Kung Fu Panda 4 — Review: Enjoyable, Even with Missing Pieces
by KJ Proulx
The Kung Fu Panda movies have always just been well-done pieces of family entertainment. Nothing more and nothing less, but the first movie in particular was far better than I expected it to be. For that reason alone, I’ll always give the sequels a chance. I have to admit though that I thought this franchise had reached its conclusion with the third instalment, which was eight years ago now. Well, after watching this fourth instalment, even though I didn’t mind watching it, it’s not as special as it once was. Here’s why I feel this is the weakest Kung Fu Panda movie.
About to become a new leader for his people, Po (Jack Black) must find a replacement for his title of Dragon Warrior. With the emergence of a new villain in The Chameleon (Viola Davis), Po teams up with a new character named Zhen (Awkwafina) and they embark on a journey to find her. Her powers can bring back previous franchise villains from the spirit realm and Po may have to face some old enemies along the way. She can also shapeshift into anything and anyone, including our main characters, which is a trope many movies have done before, but it was enjoyable enough here. Look, there just isn’t the same amount of heart as the previous movies and the biggest glaring issue is the absence of the Furious Five.
