Kung Fu Panda 4-A Mediocre Entry To One of Dreamworks’s Best Franchises
Kung Fu Panda 4, like the rest of the franchise, satisfies with its action. There's some energetic choreography and camerawork, as well as some fun stylistic flourishes with the use of Manga-esque panels and ink streaks on the screen. And like in the rest of the franchise, the characters are charming, especially Po, leading to some funny moments, and I did enjoy the dynamic the film gives Ping and Li.
However, the story itself feels so inconsequential. The story attempts to be a passing of the torch for Po, and there's a compelling story here of Po learning to accept change and trust others. However, the writing feels more on-the-nose and unsubtle compared to the previous films, and the film moves at such a breakneck speed that nothing resonates. Like the rest of the series, the film clocks in at a brief 90 minutes. But unlike the previous three, this film never gives its story a chance to breathe. There are none of the slower, character-focused moments from the earlier films, such as Oogway's ascent in the first movie, Po finding inner piece in the second, and Po bonding with his real dad in the third. Kung-Fu Panda 4 lacks any of that and instead spends its entire runtime moving from one scene to the next and rushing along the character development.
The visuals, even with the stylistic flourishes and frenetic character animation, do feel like a bit of a step down from the previous movies. The film goes for a more cartoonish aesthetic, lacking the realistic texture and lighting of the earlier films. That texture and lighting style gave those movies a cinematic look, even with the talking, anthropomorphic animals. The visuals here feel a bit hit or miss, with the cartoonish look making the film feel more in line visually with the TV spinoff than the cinematic feel of the other three movies.
Kung Fu Panda 4 attempts to be a passing of the torch for this franchise. But, in the overly fast pacing and sloppy, unsubtle script, the film feels like nothing more than a fun, if inconsequential, entry to this franchise. Mixed with a more cartoonish art style, Kung Fu Panda 4 feels more like an elongated episode of the spin-off TV show rather than a solid continuation of the past three movies.
Now showing in theaters starting March 8th, 2024
