“Kung Fu Panda 4” misses the mark and doesn’t match the storytelling of the first three movies in the slightest. Yet, it still has many positives and is fun to watch, but doesn’t differentiate itself enough from its predecessors.
The movie follows Po (Jack Black) as he tries to find his replacement for the Dragon Warrior so that he can take up the late Master Oogway’s position. Po learns that his previous adversary Tai Lung (Ian McShane) has somehow returned and also meets a thief named Zhen (Awfwafina). With Zhen’s help he travels to Juniper City to take down The Chameleon (Viola Davis) and save the city from her rule.
This movie was a lot of fun to watch, but the story was way too safe and there are a few notable things missing in the fourth entry in this franchise. The Furious Five is entirely missing in this movie, which is a massive disappointment to people who are fans of them. Along with the Villain not being nearly as compelling as the first three it leaves a lot to wish for after its over.
Jack Black is by far the best part of the movie and is consistently funny and charming as Po. Zhen is a great addition, she is really the only new character to have decent development. She is very multidimensional compared to The Chameleon and is a lot of fun to watch. It is also one of Awfwafina’s better performances in an animated movie.
The main villain The Chameleon is interesting at the surface, but as the movie moves along she becomes more one-dimensional and undeveloped. She has almost no back story compared to the first three movies that each had extensive backstories. Viola Davis gives an amazing performance, but it feels like she is somewhat wasted in this movie and wasn’t allowed to reach the full potential that the character could have had.
The story was the typical “Kung Fu Panda” story structure, but it didn’t differentiate itself enough to stand on its own. The new location of Juniper City that most of the movie takes place in is cool, but it’s very underdeveloped and a lot of times feels like a backdrop more than a setting. The final fight scene is interesting and creative, yet it feels too similar to the previous movies and has trouble really creating any sense of danger because of the lack of development for The Chameleon.
The fight choreography is honestly some of the best in the entire series. It’s smooth, clean, fun, and incredibly creative sometimes. The set pieces are on par with the previous movies and are always very cool to watch.
Overall, “Kung Fu Panda 4” is a fun movie that plays it a little too safe and has trouble standing apart from the rest of the series. It’s a good children’s action comedy, but doesn’t really give anything past that.
Directed by Mike Mitchell
Starring: Jack Black, Awkwafina, Viola Davis, Bryan Cranston, James Hong, Ian McShane, Ke Huy Quan, Dustin Hoffman
Rated PG
Runtime: 94 minutes
My Rating: ★★★
