Kung Fu Panda 4 is the latest installment in DreamWorks Animation’s martial arts comedy series which hit theaters on Friday, March 8, 2024. This series follows the adventures of panda and dragon warrior, Po. Voiced by comedic actor Jack Black, Po sets off for another adventure following the events from Kung Fu Panda 3. Although this fourth installment has been highly anticipated by fans of the series, the fourth movie, unfortunately, does not live up to expectations.
The series revolves around Po’s journey to become a great dragon warrior and kung fu master. As Po grows up, he looks up to a group of great warriors called The Furious Five. Members of this group include Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Monkey(Jackie Chan), Crane(David Cross), Viper(Lucy Lui), and Mantis(Seth Rogan), whom Master Shifu and Master Oogway trained. On his journey, Po is guided by the teachings of Master Shifu and the wisdom of Master Oogway. He is also supported by the members of The Furious Five.
In the fourth movie, Po goes on his last adventure as a dragon warrior. He has to go to a different village to beat the Chameleon, a villian seeking kung fu from its rightful masters. Overall, the movie had some humor, particularly involving his adoptive fathers, but it felt rushed. Much of the back stories involving new characters and the villains’ motivations were left out.
Some of the main problems with the film have to do with the portrayal of the characters. Unlike the previous movies, The Furious Five did not have a significant role in the movie. They did not contribute to the plot in any way. Po doesn’t seem to be portrayed as the funny and energetic panda we know and love. The villain, Chameleon, was definitely the weakest villain out of the others Po has fought. She had no connections to Master Oogway, past warriors, the village, or the kung fu tradition.
Ultimately, the movie fell short of my expectations. It left audiences with many questions about the story line and if there would be another film in the series. Although it had entertaining moments, I feel they should have ended the series with the third film. It just didn’t feel right having a movie that was not being tied to the characters or the village like the others did. Overall, I would rate this movie 3.5/5 stars.