Of course returning this time around is Po (voiced by Jack Black – School of Rock), who has a bombshell dropped on him by Shifu (Dustin Hoffman – Rain Man), who tells him that it is time for him to find his successor in the role of The Dragon Warrior.
His search is put on hold though when a new villain known as The Chameleon (Viola Davis – Fences) begins her heinous plan of crossing realms and gaining the power of some of Po’s past adversaries, including Tai Lung (Ian McShane – Snow White and The Huntsman).
Joining Po on his journey is a wily, street-wise fox named Zhen (Awkwafina – The Little Mermaid) who seems to be an expert on The Chameleon, while following them are Po’s two Dads – Li (Bryan Cranston – Breaking Bad) and Mr Ping (James Hong – Everything Everywhere All At Once) ‒ who feel that he is taking on a task that is even too big for him to handle.
There is no denying that having characters like Tigress and Monkey missing for a majority of the movie does change the dynamic of the film – and it is perhaps awkward and lazy the way that the screenwriters explain it to the audience – but on the flipside a change is not necessarily a bad thing.
In a way, making this film a ‘Po film’ so to speak should be seen as a positive, especially given that the fact he is saying farewell to the position that fans watched him achieve kind of makes this film like a finale in a sense. This also allows for the opportunity for there to be some very touching scenes between Po and Shifu, which given the way their relationship started feels like something that the fans needed to see.
Of course the lack of those popular characters also means that the team of screenwriters are able to introduce some fresh blood and they have done that by introducing a character that is a breath of fresh air in the form of the sassy Zhen. Credit must also be paid to whoever came up with the characters of Han (Ke Huy Quan – Everything Everywhere All At Once) and Fish (Ronny Chieng – Crazy Rich Asians). Those characters are a stroke of genius and it is a shame that they are not in the film more.
The real winner for Kung Fu Panda 4 though is the style given to the film by directors Mike Mitchell (Trolls) and Stephanie Stine (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power). While neither have previously directed a film in this franchise, they seem to capture the general feel of the earlier films quite well while also infusing a real Anime feel to different parts of it. That all comes together remarkably well with a huge finale battle that embraces that Anime style in a way that very few Western films have managed to do in the past.
Once again Jack Black does a wonderful job voicing one of the most loved characters ever seen in animated films, while like she normally does newcomer Awkwafina steals the show – once again reminding Hollywood why she is one the best voiceover actresses in the world right now.
There is no doubt that Kung Fu Panda 4 is not the best film of the franchise but credit where credit is due – this is still a film that is very entertaining and contains a valuable message about trusting newcomers in your life. What is really impressive though is the fact that this is a film that has come out 16 years into a franchise but still has the power to entertain both older fans and newcomers to the series.
Kung Fu Panda 4 is currently screening in Phuket and is rated ‘G’
3/5 Stars
David Griffiths has been working as a film and music reviewer for over 20 years. That time has seen him work in radio, television and in print. He is also an accredited reviewer for Rotten Tomatoes. You can follow him at www.facebook.com/subcultureentertainmentaus