‘Kung’ phooey
‘Panda 3’ is no legendary adventure of awesomeness
In case you didn't get enough recycling of the original “Star Wars” trilogy in “The Force Awakens” try “Kung Fu Panda 3” or “Luke Skywalker Is a Dumpling-Devouring Giant Panda.”
The third in the DreamWorks Animation computer-generated, ancient China-set “Kung Fu Panda” series that began in 2008, this latest effort begins in the so-called “spirit realm,” where the venerable tortoise and kung fu master Oogway (Randall Duk Kim) dwells none too happily with evil oxen warrior Kai (J.K. Simmons). After 500 years, Kai manages to defeat Oogway, collect his “chi” and return to the “mortal realm” to conquer and rule over it.
But before having his chi collected, Oogway warns Kai of “another,” who can defeat him. We suppose that person to be Po (Jack Black), a giant panda kung fu master and dumpling devourer extraordinaire, who still thinks his father is a goose named Mr. Ping (the great James Hong), until the arrival in the Shire, uh, I mean Peaceful Valley, of a panda named Shi (Bryan Cranston), who has been searching for his lost son.
Upon retiring, furry master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) hands the mantle of leadership to “Dragon Warrior” Po, asking him to teach kung fu and train his fellow students Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Viper (Lucy Liu), Crane (David Cross), Monkey (Jackie Chan) and Mantis (Seth Rogen).
DreamWorks Animation head Jeffrey Katzenberg once again indulges his penchant for bigname stars. Why Kate Hudson voices a nondescript character named Mei Mei is beyond me.
This new “Panda” looks spectacular, even through those dratted, darkening 3-D glasses. And the beautifully choreographed-
and-shot fight scenes and “Tom and Jerry”-style horseplay are enthralling, even if there are no horses. But the pandas of Panda Village are suspiciously Ewokian, and the thrill is at least partly gone in this animated, China-ready wuxia scripted by series regulars Jonathan aibel and Glenn Berger. The mystical gobbledygook and jokes sound as recycled as the plot.
if the music — once again by Hans Zimmer, without John Powell — reminds you of Elmer Bernstein's iconic score for “The Magnificent Seven,” another american action film with asian roots, as it did me, wait, the third act is almost a complete lift of that John Sturges 1960 classic.
Hong is once again the standout as the comically angry, but paternal and protective dumpling maker Ping. are there hugs at the end? does a panda love dumplings?
(“Kung Fu Panda 3” contains wuxia-style violence and a scene in which a frightened bird lays eggs.)