Kung Fu Panda 4 Review

Last Updated on March 15, 2024

PLOT: Po (Jack Black) is ordered by Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) to train a new “Chosen One” so that he can take on a new role as Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace. 

REVIEW: Kung Fu Panda 4 is pretty standard fare for a new movie in a franchise that’s gone inactive. Watching Kung Fu Panda 4, I couldn’t help but think of Cars 3 or Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol, which were both “passing the torch” sequels that didn’t really work out that way. Cars 3 all but ended the franchise; while Ghost Protocol was so badass, people fell in love with Tom Cruise all over again, making the notion of him passing on his franchise to a would-be-successor (in that case Jeremy Renner) ludicrous. All that is to say Kung Fu Panda 4 does the usual thing for a long-awaited sequel, with the movie designed to have Jack Black’s Po eventually pass the reins of a franchise – to some extent – over to a new character, in this case Awkwafina’s Zhen, a Corsac Fox. I suppose they’re aiming to eventually get a Kung Fu Fox franchise going, with Black’s Po shifting to a wizened mentor role, but watching this movie with a packed matinee audience, I’m not sure this idea works.

Kung Fu Panda 4 is a decent enough animated romp, even if the franchise kinda ran out of steam a while ago. For me, a forty-two-year-old critic, it felt like the series had gotten a little tepid, but here’s the thing – the kids in the audience went crazy any time Black’s Po was on-screen. There’s something about a funny, furry panda that children love, and for me, the reason a Kung Fu Fox franchise might fall flat is that the character design on Awkwafina’s Zhen just isn’t as instantly iconic or recognizable as Po. 

Kung Fu Panda 4 will likely do fine at the box office, as even if the franchise is set to (potentially) focus on Zhen in future films, Po is still the star here. One of the interesting things about an animated franchise is that the characters never have to age, and Black’s voice work is as energetic as ever. Yet, it can’t be denied that his arc as the Dragon Warrior seems to have run its course, so perhaps finding a successor in the Karate Kid vein isn’t a bad idea. It should have been another Panda, though. Heck, even one voiced by Awkwafina, who’s actually quite funny as Zhen, a duplicitous thief with a heart of gold. She dropped her controversial “blaccent” some time ago and gives the part a lot of energy, with her having a swarmy energy as opposed to the still naive Po. 

Too bad then that too many of their adventures seem recycled from the other films when they pursue a villainess called The Chameleon (voiced by Viola Davis) who can take on the shape of other villains, such as Ian McShane’s Tai Lung from the first film. One thing that’s a surprise is that Davis has never voiced a character in a big animated film like this. Given that she has one of the best voices in the business, it’s no surprise that her voicework as the Chameleon is one of the movie’s highlights.

One thing the film suffers from is the near total absence of Po’s friends, the Furious Five, meaning the biggest stars from the last few movies – like Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, David Cross, and Lucy Liu – aren’t really in this one. Their absence is felt, but they try to make up for it by giving Po’s two dads, voiced by Bryan Cranston and James Hong, bigger roles. Their buddy-comedy scenes together are the movie’s highlight. New additions like Ronny Chieng and Ke Huy Quan are fun but not as iconic as the Furious Five, making the movie feel a little less epic than its predecessors. 

In the end, the film is all about planting the seeds for a potentially new direction for the franchise, but again, after having seen this with a kiddie audience, I don’t think they want to see Po in the wise mentor role. They want him leaping around yelling “ska-doosh”. Kung Fu Panda 4 has enough of that to make it a fun enough romp for kids, but it can’t help but feel like this franchise’s moment has passed, and isn’t really strong enough material to sustain a spin-off.

Kung Fu Panda 4

AVERAGE

6

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