Since the original “Kung Fu Panda” debuted in 2008, Po, voiced by Jack Black, has been a very busy Dragon Warrior. There have been two sequels, 2011’s “Kung Fu Panda 2” and 2016’s “Kung Fu Panda 3,” and 123 episodes of television centered on the DreamWorks Animation franchise. That’s a lot of adventures, quests, fights, and dumplings for Po to experience over a relatively short period of time. It’s not that surprising then, that the fourth, yes, fourth installment in the film series, “Kung Fu Panda 4,” is not as fresh as director Mike Mitchell and co-director Stephanie Ma Stine would like it to be.
Hey, these things happen on franchise flicks.
READ MORE: ‘Kung Fu Panda 4’ Trailer: Viola Davis and Awkafina join Jack Black in the latest from the Dreamworks Animated franchise
Despite still kicking ass and seemingly being at the top of his game, the movie begins with Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman), informing Po that he needs to begin training his successor. Po isn’t thrilled with the idea and after witnessing the skills of some very talented potential replacements, informs the residents of Valley of Peace the next Dragon Warrior will be…him. He just can’t give the title up. Before Shifu can even protest, Po has a run-in with a sneaky corsac fox (honestly, we thought she was a squirrel at first), attempting to steal treasures from the sacred temple. The sharp-tongued fox, Zhen (Awkwafina doing Awkwafina), is a skilled and pesky adversary, but Po is a master who has taken down the most powerful of opponents, and eventually, easily captures her. Zhen has something valuable of her own to share, however, when she informs him of a great and dangerous new threat to the Valley, The Chameleon.
This shape-shifting sorceress, who is actually a chameleon, has already scared the mob bosses into doing her bidding in far away Juniper City and has her sights set on conquering the relatively tranquil Valley of Peace and beyond. Po makes a deal with Shifu to release Zhen from jail so she can guide Po to Juniper City and stop The Chameleon from her nefarious plans. Actually, Po might have just taken Zhen out of jail on his own. The governmental structure of the Valley of Peace seems shaky, at best (at least in this movie). This petrifies Po’s two fathers, Mr. Ping (James Hong) and Li Shan (Bryan Cranston) who, unbeknownst to Po, follow him to lend a feather or paw, in case anything goes wrong (don’t worry it will).
As you’d expect, there are some familiar twists and turns and you’ll easily figure out who Po’s new successor will be a few minutes (if that) after she appears on screen. But this “Kung Fu Panda” flick is not aiming for a pseudo-broad audience like the original, and for kids or tweens, there may be genuine tension in their hearts about whether Po will save the day and if Zhen will truly escape her street criminal past. The question is whether Mitchell, Ma Steine, and their filmmaking collaborators can infuse the journey with enough creative martial arts showdowns and entertaining new characters to overcome the narrative. I mean, they certainly try.
There are some truly impressive fight sequences with “Looney Tunes” inspired moments that provide a chuckle or, at a minimum, a smile. Having a stampede of Bulls portray the cops in Juniper City is an inspired choice and three street kid bunnies almost steal the movie, but even there something feels off. These adorable but deadly kids somehow aren’t even edgy enough for a DreamWorks Animation movie anymore. It feels like even the Illumination folks would have taken that opportunity (and maybe the entire movie) further creatively. And yes, we’re aware that uttering those words out loud just a decade ago would have been considered blasphemy.
Davis does her best with Chameleon, portraying her in what we have to assume is an almost intentionally unrecognizable performance, but this big baddy barely has a backstory outside of her motivation to steal the fighting skills of all the dead – er, oh, wait, that word is never used. Let’s rephrase, um, stealing the skills of all the villainous master fighters who now reside in “the spirit realm” (good luck explaining that to a 5-year-old). Which, yes, means Ian McShane returns for more than just a quick cameo as Po’s original nemesis, Tai Lung. And thank heaven for that.
For kids, the film is watchable because Black still finds ways to boost the movie with genuine charisma through his vocal talents alone (so much so you wonder why he isn’t working more in live action) and, for adults, something is reassuring in the glorious exasperation that accompanies everyone of Hoffman’s line readings. Still, it all feels a little too by the book. Po barely seems bothered by the fact he’ll have to eventually give up the mantle he trained forever to attain and the movie can’t even give a convincing reason why all the members of Furious Five, a mainstay of the franchise, aren’t around (budget cuts? Angelina Jolie passed? Oh, well.). It’s in stark contrast to another recent DreamWorks endeavor, “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” which took its title character to another level and pushed the aesthetic in a manner that felt fresh and at least somewhat new.
As an animated film, “Kung Fu Panda 4” has some nicely lit moments and, as noted, the battles are often impressively staged, but from a design standpoint it’s a genuine step back from the artistic vision director Jennifer Yuh Nelson pulled off for “King Fu Panda 2” and even “Kung Fu Panda 3,” which she co-directed. Her talented eye is very much missing this time around. In animated endeavors, visual splendor can make up for a lack of a compelling story. Even in a movie aimed directly at kids. Outside of some nicely realized wet stone walkways (seriously, we’re not joking, they are very pretty wet rocks), that’s not really the case here.
That being said, it’s hard not to love Black’s rock-inspired cover of “Baby One More Time” over the closing credits. And maybe those devious kid bunnies will find their voice in the next “Kung Fu Panda” animated series. So, that’s something, right? [C]
“Kung Fu Panda 4” opens nationwide on Friday.