Kung Fu Panda 4 Review
Theatrical Movie Review - Animated
I’m confident that the 2008 film “Kung Fu Panda” isn’t the first one that I took my kids to see, but it might be one of the first that they remember. I went in with low expectations and was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. While the two follow-up films never quite hit the same highs for me, I still enjoy the series, so I was looking forward to “Kung Fu Panda 4” from directors Mike Mitchell and Stephanie Stine.
We pick up with Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) telling Po (Jack Black) that it's time to give up being the Dragon Warrior and become the spiritual guide that he was chosen to be. Po doesn't want that change, so instead, he decides that he’s going to take one more Dragon Warrior adventure with the criminal fox Zhen (Awkwafina) to try to defeat The Chameleon (Viola Davis), a villain who is intent on stealing the kung fu moves of previous masters.
This movie was hit or miss with me. Like its predecessors, the voice acting continues to be really fun. Jack Black is a national treasure, and Awkwafina is the queen of voicework right now, seemingly appearing in almost every new animated film. Viola Davis is coming at us with yet another villainous character, and I'm here for it. I also enjoyed the return of Dustin Hoffman, Bryan Cranston, and James Hong in their roles. Something must be going right to be able to bring back so much of the original cast.
The visuals are gorgeous. I appreciate the way ongoing franchises like this are able to maintain the look while evolving with technology. The style keeps the feel of the original, while continuing to sharpen and refine the overall look. For a series that got its start sixteen years ago, I'm impressed with the level of continuity that exists.
But that's also this film’s downfall. The main theme in this movie is the inevitability of change and how we need to embrace it, but this movie looks more or less the same as it did in 2008, even bringing back characters from that movie. It's hard to talk about the need for change in a movie that is pretty much a rehash of the original, except this time Po struggles to become the spiritual guide instead of the dragon warrior.
I did appreciate the primary theme. Sometimes, we get locked into believing that the person we were at one point in our lives is who we must be forever, and we can forget that we have the ability to grow and reevaluate our lives, making necessary adjustments to fit the situation that we are in now. I think that is a worthy, and honestly, weighty discussion for a film geared toward kids. I just wish that the actual film had been more bold in the way it applied that message to itself.
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This review originally appeared in The Dominion Post on March 10, 2024.