Kung Fu Panda 4, released on March 8, is established on the pretense that the main character Po, voiced by Jack Black, is to become the Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace, and therefore must find and train a new Dragon Warrior. Meanwhile, a sorceress named Chameleon, who has the ability to shapeshift into any creature and steal their power, has been recently sighted. Po finds help in the form of Zhen, a corsac fox and crafty thief. Together, they must find a way to defeat Chameleon.
The first aspect of the film that was disappointing was this villain, intended to be the most evil and all-powerful of the entire franchise. However, Chameleon’s “evilness” and motivations felt superficial, and her power was never fully fleshed out until the final battle scene. Because of this, it doesn’t ever feel as if there’s any substantial tension or stakes.
Furthermore, the plot, action sequences, and comedy were all mediocre at best – simply because they felt either forced or too similar to things that we’ve already seen. Also, the relative absence of the Furious Five – iconic characters that drove much of the plot of the previous movies – was a major let-down for me, and Po’s enemies-to-friends relationship with Zhen felt too similar to the initially reluctant relationship he had with Tigress (a member of the Furious Five). These similarities between this newest edition to the series and its predecessors didn’t feel like a positive to me, and seemed to diminish the Kung Fu Panda universe instead of expanding it.
Another aspect that lacked for me was Po’s lack of character growth. Throughout the previous three movies, there were always events or characters pushing Po to change, and to become stronger both mentally and physically. In this installment, however, his personality felt exactly the same as it was in Kung Fu Panda 3 – which made the entire watching experience feel stagnant and somewhat underwhelming, as if I was waiting for him to reach a revelation that never happened.
Kung Fu Panda 4 was by far my least favorite in the franchise. However, if you loved the previous movies, I would still recommend watching this one. Despite its flaws, it’s always exciting to see familiar characters back on the big screens, and as with all other Kung Fu Panda movies, it’s entirely appropriate for children of all ages!
