While watching “Kung Fu Panda 4,” an unshakable thought kept creeping in: How way more mileage can DreamWorks possibly get out of this bear martial artist?
movie review
KUNG FU PANDA 4
Running time: 94 minutes. Rated PG (martial arts motion, mild violence, scary images and a few mild rude humor). In theaters March 8.
Po (Jack Black) is not any longer a scrappy underdog — he’s the revered Dragon Warrior. His clumsiness has given way to confidence, and he’s relatively famous among the many talking-animal set. A puffy panda swiftly punching and kicking isn’t a killer sight gag anymore.
So, after 16 years and a quartet of movies, where else is there for Po to go?
“4,” while nice enough, suggests that the neatest move can be to let the fuzzy guy retire to a relaxing bamboo forest quite than embark on one more predictable adventure.
The decent animated film still boasts the formidable voice talent of Black, Dustin Hoffman, Bryan Cranston, James Hong and Ian McShane. Now they’re joined by Awkwafina, Viola Davis and Ke Huy Quan. Not too shabby.
This go-round, Po is reveling in his mini celeb status — swanning around town, posing for (hand-drawn) pictures with fans and cutting the ribbon on the Dragon Warrior Noodle and Tofu restaurant.
But, Master Shifu (Hoffman) informs him, it’s time to move on. Po will as a substitute transition into the less exciting role of Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace, a form of supervisory desk job, and choose a spry alternative Dragon Warrior to bask in glory.
Po is none too pleased with this so-called promotion.
But before he could make his alternative of successor, the four-legged fighter is thrown back into motion when a latest foe, the Chameleon (Davis), arrives with a supernatural plot of world domination. That lizard is dangerous because, as her species would suggest, she will be able to tackle the looks of anyone round her.
Needing help, Po is joined in his heroic journey to bustling Juniper City by a thieving fox sidekick named Zhen (Awkwafina).
Come for the jokes and the celebrities — not for the suspense. “Panda,” directed by Mike Mitchell and Stephanie Stine, is solely not entrancing enough to ever persuade viewers that the apparent thing won’t occur. It does. “Yep,” you say as you zip up your coat.
I left feeling much the identical way I did after seeing “Toy Story 4.” “3” was perfect. Why mess it up with a lesser, smaller sequel?
The so-so story aside, just like the previous three movies and most of DreamWorks’ catalog, this iteration of “Panda” appealingly wears its heart on its paw. And that’s sufficient reason for families to select it over a number of other animated schlock on the market.