‘Kung Fu Panda 4’ Review – Old Habits Don’t Die After All

Few, if any, animated franchises have the prestige of the Kung Fu Panda trilogy. Packing some of the most revered villains in the art as well as a trademark style and career-defining role for Jack Black. Each film up to this point has represented a necessary movement forward for the franchise and characters within. Thankfully, and perhaps even surprisingly, Kung Fu Panda 4 continues this trend. It serves not only as a worthy entry in the lineage of films before it but also moves the series in a fresh new direction.

This one feels different from the very first scene, but try not to let it throw you off. This film, despite suffering a budget reduction that halves that of the third film, manages to accomplish an aesthetic entirely singular to itself; one that borrows the heart of the previous films and overlays it with a simpler, sharper flare. Frames fracture into pieces, dropping backgrounds for pastel colors that force figures to stand out on them, putting a focus on the faces rather than the environments. Momentum is exaggerated with literal swaths of paint brushing across the screen, the camera staying close to follow in part because it assists the pace, but also because when it finally pulls out into a wider view, the feeling of grandiose space it elicits is magnificent.

Mike Mitchell was a more obvious pick than he may seem for the director’s chair. He’s done a “fourquel” for Dreamworks before, the understated hit Shrek Forever After, as well as the second Lego Movie and Sky High. He also worked as an executive producer on Kung Fu Panda 3; Mitchell checked all the boxes going in. He’s paired with co-director Stephanie Ma Stine, a long-time animation storyboard artist who makes her feature debut. Together, in addition to the new brand of style, the two realize a larger world than we’ve seen in these films before, predominantly exploring the bustling Juniper City and working those visuals and happenings into the wider theme of change that undergirds and really moves the film.

The story itself is unfortunately thin this time around, following a more linear structure than is usual for the franchise’s praised narrative complexity. We trail Po from place to place on his ultimate quest to protect the Valley of Peace (as always), and that’s about it, aside from some fairly entertaining shenanigans with Po’s dads, Ping and Li Shan. There still exists a level of fine detail that sets this apart from your average family animated fare, but it doesn’t quite reach the heights of the previous three efforts. 

This fourth entry is rather questionable on the whole until a clever plot twist about halfway through kicks things into high gear, contextualizing prior confusions and demolishing a wide path forward for the rest of the film to capitalize on. The final half soars, at times, with the best of the trilogy, delivering the expected emotional beats between patent bouts of awe. 

Viola Davis’ shape-shifting chameleon villain spurs this switch-up as she finally steps out of the shadows and takes her place alongside the rest of this universe’s evil offerings. She’s properly menacing, leaning into the untrusting reptilian appearance of her character and dispatching every line with a sense of sly misguidance. The actual character’s muddy motivations are overcome by her efforts, as well as a gimmick that’ll be sure to make her memory stick as this film folds into time. 

The yin to her yang, Jack Black and Awkwafina are an unimaginably great duo in their dual-protagonist roles. Black is just back in action, not having missed a punch, kick, or “skadoosh” as Po. That was obvious going in; Awkwafina’s Zhen is the one who had all eyes as the only new lead to be introduced since the opening act of the first film. It’s clear that she is meant to be a focus going forward and, fortunately, she rocks, too. It’s probably Awkwafina’s best turn as a voice actor yet, and it helps that the character boasts strong writing, to boot. If that wasn’t enough, Ian McShane returns as Tai Lung and, in his short time on screen, manages to remind us what made his villain legendary in the first place, cementing him as the greatest opposition this franchise has seen and will ever see. What’re you waiting for? You can’t go wrong with Kung Fu Panda 4.

Going forward, the Kung Fu Panda world definitely has some work to do in carving out relevant journeys for these storied characters to endure, but as far as this entry goes, it’s a safe hit all around. Go in with an open mind to the new aura this film presents, and find comfort in the same spirit that made the first three films so special. Dreamworks, bring on the next one!

Kung Fu Panda 4 is currently playing exclusively in theaters courtesy of Universal. 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_inKs4eeHiI]