It’s been 16 years since the dumpling loving, pudgy panda Po first became the Dragon Warrior on our screens, leading to a hilarious and action-packed animated trilogy full of wild adventures with the Furious Five, in order to protect the Valley of Peace.
The Kung Fu Panda series was an iconic addition into early 2000s pop-culture, with the ever-energetic and entertaining Jack Black bringing his trademarked hyper-activity to the voice of Po, and the awesome martial arts action showcasing that animated films can serve as a showcase for exciting action set pieces.
As the previous generation of Kung Fu Panda fans transition into the nostalgic phase of fandom, it only makes sense that the upcoming generation, who are discovering these films for the first time, have an iteration of their own. And Kung Fu Panda 4 definitely attempts to balance both of those elements, but does it come at the cost of a decent story? And is the magic of the franchise beginning to lose its punch?
Peace and prosperity unite the villagers in the Valley of Peace, with Po (Jack Black) having successfully protected the people of this land during his time as the Dragon Warrior. However, with Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) stepping down as the spiritual leader of the Valley of Peace, and naming Po to be his successor, a new Dragon Warrior must be named in Po’s place.
As Po emotionally grapples with the idea that he will no longer be the Dragon Warrior, a new threat emerges in the form of The Chameleon (Viola Davis) a shape-shifting foe who is using a supernatural ability to bring all of Po’s former enemies from the spirit realm that they were banished to long ago. Forming an alliance with a sly fox, and potential candidate for the new Dragon Warrior, Zhen (Awkwafina), Po must go on an action-packed journey to not just defeat The Chameleon but also find the courage within himself to take on the new role as spiritual leader of the Valley of Peace.
Where Kung Fu Panda 4 is at it’s strongest is the 110% level of energy, exciting and hyper-active passion that Jack Black brings to the role of Po. Whether it’s the laugh-a-minute barrage of one-liners, or the excessive martial-arts induced grunts and groans, there’s not an element of Jack Black’s performance that feels phoned in. And for long-time fans of this franchise, it will be a true sigh of relief knowing that Black still has so much love for this character that has been apart of our lives for 16 years.
Seeming like she’s been almost every animated film of the last 3 or so years, Awkwafina brings her trademarked dry humour and banter-filled wit to the character of Zhen, who is an addition to film heavily in lieu of the absence of the Furious Five (a staple group of the franchise in the three films before). While Zhen doesn’t necessarily bring all the excitement that the Furious Five brought to the saga initially, the chemistry Zhen shares with Po in their ‘odd-couple’ like relationship works well enough to provide entertainment for 90 minutes, but the expectation to be as emotionally invested in their relationship, and the idea the Zhen is in line to be the next Dragon Warrior, falls short, and effects the general flow of the story.
The most unfortunate victim in the cast is Viola Davis, whose performance encapsulates everything we love about Davis’ ability to play truly menacing figures on screen, but the story of Kung Fu Panda 4 criminally underutilises her talent by giving no real substance to The Chameleon as a character outside of “bad guy doing a bad thing”. In the limited screentime The Chameleon has, Davis chews up the scenery with an off-putting, raspy voice that is more villainous than anything The Chameleon actually does.
For what is supposed to be the triumphant return after 8 years away from the cinema, Kung Fu Panda 4 doesn’t feel like the spectacle it should be. It has the elements that has made this series great – there’s anime inspired action that packs thrills and punches galore, the ridiculous humour hits more than it misses, and the heart of film lies heavily once more with Po and his kind, generous and goofball nature. But, the rinse and repeat nature of what has worked before, without adding anything new (in fact, in an opposite manoeuvre, taking aspects of the series that fans love away), makes it a struggle to care as to what’s happening on screen in this latest instalment.
Despite the shortcomings with Kung Fu Panda 4’s story, there is still a lot of joy within it’s 93-minute runtime. The visual gags, fart jokes, Po’s one-liners, Mr. Ping (James Hong) and Li’s (Bryan Cranston) insane side-adventure, and of course, some incredibly exciting, long-take action scenes do enough to not have this film feeling like a waste of time, and for the younger, newcomer audience members, will serve as a decent introduction to Po’s story and the journey of the Dragon Warrior.
Kung Fu Panda 4 is in Australian cinemas March 28. Be on the watch out for Nick’s interview with the film’s co-directors Mike Mitchell and Stephanie Ma Stine, coming soon to Novastream.
