Kung Fu Panda 4
Synopsis: After Po is tapped to become the Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace, he needs to find and train a new Dragon Warrior, while a wicked sorceress plans to re-summon all the master villains whom Po has vanquished from the spirit realm.
Directors: Mike Mitchell & Stephanie Stine
Stars: Jack Black, Awkwafina, Viola Davis & Ian McShane
Runtime: 1 hour 34 mins
Genre: Animated action adventure
IMDb : Click Here
My son, Jack absolutely adored this franchise growing up, The last time I took Jack to watch a Kung Fu Panda movie it was 2016 and he was 7 years old. Now he's a strapping 6 foot plus 15 year old, very much Jack Reacher in the making. So I was fairly nervous that after the eight year gap they decided to wheel Po and crew out for another adventure.
So is my first animated movie of 2024 a worthy successor to the popular animated franchise or is it just a lazy studio cash grab?
Let's break it down..
Story and Plot
This time round, Po (Black) is still the Dragon Warrior and loves it, but he's told by Master Shifu (a fairly decrepit sounding Hoffman) that he must choose a new Dragon Warrior and become the master of the Valley of Peace. So he starts his search only to be interrupted by Zhen (Awkwafina) a talented street urchin fox that catches his eye. Add into the mix The Chameleon (Davis) who is hell bent (yes you've guessed it, she's the villain) on becoming a Kung Fu master by taking the talents of Po's former enemies.
This movie fell into what I would call the "Further adventures of...(Insert character name here)" it didn't add anything new to the franchise and felt a bit flat and lacklustre. Apart from the odd laugh the jokes fell flat and the dialogue missed the "bite" of previous entries.
Cast
This movie is basically the Jack Black and Awkwafina show. Cranston, Hoffman & Hong (Sounds like a law firm) return to their established roles. Considering the movie's main storyline is the villain is bringing back Po's former enemies only McShane makes a return to voice Tai Lung. We do see other enemies such as Lord Shen and Kai but Gary Oldman and J.K Simmons must have never got the call? It was the movie's accountant that was making the calls.
The Furious Five who were also so central to the previous entries and voiced by such actors as Angelina Jolie, Lucy Lu, and Jackie Chan are nowhere to be seen (With the exception of Seth Rogan). They are off on their own adventures. The adventures were called "In the Land of the Smaller Budget". As a result, this general lack of original VO artists makes Kung Fu Panda 4 feel more The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride (1998) than The Lion King (1994).
However, Jack Black continues to delight as Po and his voice work here is as flawless as ever. With regards Awkwafina, who I've never massively warmed to on screen or when she does voiceover work was good as Zhen the plucky street fox. A more toned down affair from her usual chalk-on-a-board hyper voiceover work.
Viola Davis adds class (As Viola Davis does to anything) as the villain Chameleon, Ke Huy Quan is good as newcomer Han, and Mr Beast of YouTube fame gets a blink and you'll miss it cameo as Panda Pig.
Sound and Spectacle
Flawless animation and gorgeous visuals are the de-rigour now for any studio financed animated movie. Kung Fu Panda 4 is no exception, it's amazing to look at and had great sound.
On screen Action
As with any Kung Fu Panda movie there is near non-stop action. But the action here felt flat and was very much set piece to set piece. The fighting is shot well enough but if you've seen a Kung Fu Panda movie before (And I guess you have) you have seen it all before.
Music and Score
One of the main things I loved about these movies was Hans Zimmer's fantastic score, Kung Fu Panda 3 was an especially strong entry. As for this fourth movie, his iconic Eastern inspired score is used somewhat at the start but then it's over to Steve Mazzaro who took the reigns for the majority of the movie. His score was fairly standard animated action movie fair by comparison.
Special mention though must be made to Jack Black's band Tenacious D with their cover of Britney Spears "Baby One More Time" which plays over the initial end credits, well worth staying to listen to.
A lacklustre paint-by-the numbers fourth entry in a franchise that didn't really need a fourth movie. Jack Black as Po is likeable as ever and Awkwafina's Shen complements him nicely but now it's time for this franchise to skedaddle rather than skadoosh.
Verdict - It's Fine
No comments:
Post a Comment