Kung Fu Panda 4
Hey everyone and welcome today we will be talking about the film Kung Fu Panda 4. Fun Fact, Jack Black is in a band called Tenacious D and they covered the iconic Baby One More Time by Britney Spears for the soundtrack which can be heard during the end credits. This film came out in 2024 and stars Jack Black, Awkwafina, and Viola Davis and was directed by Mike Mitchell and Stephanie Stine. So without further ado Skadosh.
Kung Fu Panda 4 sees us following Po once again who must find a replacement for him as the Dragon Warrior. As he is trying to find a successor, he gets distracted when a new shapeshifting villain by the name of The Chameleon starts wreaking havoc and threatening the Valley of Peace.
Kung Fu Panda is an animated action comedy. It has similar vibes to Puss in Boots, Shrek Forever After, or Trolls Band Together.
Kung Fu Panda 4 sees the return of Po but noticeably is missing some of his companions that we have grown to love. The movie is a fun one and it will definitely appeal to kids if you have one or many but you can also tell they may be running out of ideas.
The story of Po having to choose a successor was an interesting choice, like I know we’ve been with this character for a while but it feels like he just got to be a dragon warrior and now we are making him choose a successor. I feel like they could have had Po training a new group of warriors or something else because it seems like you wouldn’t work so hard to get a position like that and then be pressured to resign quickly just so you can be replaced by someone else.
The voice acting is great in these films and in this film, they keep it up and I think the standouts are Jack black, obviously as Po, and Viola Davis who joins the franchise as the Villainous Chameleon. I feel like they’re voice acting along with the other actors in this film helps elevate the film and make it a fun adventure and I just love seeing who I can recognize immediately and who might have me a little more perplexed. There were a lot of new voices but one thing I missed was some of the old voices like the Furious Five and it would’ve been nice to get more Shifu. I understand people are busy but I feel like along with Po they were the heart of the franchise.
It was funny watching how they took common phrases and had some of the characters say them to relate to something in the film. The Jade City resembled any populous city and so some of the phrases that we use in real life were mixed in and mimicked how someone in a big city like that would act.
The animation in the film was cool and they did a great job animating the fight scenes. The film has its goofy moments but then has those moments where there’s an intense fight and they were able to make it look cool and have you on the edge of your seat.
My favorite part of the film was the little psycho bunnies. I love how they seemed cute and innocent but were actually menaces who were rooting for violence. It was epic to see them in the last battle going completely crazy on The Chameleon’s guards and basically starting the final battle.
Kung Fu Panda 4 is a fun movie and I enjoyed the voice cast but it does feel like it’s missing something. I think the story does not do anything extraordinary and they should’ve brought back the Furious Five while introducing these new characters. I think if the plan is to do one more they should have a story that starts at the basics and gives us something like the first film did which made so many people fall in love with the franchise.
