REVIEW: ‘Kung Fu Panda 4’ is fine, I guess

Po’s still big in the belly but the franchise is getting a little long in the tooth

Although never the pinnacle of modern animation, the Kung Fu Panda movies have been among the more reliable kids’ franchises since the first entry back in 2008. The film took a premise that initially seemed one-joke – what if a panda was a kung fu warrior – and infused it with lush visuals, exciting martial arts action, and a strong emotional hook about self-mastery and family. Fueling the fun was Jack Black’s charismatic, enthusiastic performance as Po, which elevated the character beyond a simple snack-obsessed buffoon to someone enthralled with the awesomeness of the world in which he found himself. It was a surprise delight, and the subsequent entries kept up that combination of heart, humor and hi-yahs. 

Kung Fu Panda 4 largely contains the same ingredients. Po, now firmly entrenched as the Dragon Warrior, is fighting bad guys across China when Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) tells him it’s time to move on and transition to spiritual leadership. Po, having too much fun kicking butt and well aware he’s not the guru type, is hesitant to appoint a successor and instead distracts himself by setting off with a bandit fox, Zhen (Awkwafina), to sniff out a new villain, the shape-shifting Chameleon (Viola Davis). Worried about their son, Po’s adoptive goose father, Ping (James Hong) and his biological father, Li (Bryan Cranston), set out to help. 

It’s the typical set-up for a Kung Fu Panda adventure. There’s Po’s internal dilemma, an emotional story of fathers and sons, and a redemption arc for Zhen. There are colorful landscapes, a villain voiced by an iconic actor, and several fast-paced action sequences. And, of course, dumpling gags and fart jokes. For those who’ve enjoyed the series – which includes myself – it does exactly what it says on the box.  

And much of the film is perfectly fine. The Kung Fu Panda movies have traditionally been a step above many other animated films because of their striking visuals. And directors Mike Mitchell and Stephanie Stine get some incredible work out of their animators. Po and Zhen visit a sprawling, gorgeously rendered city full of visual gags and several nooks and crannies for the fights to sprawl through. There are some fun chases and inventive action sequences, and the film often incorporates anime-esque split screens, slow motion and other effects to give them some verve. There are cute but vicious bunnies with an appetite for destruction, and there are a few funny sequences depicting Po’s backfiring attempts to speak wisdom to a group of thieves (“if we have less violence now, we can have more later”). Black, one of the most reliable family movie presences we’ve ever had, is still likable as Po, although the highlight of his voice work here might be his rendition of Britney Spears’ “...Baby One More Time” over the end credits.  

But, if we’re being honest, these just don’t skadoosh like they used to. 

While the Kung Fu Panda series’ initial appeal was centered around the idea of a bumbling idiot becoming a martial arts master, the franchise’s secret weapon has always been its big heart. The earlier films gained a great deal from Po’s struggle with his sense of place and finding his community with fellow fighters as well as his biological and adoptive fathers. Kung Fu Panda 4 dismisses the Furious Five with an off-handed explanation – the budget likely couldn’t afford to bring back Angelina Jolie, Seth Rogen, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu or David Cross – and Po’s friendship with Zhen doesn’t have the same energy or humor. And while Awkwafina is a talented and sometimes very funny actor, this is her fifth voice performance in three years and I’ll admit that the streetwise smartass shtick is starting to grate, especially just a few months after playing a very similar role in Migration. 

Like Migration, the latest Kung Fu Panda has the misfortune of debuting as other animated films push the form forward and dig deeper, and it just can’t help but feel a bit outdated. Its CGI lacks the energy and excitement of something from the Spider-Verse movies or even last summer’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (a movie I just rewatched with my kids a few nights ago that feels leaps ahead of this one both in humor and action). And while Po’s conflict about becoming a mentor and Zhen’s redemption provide emotional hooks on which to hang the story, they tread familiar narrative ground and are not engaged with the depth or heart that, say, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish dealt with mortality and anxiety. Kung Fu Panda 4 is a perfectly fine kids’ movie at a time when many kids’ movies are aiming to be more than fine.

And the voice cast seems to know it, treading water and collecting paychecks. Hoffman, usually a reliable source of humorous irritation in this series, rushes through his lines as if he’s aware his contract’s almost up. Viola Davis is fine as the villain, but the Chameleon lacks any depth or personality to feel like a big threat. Cranston and Hong banter along in sitcom shtick, and last year’s Best Supporting Actor winner Ke Huy Quan utters a few unmemorable lines and then disappears. Even Black, likable as he still is, seems to be going through the motions, his voice lacking the energy and confidence that powered the first films, and it’s possible Black realized he might have more fun playing Bowser in last year’s Super Mario Bros. Movie instead of being the cuddly good guy anymore (for the record: Kung Fu Panda 4 is a better movie than Super Mario Bros., although Black is much more fun in that movie). 

It all adds up to a franchise-capper that feels obligatory and lazy, even if it’s still technically doing the same things it’s always done. Kids might still enjoy it, although I’d wager that it won’t be the Kung Fu Panda — or even the Jack Black animated movie — they return to again and again on streaming.