KUNG FU PANDA 4: Enough Wit For One More Kick

There’s a lesson within Kung Fu Panda 4 about not remaining stagnant and allowing for change. There’s certainly some change within this animated franchise’s fourth entry, and it could use something to spice up the expected martial arts actions and slapstick. The bad news is that Kung Fu Panda is showing its age as it fails to recapture the magic that made the first film so remarkable. The good news is that it still has some charm left in its punches despite being weaker than before.

An Older Po

The heroic panda Po (Jack Black) has lost a bit of his goofy luster but is still enduring for trying to balance his mastery of martial arts with his geekiness for medium. Time has passed, and the misfit Dragon Warrior can’t remain the hero forever. His aged Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) tells him it’s time to pick a successor, which Po has been dreading. Considering the name of this film series, he doesn’t want somebody to replace him.

Po naturally jumps at this chance when he learns that one of his old villains might be lurking about. He remains uncritical of his current mindset and uses incredible fantasy items, like a staff that opens the spirit realm, to open up a restaurant. Even for now having two dads, those being the duck Ping (James Hong) and panda Li (Bryan Cranston), he doesn’t seem to want to spend much time with them. Po would much rather be off on a butt-kicking adventure than mediating and preparing to pass on his title.

A Cunning Thief and Cameleon Queen

There’s no Furious Five present in this film, leaving Po’s only ally to be the sly fox thief, Zhen (Awkwafina). Po finds great potential in this misfit by adhering to the spiritual logic of this anthropomorphic realm of China. She’s smart enough to sneak into his master’s temple and swipe some legendary artifacts but not wise enough to avoid Po’s perfected martial arts. In exchange for a reduced prison sentence, Po gains a reluctant protege in the making.

The threat Po has to face this time is the simply-named crime lord, The Chameleon (Viola Davis). Having been denied martial arts training for discrimination, this shapeshifting ruler doesn’t just want to conquer all territories of martial arts masters. She literally wants to siphon their powers for her own rather than undergo the longer route of training. She also aims to go the extra mile by absorbing the martial arts moves of previous enemies banished to the spirit realm. Think of her as a smorgasbord of Po’s greatest rivals rolled into one small yet sinister attacker.

Another Trip To The Fantastic

The stuff that usually works about the world of Kung Fu Panda is still functioning sufficiently. Po’s quest to stop The Chameleon has a charming pitstop at a tavern perched on a cliff and managed by a short-fused boar (Lori Tan Chinn). The structure is built on the exact edge of a cliff, making the weight-slinging skirmishes that break out inside extra dangerous and exciting. As with most of Po’s battles, gravity is on his side for this battle of the boar.

There are also plenty of fun supporting characters on the adventure to fill in the blanks left by the Furious Five. Ke Huy Quan brings some natural exuberance to the role of thief leader Han, a pangolin who rolls throughout the sewers of The Cameleon’s stronghold. Ronny Chieng perfectly plays up the wryness of Captain Fish, a slick-talking fish who gets around in the mouth of a pelican as though he were Master Blaster. There are also plenty of small yet notable additions of silly guards for The Cameleon and skilled martial artists vying to be Po’s protege.

Thematic Messiness

The film falters hard because it doesn’t bring together its central theme all that well. While the film does seem to be about Po learning to find the good in stumbling youth, it finds more busy work for the characters rather than building to that moment. Consider how Ping and Li are framed in this narrative as worried about their son but always kept at a distance until the third act. While their back-and-forth is cute in bits and pieces as two worrying fathers, much of their antics feel like their filling time before bestowing a poetic lesson on teaching to Po.

There’s also sure to be a lot of nitpicking in how the finale involves tapping the spirit realm and the return of old villains. I was excited when Ian McShane emerged as the evil snow leopard, Tai Lung. Sadly, he doesn’t fight much, and his cameo is reduced to being more grateful to Po than vengeful. While I understand the thematic focus, this shifting in the character amid the ultimate resolve is abrupt. A film about enemies turning allies should have something more than a common enemy and a hearty handshake to wrap things up with a bow.

Some Smiles

While the film is highly divergent and lacks the same spark of brilliance as the past Kung Fu Panda films, I must admit that I found myself smirking lovingly many times at the slapstick and absurdity. The fight and chase scenes are fairly clever, and I started to get into the groove of Jack Black playing off Awkwafina. There are some solid running jokes, as with the criminal underworld, that seem easily swayed to work with Po, but for all the wrong and misinterpreted reasons.

I only wish there was a better build-up to all these charming moments. In particular, I would have loved the adventure if Po and Zhen had not been separated from Ping and Li. Separated, they’re fine and have okay chemistry, but it’s clear from the final act that they deserve to be together. It’s as though all the great elements of Kung Fu Panda have been needlessly diced up and served in smaller, less appetizing portions, leaving the audience hungry for something more. It almost seems like an emergency cuteness-inclusion when the film introduces the easy-gag inclusion of adorable bunnies with murderous tendencies and vicious words out of the mouths of babes.

Conclusion

Kung Fu Panda 4 has lost some of its mojo, but still has a few nice moves left in this old franchise. The fight scenes are still well staged, the world is still fascinating, and the humor is strong enough to make me mildly chuckle here and there. Make no mistake; it’s miles away from the brilliance of the first two Kung Fu Panda films, containing nowhere near the same amount of heart and stylish flair. But considering there’s no other animated saga quite like Kung Fu Panda, it’s surprising how many more drops can be ringed out of it now. However, much like Po, it’s probably best that this franchise takes a bow and steps aside for a more original animated film to flourish rather than stagger onward with weaker kicks and fewer jokes.

Kung Fu Panda 4 was released in theaters on March 8, 2024!