THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
It is always hard for a franchise to maintain relevance when getting older. It would bring up the question if it needs to stick around. Deep down, it takes passion to keep it all afloat and Dreamworks Animation pulled it off with Kung Fu Panda 4.
PLOT
The 2024 film follows the Dragon Warrior Po must prepare to pass on his mantle to become a spiritual leader like Master Shifu. His decision is halted when a fox bandit named Zhen tries to steal from the Jade Palace. Just as he imprisons her for thievery, mine workers warns him they were attacked by Tai Lung but Zhen corrects the fact this is a masquerade by a sorceress chameleon that can shape-shift into any animal she comes into contact with. With the Furious Five caught up in separate missions, Po goes alone with her to Juniper City to confront the new threat. They almost get arrested by guards due to Zhen’s criminal status, but is able to get another way inside the Chameleon’s lair paved by the pangolin Han (Ke Huy Quan), leader of the Den of Thieves who used to be friends with the fox. When Po gets trapped, he mistakingly gives her the Staff of Wisdom, letting her reveal her allegiance with the sorceress all along. The Chameleon wanted the staff to open the Spirit Realm and steal the Kung fu chi from previous villains Po has defeated by Blood Moon, in order to conquer all of China. Believing she has the upper hand, she pushes him off a cliff. Luckily, he is saved by both of his fathers who were following him out of worry, his biological father Li Shen and adopted father Mr. Ping. With all the chaos he’s gone through, both of Po’s parents tell him change is good. Motivated, he recruits the Den of Thieves to fight off Chameleon’s Komodo dragon army as she summons past enemies and imprisons them after taking their chi (From the likes of Tai Lung, Shen & Kai). The panda and the sorceress battle which is not an easy feat for the protagonist as the main villain takes many forms from a chimera to a Po doppelgänger. Having regret her act of betrayal, Zhen intervenes and helps the dragon warrior defeat her. With victory, they restore the chi to the other villains and sends them back to the Spirit Realm. Out of respect to the panda, Tai Lung takes the Chameleon with him which ultimately kills her. When returning to the Valley of Peace, Po declares Zhen to be the next Dragon Warrior which annoyingly surprises Shifu. The film ends with the returning Furious Five helping Po train the fox to be his successor.
THOUGHTS
It’s clear to see whatever the budget and whatever the platform (series or sequel film), the follow up can deliver as long as there is passion. In this case, Directors Mike Mitchell & Stephanie Ma Stine pull off the odds in creating another entertaining adventure. The animation remains amazing when digesting the environment of new & old characters (like Juniper City and the Valley of Peace), while still making distinguishable designs for new & returning characters. The hand in hand on that makes very entertaining moments such as the fight scenes and get a fair share of laughs from such comedic scenes like how the Happy Bunny Tavern was set at the edge of a cliff which led to a hilarious scenario where it would tip over based on the amount of weight of people combined. That took the cake for me whereas I was chuckling to the Den of Thieves mistaking violence is not good whenever Po tried to explain it never is compared to how he only uses kung fu for self defense. I don't even think I kept it together with Ronny Chieng playing Captain Fish who lived the mouth of his adoptive pelican mother. That dynamic was impossible for me to have a straight face. Now the reason I believe this film holds well compared to the previous films is the way it is able to encourage viewers on how change can be good in our lives no matter the extent because it can help us be better versions of ourselves. Will it be scary in some cases? Probably, but it would be worth it because you're doing it for you and you can use it to an advantage in the long haul. You feel all of this in the perspective of Po in an adventure that is far from his last. Jack Black's return as what feels like his iconic protagonist doesn't skip a beat because he's still as humble as we remember him for but he was not prepared to end his reign as Dragon Warrior because he knows that is what made him special and how he gained respect from everyone he's encountered. He felt that if he lost it, he wouldn't matter anymore but the love of his family and peers reminded him that'll never happen. The time away from the Furious Five made him mature enough to make decisions on his own and trust his instincts alone no matter the outcome which does and doesn't work by the end. He was able to see the good in Zhen but trusted her too much when it came to life or death. The only reason it came around is because he luck he had in knowing she regretted her actions. Looking back, I think he passes on the mantle to her because he seems to see himself in her. Awkafina made an interesting character out of the fox because she was someone who could use advantages to her surroundings and felt accepted when putting bravery over fear. That is what the panda saw in her and had deep respect for embracing that when needed, which explains her earning the mantle. With the Furious Five by her side as well, she has a brighter future in store for her than she expected. Dustin Hoffman still gives me a smile returning as Shifu because although the red panda has his indifferences due to not being patient enough after all these years, to the point where he still hilariously meditates to control his annoyance, he still respects Po for all he's done and continues guiding him to still be good like he is. He's still doing what Oogway would do if still alive and doesn't see reason to not to. It was a sudden decision for Po picking Zhen, but at least he picked someone he trusts which is why Shifu hardly debated about it. Co parenting can be a challenge, but it pays off when sharing the common goal when protecting your child. That's what you get when seeing Ping and Li who were just as compatible as Po & Zhen in all honesty. James Hong & Bryan Cranston were so good together as these characters because they both share the same worry for their son and build common ground to be there for him without being clingy. They continue to get out of their comfort zones by becoming braver than before by the time they pass through the tavern and that is something I respect. Nostalgia definitely kicked in when Ian McShane returned as Tai Lung, but it's a relief to say he wasn't the problem Po had to deal with. Viola Davis made Chameleon a compelling villain because she had combined all elements that made previous villains intriguing. She's manipulative like Shen and power hungry like Kai, only because of an understandable motive that sounds similar to what Tai Lung would've done in her point of view. She was rejected of her potential by past masters solely off of her size which is very hypocritical when you think about it due to the likes of Mantis & Viper having gotten chances. Likely aware of that fact, it riles her up to be at the top of the food chain by taking all that doesn't belong to her. Thankfully, she got stopped before she could do any permanent damage. Even when seeing her get defeated, Tai Lung accepted who was the better warrior between him and the panda. When he bowed, so did everyone else and that spoke volumes for me because it showed your past enemies will respect you when you won't expect it. And that backs up why the leopard took Chameleon with them where she will learn the meaning of respect. This film was overall fun to watch, but even good stuff like have their own handful of issues. For starters, when exactly did Chameleon ever meet Tai Lung before pulling him out of the Spirit Realm? If she can take the form after coming into contact with another animal, this has to mean she came into contact with him at some point before his original imprisonment. If someone can explain when she met him before, that would be great. Next, why aren't there guards at the Hall of Heroes in an outside? If there were, Zhen would've been caught before Po intervened. Also, how does Han know of Shifu but not Oogway and Po? Both of those two are connected to Shifu and if he knows one, he should know the others. That I found dumber than him not remembering the panda only 15 minutes after meeting him. Talk about having a dense memory span for one who can remember Zhen ditching him for Chameleon. I even think Po was a hypocrite on calling out Zhen for desecrating the Hall of Heroes when he did that before as part of having fun with Li upon reuniting. He even gets surprised on Zhen stealing from everyone at the tavern to buy the food when he had the tavern. The least he could’ve done is give her money before it went south. If I gotta get into continuity errors, I have to admit it was odd for Li to have a brown bowl to wear to pretend to the tavern he’s tough when in fact there wasn’t around him outside before he went in. There were silver ones next to him and the joke still could’ve landed if they did that.And lastly, shouldn't the blue moon ritual backfire for summoning it early? It is one thing to avoid being late, but Chameleon was lucky it paid off. Other than that, this movie is good for what it is. In short, Kung Fu Panda 4 is an animated hit for still capturing its heart while still being an overall blast. if you liked the previous films like I have, it's a no brainer you'll like this too.
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