Review of 'Kung Fu Panda 4'
4th film in the 'Kung Fu Panda' series
This forth instalment in the ever-popular “Kung Fu Panda” series sees Po (Jack Black) told by Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) that he must advance to become the Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace and find a successor for his role as Dragon Warrior. Po is not so keen. After capturing a Corsac fox bandit named Zhen (Awkwafina) the bandit tells Po that the banished Tai Lung (Ian McShane) who has reappeared is actually a shape-shifting sorceress known as The Chameleon (Viola Davis). Freeing Zhen from prison the two travel to Juniper City where The Chameleon has ruthlessly taken complete control of the crime families. Will they be able to defeat a villain that can steal the Kung Fu skills of anyone they touch?
Despite being the forth instalment in the franchise, you only need to be generally familiar with the premise to appreciate the film – Overweight panda who has overcome the odds to become Dragon Warrior, protector of the Valley of Peace with spiritual guide Master Shifu, and living with his two fathers - Li Shan (Bryan Cranston) and Mr. Ping (James Hong) who operate a noodle restaurant. That is about it…
No where near as good as the earlier films but still a bit of fun. It is great to see the familiar characters and another fun adventure with great action sequences (such as a fight in a tavern teetering on the edge of a cliff) and silliness galore…but it is all as we would expect from the series. It seems a lot like what we have seen before with nothing really new here other than Po being asked to step down as Dragon Warrior (a plot thread that is very predictably resolved). I ended up feeling disappointed when the credits rolled (though do watch them as they are also a bit of fun).
Fun and funny but just not as good as earlier instalments.
Rating: “A bit better than average”
Review Date: 2026-02-17
Directed by: Mike Mitchell and Stephanie Stine
Studio: China Film Group Corporation (CFGC)
Year: 2024
Length: 94 minutes
Genre: Animation
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21692408/
Other reviewed films by Mike Mitchell:
Other reviewed films by Mike Mitchell and Walt Dohrn:
- Trolls (2016)