kung fu panda 4 -review

NO SPOILERS! i promise :)

Kung Fu Panda 4 opens to Po (Jack Black), using his celebrity to promote the new restaurant that he and his Dads (one goose & one panda) have opened together. Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman), the adorably grumpy red panda, is immediately against this commodification, and tells Po there is something important that they need to discuss. Shifu informs Po that it is time he chooses a new Dragon Warrior so Po can ascend to the title of spiritual leader. Po is immediately resistant to this change, as he enjoys his duties as they are and doubts his spiritual abilities.

Before Po can make a decision on who his successor should be, he spots a small gray fox named Zhen (Awkwafina), stealing relics from the Jade Palace. Zhen is put in jail, but conveniently knows the whereabouts of this film's villain, “The Chameleon” (Viola Davis). The Chameleon is able to transform into the likeness of anyone, no matter the size or shape, and has been terrorizing villages in the form of Tai Lung (Ian McShane). Tai Lung was the villain from the first film who has been living in the spirit realm since he was defeated by Po. Against Shifu’s wishes, Po asks Zhen to assist him with apprehending The Chameleon and bringing peace to the valley.

My overall thoughts of this film are that it was an enjoyable watch but not nearly as good as other installments in the franchise. My main gripe is the one-dimensionality of Po’s character. I don’t remember Po being such a cop in the previous films, but he is constantly acting with God-like morality. Zhen is the antithesis of this, as she grew up on the streets living a life of crime to survive. Zhen continues to commit petty crimes throughout their journey, and Po goes out of his way to right her wrongs even when it is to their severe disadvantage. I guess this proves the point that he is becoming a spiritual leader, but at the cost of making Po a boring character.

The flatness of Po as a character translated to a lackluster voice acting performance from Black. Black has proven himself to be a very talented voice actor as seen in previous Kung Fu Panda films and the Super Mario Brothers movie- however, the writers did not utilize his range and comedic ability in this script. Although Po is the protagonist, he is easily outshone by Zhen. I was surprised that Awkwafina was not nearly as “Awkwafina-y” in her voice acting for Zhen, which made it a much more enjoyable watch than, say, her performance as Sisu in “Raya and the Last Dragon”. 

I was also not entirely sold on the premise of this film. There are plenty of times where the plot didn’t make sense, like why does Master Shifu decide now is the time for Po to choose a new Dragon Warrior? Grand Master Oogway was practically a thousand year old turtle when he chose Po as his successor. Also, Po’s two clearly queer-coded fathers are very out of place. Their continued appearance is forced and unnecessary, as they were only used as a cop out to conveniently rescue Po from trouble. 

While the story was predictable, I was pleasantly surprised by a plot twist near the end. As someone who is pretty good at guessing how a story will progress, I’m always happy to be surprised. It was also entertaining to see all the previous villains be brought back. It was a fun callback to the series’ successful past.

Overall, I’m glad I saw the latest installment in the series. While it wasn’t without issues, a fourth film in a franchise is not meant to be groundbreaking, it’s meant to make money. Capitalizing on nostalgia has been the go to move for many production companies for the last decade, so why not DreamWorks too? I give it a 6/10. This rating is highly influenced by my nostalgic love of the original film and of pandas in general.

This is how I dress for the premier :)