Dive back into the nostalgic world of “Kung Fu Panda”, featuring an action-packed journey with seamless animation, the franchise welcomes all audiences to the big screen, inviting many people to relive their childhoods again.
Actors reprise their roles as Jack Black returns as Po, Awkwafina as Zhen–the newest protagonist–and Viola Davis, as the antagonist. The movie begins with Po fighting a magic stingray, portraying Po as the ever strong “Dragon Warrior”. After returning home to the Valley of Peace, he is confronted by Master Shifu talking about finding a successor. Zhen is introduced as a thief, stealing artifacts as Po captures her. Upon learning from a nearby guard that Ti Lung has returned to wreak havoc across the lands, Po is left confused. Throughout the movie you get to see an unlikely friendship grow between Po and Zhen as they adventure to a new city in order to catch Cameleonul, jampacted with twists and turns.
In terms of three main characters Po, Zhen, and Cameleonul, Po and Zhen’s character development throughout the movie was sadly very predictable leading to the movie feeling bland. Cameleonul, the antagonist, was a very basic villain having the mundane goal of taking over the world with karate powers. Adding onto making the movie that much more forgettable. The two side characters Li Shan, and Mr. Ping, Po’s father, contributed little to nothing towards the story, aside from one inspirational monologue.
This movie made some clear mistakes, taking away from what could have been a memorable movie. The first mistake was not including the Furious Five consisting of Tigress, Monkey, Crane, Viper and Mantis, characters that have been a main part of each movie leading up to “Kung Fu Panda 4”. I also found that the portrayal of Po, an all powerful hero, takes away so much from Po’s character as the Dragon Warrior. The entire concept of preparing Zhen as the next Dragon Warrior seemed wrong, especially after Po had dedicated himself to earning and solidifying his role as the Dragon Warrior through sheer perseverance.
However, “Kung Fu Panda 4” was not filled with only negatives. The animation, for one, is seamless, with each battle scene smoothly animated with each scene easily transitioning into the next. The feeling of nostalgia with Jack Black’s corny humor, the ever so similar animation style, and the return of the Furious Five at the very end.
Taking into account the positives and negatives, “Kung Fu Panda 4” was underwhelming compared to how much this movie was anticipated. Sadly, “Kung Fu Panda 4” was not worth the watch, with the storyline and characters made the movie less enjoyable compared to the other movies in the series.
