Lots of action, but jokes miss mark in franchise’s latest film
“Kung Fu Panda 4” lands in the Ok-fairly good range, i.e., Ok-fairly good enough to entice a few million families to the movies this month.
The question lingers though: What did the 2008 “Kung Fu Panda” achieve that “Panda 4” manages only here and there?
A first movie in any animated franchise has the theoretical edge in presenting new characters and new worlds. The initial “Kung Fu Panda” banked on plenty of martial arts action, but it took some time setting up the specific comic improbability of an amiable panda such as Po, voiced by Jack Black, ascending to his destiny as the Dragon Warrior, protector of all that is good in his corner of ancient China. The film mixed genuine comic invention with clever variants on live-action martial arts movies a la Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan.
Eight years have flown by since “Panda 3.” In “Panda 4,” screenwriters Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger return, working with co-writer Darren Lemke and co-directors Mike Mitchell (“Shrek 4,” “Alvin and the Chipmunks 3”) and Stephanie Stine.
Stine makes her feature directorial debut here. Her experience as art director includes “Raya and the Last Dragon” and a “How to Train Your Dragon” sequel, gratifying visual accomplishments both.
It always happens in franchise sequels, be they Iron Man or be they Panda: At some point, the dangers of a celebrity’s ego becomes a major plot point. In “Panda 4,” Po is enjoying fame and unlimited dumplings at this stage of his Dragon Warrior tenure. But mentor Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) relays the news that Po must now appoint the next Dragon Warrior, so Po can transition into a quieter role he does not want: protector of the Valley of Peace, armed with the Staff of Wisdom.
The staff has the power to crack open the spirit realm, wherein dwell the late, great kung fu masters, including the fearsome snow leopard
Tai Lung (Ian Mcshane). The new film’s adversary, The Chameleon (Viola Davis), has risen to the top of the underworld, extorting almost everything, like a female lizard Capone. She’s a mob boss of supreme deception, changing her appearance at will. Her evil ambitions include snagging the Staff of Wisdom for her own morally unwise reasons.
This plays out as a string of perpetual near-death scenarios for Po and his frenemy of a new ally, the streetwise fox Zhen (Awkwafina). The movie rarely calms down for more than five seconds, and while the first “Panda” sequels were also that way, the rhythmic variety and verbal spice of the original feels pretty far gone now.
Maybe the slipping quality comes down to its production budget; this one cost roughly half of its three predecessors.
But maybe not. Maybe the pandemic has played tricks with screenwriters’ heads regarding what they think audiences want and need, and how to finesse it. “Panda 4” feels more akin to one of the “Ice
Age” movies, laden with occasionally funny but constantly nattering snark and meanness, so that you don’t really buy the sincere bits. The jokes have a way of arriving like jokes, and sounding like jokes, but not quite being jokes. This is an action movie foremost, which is fine. Or rather, Ok-fairly good.
MPA rating: PG (for martial arts action/mild violence, scary images and some mild rude humor)
Running time: 1:34
How to watch: In theaters