Kung Fu Panda 4
March 6th, 2024
MOVIE: KUNG FU PANDA 4
STARRING: JACK BLACK, AWKWAFINA, VIOLA DAVIS, DUSTIN HOFFMAN, BRYAN CRANSTON, JAMES HONG
DIRECTED BY: MIKE MITCHELL, STEPHANIE STINE
AMovieGuy.com’s RATING: 2 STARS (Out of 4)
We have another situation where everything was perfect and we had to go and mess it up and this time it’s with the Kung Fu Panda series. At the end of Kung Fu Panda 3, we see Po reunite with his actual father, take full control of his title of Dragon Warrior, and bring happiness to the Valley of Peace. It was a perfect ending for a trilogy that would only get better with age. This starts a new journey for Po but it feels entirely tacked on. This is an addition that has moments that are reminiscent of the first three installments, but they are too few, in a rushed, erratic, and uninspired adventure. Kung Fu Panda 4 doesn’t pack a powerful punch. It’s more like a wet noodle.
Po (voiced by the energetic Jack Black) is the big hero in the Valley of Peace. Everyone loves him for his fighting skills and he is now the main spokesperson for the restaurant run by his adopted goose father Mr. Ping (voiced by James Hong) and panda father Li (Bryan Cranston). Po has also been given the staff of wisdom from his master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman), all in hopes that he will take on a new role of leadership, but giving up that moniker of Dragon Warrior is hard to do. When a new villain known as The Chameleon (Viola Davis) attacks, Po must stop her before she releases the villains from the spirit realm, sending him on a journey, along with a sneaky fox named Zhen (Awkwafina), with hopes of saving the day once again.
From the jump, things are off about this installment into the Kung Fu Panda collection. There is no sign of the “Furious Five”, clearly due to stars not returning, and we also see the return of Tai Lung (voiced by Ian McShane), a villain long ago exposed. Writers Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger, and Darren Lemke are not comfortable with expanding the world and the level of this adventure feels episodic. On top of that minor quibble, this story never settles down, with the road trip device used for Po to connect with Zhen, searching for The Chameleon and proceeding to mess with a bunch of pigs in a bar on a cliff, and chased by chameleon henchmen set to an Asian-themed version of Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train”. The pacing is frantic, unfocused, and lacking in the humor we expect.
It’s not that Kung Fu Panda 4 is a terrible miss but with high hopes and an all-star cast it falls below the bar. Director Mike Mitchell and Stephanie Stine forget the soul of what made the first three Kung Fu Panda’s shine, which was the humility of Po and the tale of building a family. Similar to a scene where Po attempts to meditate and find inner peace, this movie is too noisy to appreciate, and standard in its narrative. There are many similarities to other animated films such as Raya and the Last Dragon, The Tiger’s Apprentice, and recently Nimona.
In the end, I know that Kung Fu Panda 4 is for kids and I think parents could be stuck doing worse things with their time. It’s just that the first three were so good and similar to Toy Story 4, that I found myself struggling to see what this was adding. Still love Jack Black. Still love Po. Still love Kung Fu Panda. Let’s just kick this one aside and move on to five.
KUNG FU PANDA 4 IS PLAYING IN THEATERS ON FRIDAY MARCH 8TH, 2024.
2 STARS
Written by: Leo Brady
leo@amovieguy.com
