Kung Fu Panda 4

Image credit: universalpictures.com

Perhaps it’s because I don’t go to the cinema as often as a I used to, or perhaps it’s simply because I’m an adult now and therefore not paying all that much attention to children’s films, but it seems to me that there is a real lack of good family movies around at the moment. With Disney’s family successes being far and far between, and other studios like Dreamworks and Illumination not coming out with things as regularly as they used to (I think before the pandemic), there’s not a whole lot of family fun happening at the movies – at least not as much as I remember. It really makes you consider how cinema has changed thanks to the pandemic and the general way in which society is evolving and changing the way we consume media.

This chain of thought was brough to my mind because I recently went and saw Kung Fu Panda 4.

Po has successfully made the most of out of his life, going from humble beginnings working in a noodle shop to becoming the famous Dragon Warrior, achieving inner peace, and rising to the role of protector of the Valley of Peace. But his journey his not over. Po must now choose an apprentice to whom he can hand over the title of Dragon Warrior so that he can become the Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace. But Po’s not too keen on this idea. Thankfully, the pressure is lessened when a thief breaks into the Hall of Heroes around the same time that reports of sightings of Tai Lung come to the valley. Po discovers that there is a dangerous sorceress at large with plans of world domination, so he teams up with the thief, a fox named Zhen, and goes on another adventure of spiritual growth and butt-kicking kung fu.

While this movie is certainly not bad, it was not asked for nor do I think it was needed. And Kung Fu Panda is my favourite Dreamworks franchise. This film is a clumsily written story of emotional maturity and character growth that absolutely works but is uninspiring and definitely lacking in the emotional payoff that the previous films have. While I could feel that there was some love that went into it, for the most part this movie feels more like a pay cheque than anything else, with lackluster writing and performances just not reaching for the same heights as before.

I’ve already touched on the story being clumsily constructed, uninspired, and relatively predictable, but I think the fact that there is no Furious Five in the mix also had a major impact on the film. Without the awesomeness of these characters to look up to and their friendship to relish in and bounce off, Po’s bubbly and sweet character loses its fizz and now sits flat. There’s still flavour, but it’s not as enjoyable as before. It really goes to show just how important supporting characters are!

Image credit: metro.us

But to give credit where it is due, the animation is still incredible especially surrounding the villain: a shapeshifting chameleon with magical powers that allow her to basically become a kung fu master chimera during the third act.

At the end of the day, Kung Fu Panda 4 is not a bad movie, it just seems that the franchise has run out of steam. The film is still fun, heartwarming, and entertaining, btu I won’t be adding it to the library.

Ooh but do stay for the credits, because Tenacious D do a cover of Baby One More Time and it’s awesome!

Director: Mike Mitchell & Stephanie Stine (2024)

Cast: Jack Black, Awkwafina, Dustin Hoffman, James Hong, Bryan Cranston, Ian McShane, Ke Huy Quan & Viola Davis