'Kung Fu Panda 4' Karate Chops Itself Through A Mediocre Script
Entering the dojo once more, Kung Fu Panda 4 has a heart to it, yet it lacks some soul. For all its good intentions, Kung Fu Panda 4 feels more like an episode of a television series than it does a fully-fledged sequel to an ongoing franchise. It's not a bad film. It certainly doesn't share the low ranks of the Shrek sequels (minus Shrek 2, which is adorable) The film has a clear message that the movie hammers over the audience's head repeatedly. Since this is a movie for children, I can forgive its repetitive nature. However, saying the theme over and over loses its emotional impact.
I could be wrong and you can disagree. Certainly, the woman who brought her kid behind me was digging all the affectionate scenes. Throughout the film, when one of the characters spoke the film's message out loud, the mother behind me kept exclaiming, "Yes. Good. That's right." Since I'm not a parent, I'm not the target audience. Even so, I enjoyed the film's high-spirited action along with its gushy moments. Kung Fu Panda 4 doesn't win big, but substantially enough that it's a likable movie. In other words, it's perfectly mediocre.
The movie's story is very villain of the weak(ish), which makes it almost a generic sequel. The story continues from its predecessors, where Po (Jack Black) is the dragon warrior. After sustaining such an affluent position, Po must find a successor. Choosing the right candidate is tough for Po. What's even harder is Po entrusting his teachings to someone else. Po likes where he is. His ninja skills are unmatched, and he's been the protector of his realm for a long time. To make matters even more difficult, a shape-shifting Chameleon (Viola Davis) seeks to rule Po's side of the woods by bringing back all of his past foes.
Having not seen any of the Kung Fu Panda sequels, and only the original years ago, I have no recollection of the details of the first film, running the risk of being lost when it comes to keeping track of all the characters. Thankfully Kung Fu Panda 4 doesn't require the audience to see all the past films, standing alone as its own project. It's easy to tell who's who, with no need to pull up Wikipedia. The film's greatest strength lies in its sentimentality.
KFP4 is a story about adjusting to change. As much as Po is comfortable in his place, he must shift to new things—a successor being his main obstacle. Po has trust issues. He's less than thrilled to have someone take his place or be by his side, as Po is worried they won't be as skilled as he is. After all, Po possesses the staff of wisdom. The staff becomes the MacGuffin of the film as The Chameleon aims to obtain the staff so she can commit to her master plan of domination.
The Chameleon is a villain who isn't very threatening. She comes across more like a bad guy from a video game than a fully fleshed-out character, especially in the final fight, which feels like a boss fight from Final Fantasy with the screen flashing with glowing particles.
In fact, many of the characters lack any real development, probably because they've been established somewhere within the last three films. Most of the picture's focus centers on Po and Zhen (Awkwafina). Po must learn how to trust other people, while Zhen learns how to be a proper student to Po's teachings. The story is similar to any other plot. A villain poses a threat to our heroes, our protagonist learns a valuable lesson, and the good guys win in the end. It's generic but serviceable.
The film teaches children about the difficulty of change, overcoming personal obstacles, and having faith in others. For that, it's a perfectly decent picture that instructs positive messages to its young viewers instead of just being cool kung fu action. It instills the discipline that goes with kung fu. It's about defense and finding peace within oneself. Is the film a kung fu master? No. But it gets the job done by entertaining kids and adults alike without being shallow.
