KUNG FU PANDA 4 - Mark Reviews Movies

Kung Fu Panda 4, Universal Pictures

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Review by Mark Dujsik | March 7, 2024

This series of movies, about an anthropomorphic panda who found himself becoming a martial arts master by way of a combination of accident and destiny, already had a good run. Kung Fu Panda 4, then, is mostly unnecessary and clearly aware of it, but the movie is also too jolly and innocent to hold its redundant nature against it. This sequel isn't as clever or funny as its predecessors, but it's still sort of funny, even as the narrative tries to find a justification for its existence and comes up short in doing so.

Obviously, there's really nowhere for Po (voice of Jack Black) to go after achieving personal and professional enlightenment as a panda with two fathers—one adoptive and one biological—and the Dragon Warrior of legend. That would seem to be the case, at least, and this story (written by Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger, and Darren Lemke) begins with some good humor, as Po indulges in his fame to sign autographs, open a branded restaurant, and pose for snap-sketches with his adoring fans. His red panda teacher Shifu (voice of Dustin Hoffman) isn't amused by the display of ego, and as it turns out, Po does have a new mission: to find a successor.

A few things about this new entry, directed by Mike Mitchell, feel off almost immediately. First, there's a prologue that sees the apparent return of Po's first foe Tai Lung (voice of Ian McShane), a snow leopard who obviously couldn't be in the land of living since our hero sent him to the Spirit Realm at the end of his first adventure. There's a reason for the reappearance, of course, but more to the point, the filmmakers seem to acknowledge that they've more or less run out of new ideas by immediately introducing this old foe before we even see what Po is up to.

Second, we're no sooner reintroduced to our panda protagonist before realizing that the Furious Five, the team of fellow warriors who have been with Po from the start, are absent from this story. Whether this was an intentional decision or the result of some actors refusing to return to another go-around, it's not a good sign when about half of the main cast of the previous films is unceremoniously dismissed for assorted reasons (The excuse is that they all have their own missions or personal matters to which to attend).

The screenplay here finds a bit of a workaround for those absences by giving Po's fathers, his adoptive goose dad Mr. Ping (voice of James Hong) and his biological father Li (voice of Bryan Cranston), a bit more to do this time. Since that relationship was resolved in the previous film, it's not as if there's much potential to the pair tracing Po's steps and trying to ensure he doesn't get in over his head.

The big new addition is Zhen (voice of Awkwafina), an orphaned fox from a big city, who has survived by stealing and whom Po catches in the act of trying to swipe some valuable relics from the local temple. With the seeming return of Tai Lung, rumors begin swirling about a shape-shifting villain with tyrannical and destructive ends in mind. Not wanting to deal with the selection of a successor and the big changes that would come from that, Po takes Zhen, who says she knows how to find this enemy, to stop the Chameleon (voice of Viola Davis) before her plan can be enacted.

Yes, it's pretty much the usual formula, not only for this specific series, but also in a more general way. The enjoyment of this entry comes from what's happening between those obvious beats. The dynamic between Po, whom the fox sees as "an easy mark" (which the panda takes as a compliment when she describes it as being "too generous"), and Zhen, whom the panda believes can change her thieving ways, is amusing, even if a third-act turn shifts it considerably.

Otherwise, it's the strange moments of eccentric characters and odd details that keep the material from becoming too repetitive. A tavern built precariously atop a rocky perch, for example, gives Po an excuse to fight, Li a reason to pretend to be tough guy he definitely isn't, and a group of exploited and abused bunnies a reason for celebration when the bar meets the fate of its construction. Po and Zhen catch a ride on a boat from what appears to be a sailing pelican but is actually the fish in its mouth, and a stop at Zhen's childhood home in the sewers of the bustling Juniper City provides a group of criminals, led by the pangolin Han (voice of Ke Huy Quan), who misinterpret Po's sage advice that violence isn't always the answer in precisely the wrong way. Among that gang is a trio of bunnies who are far more vicious than their cute demeanors would suggest.

Yes, that's a familiar and overdone gag at this point, but it's still mostly funny in spite of that fact. The same pretty much goes for Kung Fu Panda 4, which definitely could have been a more pointless affair but at least has the good sense to repeat what has worked for this series before. That doesn't make it a worthy follow-up, but this belated sequel could have been much worse.

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