You’d be hard pressed to find a modern animated franchise more beloved than “Kung Fu Panda.” First released in 2008, the series has maintained a steady stream of films, television shows, and video games all based around the exploits of the lovable Dragon Warrior kung fu master Po the Panda. Now, almost a decade after the original trilogy wrapped up, we have “Kung Fu Panda 4” ready to bring the awesomeness once again.
Set after the events of the third film, this adventure sees Po, voiced by Jack Black (“School of Rock,” “Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny”), confronted with the idea of retiring and passing along his mantle of Dragon Warrior to another. However, he’s able to delay this after being altered to a new villain, the Chameleon, voiced by Viola Davis (“Widows,” “The Woman King”), who has the power to shapeshift, and who wants to open a door to the spirit realm to steal the power of the kung fu masters and Po’s former nemeses. With the help of a fox thief named Zhen, voiced by Awkwafina (“The Farewell,” “Raya and the Last Dragon”), Po makes a trek to stop the Chameleon’s plot, all while being followed by his bumbling dads, Ping, voiced by James Hong (“Big Trouble in Little China,” “Everything Everywhere All At Once”), and Li Shen, voiced by Bryan Cranston (“Breaking Bad,” “Malcolm in the Middle”), trying to protect him.
This adventure isn’t anything particularly new or revolutionary for the series, instead feeling more like an excuse to trot out some old villains from past adventures in a new film. It’s fine enough, but also feels noticeably lower stakes and a bit blander than the previous movies. It's not that the adventure is bad, but it simply feels passable compared to the deeper, more emotionally intense tales previously told.
Luckily, the voice cast is still very much up to the task. Black is as stellar as ever, bringing Po to life with vigor and energy, delivering a performance with as much charm as he first did sixteen years ago. Awkwafina also does a good job with Zhen, toning down her more annoying vocal tendencies used in films like “The Little Mermaid (2023)” and “Migration,” resulting in a calmer, smoother delivery. Davis has an absolutely killer performance for a villain too undercooked to deserve it, and each scene with her is a highlight. Meanwhile, Cranston and Hong are the highlight of the film, as any scene with them brims with charm, silliness, and heart.
The animation mostly keeps the high level of excellence from the previous films as well, but it feels far less inventive than before. Whereas the first three films all mixed in other styles, like hand-drawn animation, silhouetted work, and cel-shading, the adventure here keeps it all mostly traditional. While that’s fine, it also feels downgraded in a way, despite still featuring grand landscapes and fights. It gives the film the vibe that it was an afterthought, instead of an essential chapter of Po’s journey.
Almost the exact same thing could be said for the script, because despite the return of franchise veterans Jonathan Aibel (“The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water,” “Monsters vs. Aliens”) and Glenn Berger (“The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water,” “Monsters vs. Aliens”), their script co-written with Darren Lemke (“Shrek Forever After,” “Goosebumps”) feels played out and like it's going through the motions. Davis’s villain, the Chameleon, is certainly voiced well, but compared to the previous series’ antagonists, many of whom make cameos in this film, she comes across as just too simple. It’s not that the previous films were thick with nuance, but there was at least some semblance of effort or layering to their characterizations and the emotional journeys of the antagonists and protagonists. Here, it just seems far blander and more cookie cutter than ever before.
Way back in 2008, the first film almost defied conventions by being more than just a slapstick adventure with action and silliness, and with each subsequent film, this stereotype was avoided. Unfortunately, this fourth film has essentially become what everyone assumed the first would be. It’s serviceable and certainly not bad, but it’s hardly memorable and lacks a lot of the depth and excitement that made the previous films so memorable and exceptional. 3/5
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