Kung Fu Panda 4

I think the title of my review says it all. If I had to come up with a word to describe the film, it would merely be, "passable." I chuckled a couple of times and my kids (6 & 7) loved it. At the end of the day, I suppose that's money well spent. That being said, I am a huge fan of many DreamWorks franchises, including the first 3 KFP films, with the 3rd installment being the weakest of them, but still a good time. Compared to KP4, which didn't really add anything to the franchise, the 3rd film is a masterpiece. I found the pacing and the humor of KP4 all over the map. It felt like the film was rushing the audience along without time to really feel any of the emotions it wanted us to feel. It felt like a Saturday morning cartoon rather than a memorable addition to the KFP film canon.

So, in the end, I'm glad my kids loved it because I am promptly going to forget everything about this movie. When I think of KFP, scenes like Po finding inner peace in the ruins of his village in KFP 2 will always readily come to mind. I will continue to laugh at the jokes in the first 3 films, but even now I'm struggling to recall the best jokes of KFP4 and I just saw it not even an hour ago. The best, most enduring part of this movie is callback to villains of the previous films. Otherwise, it was one big colorful, fast-paced "Meh."

The kids will enjoy it though.

Going into "Kung Fu Panda 4" I was concerned. The 4th entry of a franchise after a solid trilogy is a very tricky thing. I am very much of the opinion that a film series should leave people wanting more. But I was not completely opposed to the idea of a 4th Kung Fu Panda movie. The 3rd movie didn't end things in such a way that no follow up was possible. The thing that made me nervous was the trailer and the casting of Awkwafina

Beyond the fact that Awkwafina is all over the place right now, whether it is "Angry Birds 2", "Little Mermaid", "Storks", "The Bad Guys", "IF", "Raya" or "Migration" she is everywhere right now. What's worse is that she plays the same role in every movie. It isn't like Jack Black, who plays his role of Bowser completely different from Po, Awkwafina just plays Awkwafina.

In general, Kung Fu Panda's celebrity casting has caught up to them. It is clear that they don't want to put out the money to get all their big-name actors to reprise their roles. At this point it comes across as cheap that the characters show up, but conveniently don't have anything to say. It feels less like the characters, and more like cardboard cutouts of the characters.

The villain is nothing that impressive. The shapeshifting mechanic is cool and fits in well with the story's theme. But the character never does anything that impressive with her power. Her big power movie to intimidate the audience is pushing a character down the stairs. Her endgame isn't that interesting, and her backstory doesn't add up with the world she's in. What do you mean she's too small? Mantis is smaller than she is and he's a member of the Furious Five.

There is a B-Plot going on with Po's two dads, voiced by James Hong and Bryan Cranston. And yes, it doesn't really add to the plot, but it some of the most entertaining parts of the movie. I could get a whole spinoff movie just following these two and I would be content.

The problems I have for this film really all come back to Awkwafina's character Zhen. She was annoying, her attempts at comedy fell flat. And the entire story she is nothing but a hinderance to Po. Why was she even brought along? She said it was to "help find the Chameleon" But the Chameleon wasn't even hidden. As soon as they get to the town its Po that points out where she is. Every action set piece leading up to the finale is caused because of Zhen. More trouble than she was worth does not begin to cover it.

I like the animation; I like Jack Black's cover of "Hit Me Baby One More Time". I liked some of the jokes, specifically from the boat captain. And I liked the themes that the movie teaches.

But beyond that, I came in thinking that this wouldn't live up to the previous entries, and Kung Fu Panda 4 didn't do anything to change my mind about it.

Probably the weakest of the franchise. Don't get me wrong, I had a lot of fun watching it. Four movies in, the charm is still there, and the chemistry between Po and Zhen were great. The charm might be there, but the emotion is missing. The villain was very weak and brought the movie down to me. What the first three were able to do were truly special with how they were able to bring humanity to the villains by connecting them to our heroes we love so much. That wasn't there for the Chameleon, but that being said. It's a new story, and it's time to let go of the past, don't worry it'll always be there.

After many years, '' Kung Fu Panda Four '' returns with Po 'maturing' and ready for new adventures.

First of all, I did find this movie better than the third one. It was nice to see the old villains back (which makes this movie difficult to watch if you haven't watched the previous ones, as many of the jokes and the charms of the movie will be lost), and there were enough funny moments to keep things light.

And, sure, the plot of the movie was predictable, but it was, overall, enjoyable, and the characters lovable, even the new ones. The villain was interesting, moreover, but too basic in the end.

My wife and I caught Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024) in theaters last night. The storyline introduces a new villain, a chameleon with shape-shifting abilities, aiming to take over the world. The chameleon seeks to use the staff Po received in Kung Fu Panda 3 to open a gateway to another dimension, summon kung fu masters, and steal their powers to become unstoppable. Simultaneously, Po must find his replacement to train as the next Dragon Warrior. Can Po save the world and find his apprentice simultaneously?

Co-directed by Mike Mitchell (Trolls) and Stephanie Stine (Major Motion Picture debut), the film features the voices of Jack Black (School of Rock), Viola Davis (The Help), Awkwafina (Crazy, Rich, Asians), Dustin Hoffman (Tootsie), James Hong (Big Trouble in Little China), Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), and Ke Huy Quan (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom).

The animation, animal universe, and the introduction of the new villain were excellent, as always. Viola Davis was a great addition, but Awkwafina's presence felt awkward and annoying. The absence of the Furious Five was noticeable, and the two-father subplot was just okay. The film strikes a good balance between lessons and comedy, and kept us laughing throughout. While the ending was rewarding, it didn't quite match the brilliance of previous films in the series.

In conclusion, Kung Fu Panda 4 offers a fun, above-average animated experience but stands as the weakest link in the series. I'd score it a 6/10 and recommend seeing it once.