Succession rules: A review of 'Kung Fu Panda 4'

A Dreamworks Animation film franchise that first took off in 2008, Kung Fu Panda with title character Po Ping (voiced by Jack Black), and the anthropomorphic animals that populate this animated version of ancient China, has been both a critical and commercial success. 

So, in true Hollywood style, where one draws from the same well even when all the water has evaporated, we now have Kung Fu Panda 4 - which opens in cinemas this Wednesday, March 6. At its essence, one could describe it as a martial arts comedy/fantasy film, and this one has Mike Mitchell directing, written by Darren Lemke, with Glenn Berger and Jonathan Aibel.

In this 4th installment, Po is reluctant to assume the role of Spiritual Leader of the Valley of the Peace, as it means searching for his successor as the local Dragon Warrior. There’s a new shapeshifting foe in The Chameleon (Viola Davis), and an irrepressible new sidekick in the form of a corsac fox named Zhen (Awkwafina). Several mainstays from the first three installments are back: Dustin Hoffman voicing Master Shifu, Bryan Cranston as Li Shan, Po’s biological panda father, and James Hong as Mr. Ping, the goose who’s Po’s adoptive father.

No spoilers here, so I’ll just say that the nine-year old girl who was seated beside me during the advanced screening couldn’t stop laughing, all the jokes and visual puns were readily ‘bought’ by her. So on that count, it would seem that KFP4 is ready to be another success, and the public has not tired of the formula.

I found 1 & 2 to be the better installments, and if 3 was great animation-wise but had a story with weaknesses, this 4 has even more glaring holes in the story. While Viola Davis and Awkwafina are effective in their roles, I felt the strain of having to make Po carry the load of the film on his sole shoulders, and hence this sidekick intrusion/solution.

The moments when the whole cinema would erupt in laughter had more to do with slapstick, visual gags, and not from lines of dialogue or repartee. That says something about how the film has been calibrated to appeal to the children and the ‘kids in us’ adults.

If this 4 still proves to be a box office winner, I shudder thinking of how a 5 will soon come. That is the nature of the beast of animated IP (intellectual property), and it will be no surprise to find an expanding role for Zhen, as voiced by Awkwafina. Wherever there’s the scent of a financial killing to be made, we’re off to the races.

And those who’ve faithfully followed all the previous Kung Fu Panda films will be happy to know that the Furious Five do appear. Yes, they’re now on separate missions, but they stage a little reunion with Po. Stay true, Hollywood!