It's been eight years since the release of Kung Fu Panda 3, and that film may have felt like a nice way to wrap the series, what with Po, the Dragon Warrior, finding his 'pandas' and reuniting with his old pop. But when there's cash to be made, and a new crop of teeny tots to tweens (?) to be harvested for it, then here we are, at the fourth installment. This might sound cynical, and it is, but actually, I favour this 'franchise' (ugly word, I know) over any of the other DreamWorks fare.
The film starts with Po (Jack Black) opening his dads' new noodle shop, fresh from a scrap with a massive stingray. The Dragon Warrior fame sits well with him but Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) is on his case to choose a successor and head 'upstairs' to a more exalted position as spiritual leader of the valley. The news of a burgeoning threat in far-off Juniper City gives Po an excuse to avoid this duty, and so off he trots with a reluctant partner in miscreant Zhen (Awkwafina).
It almost feels like a broom has been taken to the series - new characters appear and, more tellingly, the Furious Five are sidelined. This works in its favour, as I thought the city setting was a highlight and the newer creations freshened things up. Ke Huy Quan voices a Fagin pangolin (or armadillo?) in nominal charge of a bunch of ne'er-do-wells that live underground, including a trio of cute psychotic bunnies. The villain of the piece, The Chameleon (Viola Davis) is suitably nasty, and comes with shape-shifting magic. Her mafia movie introduction is fun and Davis plays it spot on.
Director, Mike Mitchell has a bit of form with animation, though he's also responsible for Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, so maybe more credit needs to go to co-director, Stephanie Stine (her feature debut), and regular writers, Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger, along with new to the franchise, Darren Lemke. There's some pretty funny writing in this and Black was inspired casting way back in 2008 for the first film. He lands the gags like a pro. I think I was the only person in the screening to giggle at his line, "And where do we find this....The Chameleon?" It's the deliberate use of the definite article that gets me.
Look, sure it's more of the same, even down to a welcome cameo return from Al Swearengen himself (or Lovejoy, if you're old enough), Ian McShane, as Tai Lung. But the animation is amazing, fight scenes and calm moments both. Some of the landscapes are beautifully rendered and there's something about the adventures of Po and his cohort that works for young and old alike.
Kung Fu Panda 4 opens March 28th.
See also:
One scene in a tavern is reminiscent of Drunken Master 2 (1994), directed by Chia-Liang Liu and Jackie Chan. Another fine wuxia film with a great cast is Zhang Yimou's Hero (2002).
(Film stills and trailer ©Universal, 2024)
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