust anyone (stop me if you've heard this one before). Of course, she joins Po in his adventure to take down The Chameleon, only to (GASP!) reveal that she has been in league with the villain all along!!! Unsurprisingly, Po’s sincerity and determination ultimately win Zhen over and she helps Po defeat the villain. Po then names her his successor as Dragon Warrior in training.
It’ll be interesting to see how the series moves forward. As previously stated, this film certainly wasn’t bad enough to throw me off of seeing a potential Kung Fu Panda 5. Hopefully, this was just a bit of a speed-bump to launch this narrative to new heights.
Awkwafina as Zhen, your stereotypical cunning and devious fox.
5 Quick Hits
Hans Zimmer snuck a Chinese folk version of Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train” into this movie! The music turned what was a run-of-the-mill chase sequence into the most epic scene this movie had to offer.
Speaking of music, the Jack Black version of Britney Spears’ first hit “Baby One More Time” is the cover song I never knew the world needed! It played over the end credits, so kudos to the filmmakers for sending us home with a smile on our faces and a pep in our step!
I’m gonna show my age here, but apparently some people were flipping out that MrBeast, the Youtube sensation with almost a quarter billion (yeah, with a “b”) subscribers, had a cameo as a pig in the movie.
3-D technology has come a long way in recent years. I saw this in AMC’s Real 3-D: Visualizing the Future format, and it was extremely impressive!
My six-year-old nonbiological niece’s favorite part was when Zhen hugged Po. It was mine too!
