Kung Fu master Po the Panda must train a new Dragon Warrior to replace him whilst also contending with a dangerous new foe – The...
Certificate
Duration90 mins
Review by
So Kung Fu Panda 4...
(WARNING: It will contais SPOILERS)
Why dose it exists?
Kung Fu Panda already ended on a high note so why continue now! Who asked for this?! (Sign)
As I going to see it in theaters, I have low expectations because the trailer included a fart joke and I feel underwhelm after seeing it.
This movie tries and fails like a lot of fourth entries did, it tries to re-imagine the franchise but in few ways it just ruins it.
Kung Fu Panda 4 is no example, so without a further-a-do lets get over it:
The animation looks. Off:
Serriously what happened here, well some fighting scenes do look decent but I'll argue that Kung Fu Panda 3 looks way better then this! Just watch the intro of it and now look at Kung Fu Panda 4.
The biggest sin for me is actually the production of the movie, if I'm being honest it's very hard to spreate the art from the artist because the artist is require to make the art.
According to Stephanie Stein as co-director, she said the production had problems and it was a mess the whole time. The director Mike Mitchell just didn't listen to anyone in production, he same guy who directed Trolls and Alvin the Chipmunks: Chip-Wreck. I mean what do you expect, Joel Crawford saw he's co director as an equel and he listened.
So he made Puss in Boots 2, see how that turns out.
Also that movie is was made during the 2023 strike, jeez that is crazy. They also original plan to bring live action humans in this strictly animal universe would be a good idea, I know it's shocking and how on God's green planet would that achieve?!
Also they are blantly using ideas and none stick to the wall.
Like, the reason they bring g Tai Lung, is for people with nostalgia is such a slap in the face of the Kung Fu Panda fans making look like man child is insulting g if you ask me and it bastardized the villains. Why is Kai and Shen forgive Po, you know he commit mass genocide. He just there for 2 mins and has no lines, what kind of crime is this?
I feel like the film makers just forgot the others exists!
Also Awkwafina is here, she just exists because of the voice actress and the backstory of she has no family feels like emtional manipulation. She is some how better then the warrior who has the stick giving from Oogway and somehow Po is level 1 and now dumb.
There's a bit of character flannerised for Po, here he reminds me of Jack Black. Not Po to me. Its just Jack Black playing as himself again and its very off for me.
This is the movie at its highest steaks and the movie hits you on the head to like her. Also the Furoos Five is absence and they appear the end (with no actors/actress to come back by the way) and they shown up. And that's about it, they just show up.
The Chameleon is a bad written villain:
She's a bad bad guy because she's too small. Wow, this is very compelling guys.
Tails Lung:"My masters look down on me and see my dark side, they send me to prison."
Lord Shen:"My family saw my passion as a dark future, I destroy a nerby village and they banished me."
Kai:"I was a warrior along side with Oogway, I love him like a brother but because of the Pandas favour Oogway, I wanted to take their chi and Oogway banished me to the Spirit Realm."
Chameleon:"IM SMOL!"
Like I was saying a villain that can transform to an character is not a bad concept, I wish they handled it better. Yeah she lives in a palace by I don't think the movie give enough screen time to explore the city, compare to Gongmen City. This city feels dangerous, it emphasise of the consistent number of guard dogs and it ulitize the colour red just makes it very striking looking. This city looks like you wouldn't go there and it's a constant threat to our heroes.
Here, its just a bunch of random animals get select. It some what tries to do on how poor the villagers are like the underground scene or Awkwafina used to stray until raise by Chameleon but it doesn't do much with it and again the movie is throwing ideas to the wall.
To me, the biggest issue, they completely missed the point why the trilogy made them special.
The underline thematic purpose of the movies is every accident you cause in your life, is your destiny if you choose to grown on it, its not about you changing your personality its about finding yourself to become that full potential, the villains are not wrong they took the wrong path and they become corrupt. Not Po, he continues what he truly is deep inside despite he's dark past, he still grows and finding who he truly is.
But Kung Fu Panda 4 lesson? Just nothing.
Final Thoughts: Kung Fu Panda 4 had to be is the most disappointed sequel I've ever seen this year (in 2024). Though the Hit me Baby one more time is a banger and so is Double Life.
Also here's a one last thing Dreamworks...
Me: What did you do? What did you do! Nothing!
Dreamworks: That wasn't directed by me, that was not my fault!
Me: Your fault, who put all of the movies on to my head!
(I kick the movies down)
Who made me wait 8 years to relased!
(Me throw the critical score and box office at Dreamworks)
Who filled me with destiny!
(Me throwing movie review at Dreamworks)
Dreamworks: It was never my decision to make!
(Me holding Kung Fu Panda 5)
Me: Well, it is now.