Movie Review: Kung Fu Panda 4

In case you thought the Kung Fu Panda franchise had no more stories to tell, think again! This latest installment has Po dealing with the mortifying ordeal of climbing up the corporate ladder and choosing a successor. Despite Shifu’s insistence, this doesn’t interest the dragon warrior in the slightest. However, with a new enemy threatening the valley, and a conniving fox who may be the key to saving everyone, Po decides to go on one last adventure before he has to give up his title.

The shots in this film are also captivating. Camera movements would take you up close and personal as you moved through the scene. It helped make you feel like you were engaging in the action scenes along with the characters. What I found most impressive was how they animated the main antagonist to shift between her forms seamlessly.

Sound design/ music score (7/10)

The sound design on this movie was clean. They blended the realistic and comedic sound effects together well. The mixture created a soundscape that fits the fun yet heartfelt vibes of the movie. It was an immersive experience, and at no point did the sound design distract me from the story.

The music score for this movie fits well with the music scores of the previous movies. Yet, there was nothing about these songs that stood out in an exceptional way. Additionally, Jack Black did an amazing Brittaney Spears cover for this film. That said, the song choice confused me in reference to the movie itself. Regardless, he still gave a stellar vocal performance. It made for a fun tune to close out the movie with.

Awkwafina’s performance was the most disappointing in this area. A lot of her line delivery lacked the conviction needed for me to really believe in her character. That said, the acting was still passable. I do wish they would have used someone who has more experience in voice acting for Awkwafina’s role instead.

Story (5/10) 

The story for this film hits a lot of the same beats you would expect from a Kung Fu Panda movie. It’s fun, snappy, and easy to immerse yourself in its worldbuilding. That said, it isn’t perfect, and there are a lot of plot holes that are difficult to ignore. The writing for this film relies on poor communication skills between the main protagonists. There are a lot of obvious questions they avoid asking until it is too late.

The biggest sin this movie commits is the lack of detail put into the female characters. The main antagonist and Po’s new protege suffered the most from this. While the villain’s backstory is interesting, it feels bland and unfinished. I also dislike that she is only given the moniker “The Chameleon” and is not supplemented with an actual name.

As for Zhen, Po’s protege, the concept for her story was good. That said, she would have benefited from more thought out character motivations. Overall, the faults of the writing did not prevent me from having a good time.

The theater employee that was cleaning up had mentioned that they are planning on making two more movies for this series. As much as I enjoy this franchise, this will probably be the last one I go and watch of my own volition.