Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024) review

In 2008, DreamWorks Animation released two films. One of these was a sequel to the studio’s 2005 hit Madagascar, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa. As for the other, it would be the studio’s original project for that year; a martial arts comedy titled Kung Fu Panda. Starring Jack Black as the titular panda, Po, the film followed this avid kung-fu fanatic who, despite zero training, is chosen to be the ‘Dragon Warrior’, a kung-fu master who’s destined to save his home, the Valley of Peace, from evildoers. The original Kung Fu Panda is very much one of the prime examples of the classic adage ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’. In the months leading up to its release, it’s safe to assume that most people probably saw it as nothing more than a joke, especially with a title as admittedly goofy as Kung Fu Panda. It also didn’t help that, around this time, DreamWorks Animation had garnered something of a reputation for their reliance on pop cultural references, which dominated a lot of their work and arguably had an impact on their overall reception when compared to some of their industry rivals such as Pixar. As such, it’s safe to say that a film and premise like Kung Fu Panda didn’t seem like it was going to change anyone’s mind when it came to what a DreamWorks film could be. But, when the film finally came out, both critics and audiences were genuinely taken by surprise as Kung Fu Panda proved to be an incredibly well-crafted animated film with spectacularly choreographed action sequences, mature storytelling, and above all, an undeniable sense of respect for the Chinese culture that inspired it.

This, as a result, gave DreamWorks its latest hit franchise as the film would go on to spawn several spin-offs. On the big screen, the adventures of Po the Dragon Warrior would continue in 2011’s Kung Fu Panda 2 and 2016’s Kung Fu Panda 3. Both films managed to match the original in terms of both critical and commercial success while also achieving some historical significance for their director, Jennifer Yuh Nelson, who was the original film’s head of story and became the first solo female director of a mainstream animated film with Kung Fu Panda 2. That film would go on to become the highest-grossing animated film solely directed by a woman, and while she did have a co-director in fellow DreamWorks mainstay Alessandro Carloni for Kung Fu Panda 3, it was clear that Jennifer Yuh Nelson was the strongest driving force behind what was quickly becoming another one of DreamWorks’ flagship franchises. After Kung Fu Panda 3, though, that would largely be it for the Dragon Warrior on the big screen as DreamWorks began to focus more on the franchise’s TV spin-offs. But then, in 2022, it was announced that the cinematic adventures of Po and company would continue with Kung Fu Panda 4. This time, directorial duties went to Mike Mitchell, a longtime veteran of DreamWorks who had worked with them as far back as their first film, 1998’s Antz, while also directing the likes of 2016’s Trolls and, ironically, another DreamWorks fourthquel in 2010’s Shrek Forever After. And just like that latter film in many ways, what we ultimately have here is a solidly enjoyable addition to the Kung Fu Panda franchise that may not necessarily reach the exact same wondrous heights as its predecessors but still manages to exude much of the franchise’s charm and appeal.

For Po the Dragon Warrior (voiced by Jack Black), things couldn’t be better for him as the Valley of Peace’s greatest protector, especially after the events of Kung Fu Panda 3 in which the late Master Oogway gave him a powerful staff that can link the mortal world with the Spirit Realm. However, Po is taken by surprise when his mentor, Master Shifu (voiced by Dustin Hoffman), informs him that the time has come for him to find his successor as the Dragon Warrior since he’s now destined to take on the role of the Valley of Peace’s spiritual leader. And if that wasn’t enough, all sorts of disturbances start to occur across the Valley caused by, of all people, Tai Lung (voiced by Ian McShane), Po’s nemesis from his early days as the Dragon Warrior who was seemingly vanquished and sent to the Spirit Realm. Upon further investigation, Po discovers that this is the work of a sinister shape-shifting sorceress known as the Chameleon (voiced by Viola Davis), who seeks to acquire Po’s Staff of Wisdom and use it to collect the kung-fu abilities of all the greatest warriors from the Spirit Realm. Thus, with the aid of a wily bandit named Zhen (voiced by Awkwafina), Po travels to the Chameleon’s headquarters in Juniper City to take on his latest arch-nemesis before she can become the most unstoppable kung-fu master the world has ever seen.

As has always been the case with this series, Kung Fu Panda 4 more than delivers on its spectacularly choreographed and beautifully animated action sequences. While I’m well aware that some were disappointed at this film’s more traditional style of animation compared to some of the more stylized and experimental bits of animation seen in some of DreamWorks’ recent films such as Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, Kung Fu Panda 4 is still just as vibrant and colorful as the films that came before it. Much of this helps to alleviate the fact that, admittedly, this film doesn’t have the same kind of strong emotional hooks that dominated the original trilogy. All three of the previous Kung Fu Panda films benefitted immensely from some strong bits of emotional poignancy that helped them narratively stand out compared to a lot of other DreamWorks films at the time, whether it was the first film’s reveal that the main antagonist Tai Lung was once the beloved adopted son of Master Shifu or how the second film revolved around Po learning about his past and the tragic events that led to him being separated from his birth parents. This film, on the other hand, is unfortunately lacking in that regard and it doesn’t help that there are some clearly missed opportunities for it to have those sorts of moments, such as a possible reunion between Tai Lung and Shifu given the former’s prominent role in this story. Instead, the film opts to be more of a straightforward adventure plot for Po and company that ultimately relies more on the franchise’s trademark sense of humor revolving around Po’s unconventional means of being a kung-fu warrior. To be fair, though, this series has never truly faltered with its sense of humor, and because this film thoroughly maintains that streak, it’s not necessarily a bad thing that it’s primarily just a light-hearted comedic romp.

Much of this is thanks to, as always, its entertaining cast of characters, headlined, of course, by everyone’s favorite comedic rockstar Jack Black in what has easily become one of the definitive roles of his career, Po the Dragon Warrior. As he’s always done in this role, Black doesn’t skip a beat maintaining Po’s hilariously bumbling yet wholly endearing persona. Now, as for the franchise’s other recurring characters… well, Kung Fu Panda fans will most likely be disappointed to know that Po’s fellow kung fu masters, the Furious 5, are almost entirely absent from this and, as has been the case with every Kung Fu Panda sequel, Master Shifu is largely uninvolved with the main plot even though this one sees the return of his first protégé Tai Lung. Still, Dustin Hoffman continues to provide plenty of great humorous beats as Po’s perpetually grumpy master while James Hong and Bryan Cranston, returning as Po’s adoptive father Mr. Ping and biological father Li Shan, respectively, also prove to be a major source of the film’s best comedic moments as Po’s two dads are turned into a delightfully wacky odd couple who head out on their own accord to help their son. As for the new additions to the cast (specifically, Po’s new morally grey ally Zhen and the film’s main antagonist, the Chameleon), they are, admittedly, the biggest victims of this film’s more basic narrative approach, with the Chameleon being a far more standard villain than any of her franchise counterparts. But for what it’s worth, Awkwafina has excellent comedic rapport with Jack Black as Zhen (complete with a few moments where she gets to flex her dramatic chops) while Viola Davis’ trademark fierceness shines through as Chameleon, thus resulting in the character still managing to be an effectively sinister villain.

At the end of the day, Kung Fu Panda 4 surprisingly ends up having quite a lot in common with director Mike Mitchell’s other DreamWorks fourthquel, Shrek Forever After. In both instances, we have films that, while far from being their respective franchise’s best installments, are still solidly enjoyable additions to them that don’t do anything that would’ve drastically harmed their legacy in any way. In Kung Fu Panda 4’s case, the only thing that truly keeps it from being just as great as its predecessors is the fact that it lacks the emotional throughline that, back when this franchise was first starting out, proved that DreamWorks films could be more than just pop-cultural dependent kiddie flicks. Without that, this film is more of a straightforward martial arts adventure that doesn’t do much to set up the new additions to its cast even though it simultaneously doesn’t rely as much on the franchise’s well-established ensemble as its predecessors did. But like I said earlier, I don’t necessarily feel that this is all a bad thing. Despite its narrative shortcomings, Kung Fu Panda 4 dutifully maintains a lot of the franchise’s hallmarks, such as its well-crafted action sequences or by consistently preserving Po’s status as one of the most endearing protagonists in all of animation. As such, if you’re just looking to go on another fun adventure with Po, which we haven’t gotten on the big screen in nearly a decade, then this film will give you exactly what you’re looking for. Skadoosh!!   

Rating: 4/5

Kung Fu Panda - Series Retrospective (DreamWorks Animation Retrospective #3)

Expectations can be an extremely fickle thing when it comes to film. Sometimes there are films that folks are incredibly eager to see but ultimately end up disappointing them. Conversely, there are films that many people don’t expect a lot out of going in but, to their surprise, end up being way better than they anticipated. Case in point, as Rhode Island Movie Corner continues its series of retrospectives on the various films produced by DreamWorks Animation, today we’re tackling a franchise that is quite arguably one of the best examples of how you should never judge a book by its cover, the Kung Fu Panda trilogy. While it’s been nearly one and a half decades since the release of the original Kung Fu Panda in 2008, I still vaguely remember the overall uncertainty surrounding its release, especially since, in retrospect, this was right around the time when DreamWorks’ reputation for relying heavily on pop culture references was very much in full effect. But when it finally hit theaters, it did incredibly well with both critics and audiences to the point where it could very well be argued that it was one of the initial catalysts behind DreamWorks’ efforts to evolve as an animation studio. Thus, Kung Fu Panda promptly became another one of DreamWorks’ major franchises, with its three films collectively grossing nearly $2 billion worldwide; and as fate would have it, a fourth installment was recently confirmed for a 2024 release. So, with that in mind, let’s tag along with Po, the Mighty Dragon Warrior, and the Furious Five as we tackle the Kung Fu Panda trilogy. Skadoosh!

(Disclaimer: New verse, same as the first! For those who haven’t checked out my previous DreamWorks retrospectives, I’m only covering DreamWorks’ feature film output and won’t be going over any of the non-theatrical projects that their franchises have spawned; specifically, their numerous TV series spin-offs. In today’s case, this includes the franchise’s most recent installment, Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight, which debuted on Netflix this past summer and saw the one and only Jack Black reprise his role as the series’ main protagonist Po, which is notable because this was the first Kung Fu Panda TV series that Black was directly involved with (in the franchise’s previous televised outings, Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness and Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny, Po was voiced by voice actor Mick Wingert).)

KUNG FU PANDA (2008)

As noted in the intro, the original Kung Fu Panda was something that caught quite a lot of people by surprise back when it first came out in 2008. With a title that, admittedly, sounds incredibly goofy on paper and the fact that, at that time, a good chunk of DreamWorks films outside of the first two Shrek films weren’t doing too well with critics, it’s not that hard to imagine that a lot of folks probably figured that this would end up being another underwhelming release from the studio. And yet, when it came out, it was quite arguably DreamWorks’ most successful in-house release (not counting their collaborations with Aardman, which earned them a second Oscar for Best Animated Feature in 2005 thanks to Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit) since Shrek 2. The reviews for it were excellent, it scored over $631 million at the worldwide box-office, and despite some controversy over claims of alleged vote rigging, it even managed to upset Pixar’s critically acclaimed Wall-E by winning that year’s Annie Award for Best Animated Film. Simply put, it was a hit, and when you watch the film even after all these years, it’s easy to see why. For starters, co-directors John Stevenson and Mark Osborne and their team clearly went above and beyond to honor the Chinese roots that thoroughly shaped this film’s premise in practically every possible aspect of its production. From some beautifully animated segments that pay homage to the staples of Chinese artistry (i.e., shadow puppetry) to the utterly incredible action sequences that were seen as a game-changer when it came to staging fight choreography in Western Animation, Kung Fu Panda is an animated film that visually and artistically holds its own against some of the most iconic live-action martial arts films of all-time.  

But it also helps that the film is buoyed by a familiar yet effective underdog story in which main protagonist Po must prove himself to everyone who doesn’t believe that he is the mythical ‘Dragon Warrior’, the most powerful kung-fu master in the land. Po, as excellently voiced by everyone’s favorite fun-loving rockstar Jack Black, is a naturally sympathetic protagonist, thus making his classic hero’s journey a satisfying one to watch. In fact, Black’s casting even helped to steer Po away from the more jerkish persona that he was originally given during the early stages of production. Black is then joined by a considerably star-studded supporting cast, including Dustin Hoffman as the stern Master Shifu, who’s begrudgingly forced to try and teach Po kung-fu, Ian McShane as Shifu’s former protégé turned arch nemesis Tai Lung, and the quintet of Angelina Jolie (Tigress), Lucy Liu (Viper), Seth Rogen (Mantis), David Cross (Crane), and Jackie Chan (Monkey) as Shifu’s students, the famous Furious Five. With all this in mind, let’s return to what I said before about how a title like Kung Fu Panda may have seemed like a completely ridiculous idea when you first hear it because, at the end of the day, this film’s greatest accomplishment is that it proves to be far more than what its title suggests. In other words, as much as it does maintain the usual comedic sensibilities of a DreamWorks film, it also takes its plot seriously and neatly mixes in some highly effective emotional moments amidst all the wacky antics of a panda learning the art of kung-fu. It was, in a way, the antithesis of what a lot of DreamWorks films were like at the time, thus signaling a bold new era for the studio.

Rating: 4.5/5

KUNG FU PANDA 2 (2011)

The second installment of the Kung Fu Panda series proved to be a considerably significant release as a result of who was directing it. For this film, directorial duties shifted to the original film’s head of story (and director of its opening 2-D sequence), Jennifer Yuh Nelson. In doing so, Nelson became the first female director to have sole directorial credit on an animated film for a major studio and the first Asian-American to do so as well. And thanks to Kung Fu Panda 2 being another financial hit for DreamWorks, managing to surpass the first film’s worldwide total by earning over $665 million worldwide, that made it the highest-grossing film directed by a woman at that time. Sure, this record would be surpassed just two years later by Frozen earning over $1 billion, but since Disney Animation’s Chief Creative Officer Jennifer Lee shared directorial duties with Chris Buck on that film, Nelson would retain the record as a solo director for a few more years until 2017 when Patty Jenkins directed Wonder Woman ($822 million). But perhaps most notably of all, while Kung Fu Panda 2 technically has a lower score than its predecessor on Rotten Tomatoes (an 80% compared to the original’s 87%), I have seen many people proclaim this to be yet another example of a superior DreamWorks sequel following in the footsteps of Shrek 2 and the second and third Madagascar films. And while this may have been the first time that I’ve ever seen this film… I must say that I would have to agree.

Like the original, Kung Fu Panda 2 boasts incredible action sequences, and thanks in large part to the fast-break style that DreamWorks was beginning to adopt at that time as evident from films like Madagascar 3, that gives this film’s action sequences an even greater kinetic energy. But aside from maintaining the original’s brilliantly choreographed action and solid sense of humor, Kung Fu Panda 2 also delivers on some terrific emotional poignancy, arguably more so than the first film. As part of the main plot of Po and the Furious Five taking on the sinister peacock warlord Lord Shen, the film also begins to delve into Po’s backstory, showing that he was seemingly the only survivor of a full-on massacre of pandas initiated by Shen, who was told that he would be defeated by ‘a warrior of black of white’. Thus, Po was separated from his parents (both of whom presumed dead) and taken in by kindly noodle shop owner Mr. Ping. In short, because of Shen’s pivotal role in this turn of events (as well as his collection of powerful cannons that can straight-up kill off kung-fu masters), the wannabe despot, as excellently voiced by Gary Oldman, is a truly formidable and intimidating main antagonist. And so, with all that in mind, it’s easy to see why Kung Fu Panda 2 is, indeed, considered by many to be a superior sequel as it takes everything that was great about its predecessor and amplifies it all even further, thus resulting in an all-around crowd pleaser that cemented its franchise’s premier status.    

Rating: 5/5!

KUNG FU PANDA 3 (2016)

At the end of Kung Fu Panda 2, it is revealed that Po’s real father, Li Shan, did, in fact, survive Lord Shen’s massacre. Thus, in Kung Fu Panda 3, Po finally reunites with his long-lost dad (originally voiced by Fred Tatasciore in the second film but now voiced by Bryan Cranston in what is ironically his second-straight appearance in a DreamWorks threequel after Madagascar 3), who has been residing in a secret village full of pandas ever since that fateful day. At the same time, though, Po and company now find themselves dealing with their most dangerous opponent yet; Kai (voiced by J.K. Simmons), a warrior from the Spirit Realm and former colleague of the late Master Oogway who has been hunting the masters of kung-fu for their chi as revenge against Oogway for sending him to the Spirit Realm a long time ago. Jennifer Yuh Nelson returned to direct this third installment, but to help ensure that it would be finished on time, she did have a co-director in longtime DreamWorks animator/story artist Alessandro Carloni. This was also one of the many DreamWorks projects at that time that the one and only Guillermo Del Toro was involved with, as he also had producing credits on films like Puss in Boots and Rise of the Guardians and would go on to create the Tales of Arcadia trilogy of TV shows that DreamWorks developed for Netflix. And as you might have guessed, Kung Fu Panda 3 was another critical and commercial success; while it may not have made over $600 million worldwide like both of its predecessors, it still did quite well for itself with over $521 million.

Critically, the film had the franchise’s second highest rating on Rotten Tomatoes with an 86% score though, from what I’ve seen, there have been some who feel that it doesn’t quite reach the same exact highs of Kung Fu Panda 2, which most likely stems from one key development. Tonally speaking, Kung Fu Panda 3 is, surprisingly, a much different kind of film compared to its predecessors as it is by far the most comedic-driven entry in the franchise. Whether it’s the running gag of Kai getting frustrated by the fact that no one knows who he is or the various side characters that Po meets at the secret panda village (each of whom has their own little quirk that comes into play during the final battle), Kung Fu Panda 3 explicitly relies more on its humor than any of its dramatic moments. As such, one could arguably describe this as the animated equivalent of a Marvel Cinematic Universe film, especially because of how the MCU has often been called out for how it has consistently maintained that narrative approach throughout its run. And yet, as anyone familiar with my love of the MCU may have guessed, it goes without saying that I don’t have any major issues with this film’s decision to take that same kind of route. After all, as I’ve often argued with MCU films, just because a film is primarily comedic in nature doesn’t mean that it can’t deliver any high-quality emotional moments, and thanks in large part to the whole plot of Po reuniting with his father, Kung Fu Panda 3 still delivers some solid bits of emotional poignancy while also boasting the best animation out of any film in the series with its beautiful landscapes, vibrant color palette, and sharp and fluent character animation. Thus, while I do understand why some may find this film’s more lighthearted nature to be something of a step back for this franchise, that doesn’t stop Kung Fu Panda 3 from being another charming and entertaining animated film that presents an all-around satisfying conclusion to the trilogy.

Rating: 4.5/5

And so, that concludes Rhode Island Movie Corner’s Retrospective on the Kung Fu Panda trilogy. Next time on the DreamWorks Retrospective series, we finally come to the franchise that I’m sure a lot of you folks have been waiting for, How to Train Your Dragon.

Chef (2014): Short Review

There’s no denying it; the studio system currently dominates the film industry and because of it, many argue that this is diminishing the value of true artistic visions from directors because nowadays most of them have to adhere to some occasionally very strict studio guidelines. Now while I’m not a filmmaker myself and I do feel that there are still some directors out there who are able to express their vision in the films that they make even with the occasional studio interference, I still can definitely see where a lot of these frustrated filmmakers are coming from and as proven by his new film ‘Chef’, Jon Favreau is one of those directors. In the film, he plays a chef named Carl Casper who’s the head chef at a successful restaurant in Los Angeles. But while he eagerly looks to try and cook some new menu items, he’s told to ‘stick to the classics’ by his boss Riva (Dustin Hoffman). This results in a famous food critic (Oliver Platt) giving the restaurant an unfavorable review, which then results in Carl berating him both online and in person, ultimately becoming a sensation on social media. With nowhere else to go, Carl ends up getting a food truck where he looks to both better express his culinary creativity and to also reconnect with his ex-wife Inez (Sofia Vergara) and their son Percy (EmJay Anthony).

It’s very much clear that this film represents Favreau’s own frustration with the studio system after he spent the last few years doing nothing but big-budget action films like the ‘Iron Man’ movies and ‘Cowboys and Aliens’; this time he’s able to make the film that he wanted to make without any sign of studio interference. Because of this, I really enjoyed this film’s message that emphasizes freedom of expression. This results in a very heartwarming and feel-good movie that is a nice change of pace from all of the summer blockbusters. Really, this is just a very pleasant movie, especially when Carl actually gets his new food truck and goes on a cross-country trip with his son and his friend Martin (John Leguizamo). I think that section of the film is its best part. Now, I don’t think that this is one of the ‘best’ films of the year, mainly because I didn’t really find the film to be as ‘funny’ as a lot of critics were saying it was. I mean sure, there were a few funny bits of dialogue peppered in here and there (no pun intended) but not really enough for me to say that it succeeds at being a ‘comedy’. Regardless of that, I still really enjoyed the film because of its charm, its solid cast (I’d say this is Favreau’s best performance to date as an actor, as his own frustrations with Hollywood really translate well into his character’s dilemmas), and of course its great message to be true to yourself. All of this makes ‘Chef’ a very satisfying treat… and of course, to quote IGN’s Chris Tilly, make sure that you “don’t go on an empty stomach”.

Rating: 4/5