Kung Fu Panda 4: Film Review
It’s been a long time coming but Po the Kung Fu Panda is back for more mayhem!
This animated film, which comes eight years after Kung Fu Panda 3, follows Po (voiced by Jack Black) on his last escapade as the Dragon Warrior. Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) advises Po to pass the mantle on to another so he can become the spiritual leader of the Valley of Peace. But Po wants one final hurrah so he sets off with fox bandit Zhen (Awkwafina) to defeat the evil Chameleon (Viola Davis), a shape-shifting sorceress who plans to unlock the Spirit Realm and steal every kung fu master’s skills.
Like the other iterations, Kung Fu Panda 4 is an entertaining family adventure with colourful visuals, a delightful sense of humour and well-executed fight sequences and chases. It is laugh-out-loud funny, the action is exciting and the voice actors put in stellar work.
Black has a direct line to my funny bone; the way he says his lines just cracks me up. Sometimes the line isn’t funny on its own but he makes it a zinger by putting a Jack Black spin on it. There is a moment where Po is meditating and saying, “Inner peace” and it slowly morphs into “Dinner please” – nobody else seemed to laugh but it really tickled me. His comic timing, unexpected line delivery, energy and enthusiasm make this film as hilarious as it is.
But all the voice actors are top-notch. Awkwafina seems to be the go-to voice actor of the moment and it’s easy to see why – she has a distinctive voice and brings so much personality to her characters. There are a lot of similarities between Zhen, a new addition to the franchise, and Chump, her angsty Pigeon from Migration, though!
I also wanted to shout out a couple of others. Davis was quite the chilling and threatening villain (which she proved in the latest Hunger Games) and Hoffman was once again good value as the put-upon Master Shifu. Fans of the Furious Five will be sad to know they’re not in this beyond a brief non-speaking cameo.
I came away from Kung Fu Panda 4 with a big smile on my face and I’m sure your kids will too.
In cinemas from Thursday 28th March