‘Kung Fu Panda 4’ – fourth time’s the charm

It’s always been easy to underestimate Kung Fu Panda. Like the dragon warrior himself, the series has shattered preconceptions from the very beginning. Jack Black’s animated antics have no right being as meaningful and philosophical as they’ve been, yet time and time again, the adventures of an unlikely hero in Po have risen to the occasion.

For the fourth go around, things are a little different. The familiar faces of the franchise are nowhere to be seen, as the furious five are written away unceremoniously in the first 10 minutes. In their stead is a thieving fox by the name of Shen, played by Awkwafina. She happens to appear as Po is instructed by his master that he must set aside his kung fu fighting and select his successor. Their meeting seems convenient, bordering on accidental, but the series has long upheld the notion that there are no accidents.

With a comfort in the status quo, Po is resistant to change of any kind. Although for all its talk of change, the film isn’t quite as different as it purports to be. Once again, Po is riddled with self-doubt, and must overcome his fears on a life-changing journey. What keeps the film fresh is its humour, which is unabashedly silly, and its action, which is mesmerising.

Much of what’s on screen is front and centre, but I appreciated that Kung Fu Panda 4 had some subtlety to it. At one point, Ozzy Osbourne’s Crazy Train can be deciphered from the film’s score, woven in as an instrumental as Po and company are tearing through the streets. It’s a humorous addition that’s a welcome reprieve from the needle drops that plague modern animation.

The other impressive auditory aspect of the film is the voice acting. While Jack Black and Awkwafina are no strangers to animation, given their naturally cartoonish voices, Viola Davis proves that she has just as much gravitas with just her voice as the film’s main villain. Returning cast members like Ian Mcshane gets only a few moments, but certainly get used well.

For the third sequel to a series that started 15 years ago, Kung Fu Panda 4 is frustrating yet fresh. Some story beats are a little too familiar, keeping Po’s final adventure in a relative safe zone. At the same time, a character who is comfortable with all they’ve achieved, and frightened of the next stage of their life, is sure to strike a chord with those who have enjoyed the series all the way to adulthood. If anything else, it’s well paced with fantastic animation, and funnier than expected.

Rating: Half Price

Damian Levy is a film critic and podcaster for Damian Michael Movies.

entertainment@gleanerjm.com