#pandas film review

[beasts-of-jadewood]

I'm watching Kung Fu Panda 4 reviews rn and I'm legitimately so disappointed because a good 60% of them are just people malding over the fact that this wasn't Tai Lung: The Movie. The Chameleon is bad because she wasn't Tai Lung, the new Dragon Warrior is bad because she wasn't Tai Lung, Tai Lung is bad because he wasn't as cool as he was three movies ago. Like, say what you want about Lily Orchard, but she spent her entire career warning us about fandoms' obsession with "cool villains" overtaking their ability to actually appreciate the main characters of a story, and now I'm seeing it in real time before my eyes.

[qu4lc0s41ncu1cr3d3r3]

Come stile di vita proprio.

[herigo]

[disneyfanboy13]

*deep breath*

Kung Fu Panda 4 was okay.

The weakest Kung Fu Panda movie by... a wide margin unfortunately due to the incredibly high standards the first three set but not bad by any means. I honestly think there were a ton of great ideas and some moments of fantastic animation that DO live up to the original trilogy. It's just that a lot of these ideas were... undercooked.

Spoilers below. I'm going to be talking about nearly the entire plot in detail.

Again, there was nothing outwardly bad about this movie, aside from a few really lame jokes and some of the characterization of the old characters feeling off at times, with Li coming to mind first. His whole arc of needing to be pretend to be brave made no sense to me as the very first time we saw him in Kung Fu Panda 2, he was bravely fighting off Lord Shen and his ARMY to protect his wife and son. He really doesn't strike me as someone who'd be afraid to fight or act tough when it's for the sake of his son, ya know? Maybe if the reason for his sudden cowardice was BECAUSE of the loss of his wife that day, like Marlin's backstory in Finding Nemo, it would've felt a little more right to me. Li is enjoyable in this movie, I loved his interactions with Ping especially, they're some of the best parts of the movie, but his arc still felt off to me.

And the same can be said about Po needing to choose a successor. First of all, the implication of the first movie to me was almost certainly that "Dragon Warrior" was a once and done sort of thing, that there was only one who could learn the secrets of the Dragon Scoll and defeat Tai Lung, and that Po just kept the title "Dragon Warrior" going forward as a symbol of that accomplishment and because it was shorter and cooler than saying "Defender of the Valley of Peace", which is what he really was.

Second, Shifu's sudden insistence that Po needed to choose a successor to the "Dragon Warrior" title because Oogway gave him his staff felt very off to me. Shifu is probably my favourite character in these movies and while he's still mostly enjoyable for what little screentime he got in this movie, the fact that he was essentially putting words in Oogway's, his dead master's, mouth felt very wrong to me. I know Shifu kind of did that in the third movie but not to the samedegree. There his words just boiled down to, "Would Oogway really approve of you doing this?" while in this movie, he's blatantly saying "This is what my dead master who's not here to speak for himself wants you to do with the staff he gave you, an event I wasn't even there to see myself so you'd better listen to me." Also, Oogway giving Po his staff having some "deeper meaning" in general is just not the vibe I got from the third movie at all and felt like Shifu was, again, putting words in the dead tortoise's mouth and honestly misunderstanding his master and friend.

Po and Ping in this movie meanwhile were perfectly fine though. I actually do like Po's arc of not wanting things to change but having to accept that they will, even if it is, again, undercooked. It's a nice message though and parallels nicely with the villain, someone wo can change form with shapeshifting but never changes on the inside. They really didn't need to pull that obnoxious "you and I aren't so different" speech thing here but Po's speech to the Chameleon afterwards felt very in line with his character. It reminded me very much of his attempts to sway Tai Lung and Lord Shen in the first two movies, but not in a way that felt like a rehash. It just felt like exactly what he would do and campiness aside, I did like it.

Speaking of the Chameleon... This is probably gonna be a hot take but I actually disagree with people calling her the weakest Kung Fu Panda villain. In my mind, that's honestly still Kai. Kai is more intimidating, sure, but while the third movie is better than this one in a lot of ways, I always felt that Kai's connection to Po was very flimsy and his backstory and beef with Oogway never made any sense to me. He always felt so flat and boring, even if, yes, aesthetically, he's a much better villain than the Chameleon. He has much more intimidation factor and better voice acting but to me, the Chameleon is a more compelling character. Yes, her backstory, on the surface, is contradicted by the existence of Viper and especially Mantis. It makes no sense, again, on the surface, for her to be turned away for being "too small."

But I would argue that in the KFP universe, there is actually sufficient enough support for this backstory to not be as much of a stretch as I've seen some claim it is. We don't know WHEN the Chameleon was turned away for being "too small", it could've easily been before Mantis and Viper, who actually WERE underestimated for the same reason (something covered in explicit detail in spin offs but was definitely still implied in the main movies). The thing with them however is that they had Tigress's and eventually Shifu's support and were given a chance to prove themselves, which the Chameleon, a similarly small animal, clearly wasn't given. And this makes even more sense when you consider that The Chameleon is from a city far from the Valley of Peace, so far that no one there even knows the Dragon Warrior and likely not the Furious Five either. She wasn't turned away by Oogway or Shifu. She was turned away by faceless and obviously less open minded Kung Fu masters who haven't heard of Viper and Mantis and just made surface level assumptions about the Chameleon. So while, on the surface, it doesn't make much sense and yes, probably needed to be explained better or depicted in a flashback, it's not this completely bullshit universe breaking thing that I've seen others claim it to be. Although yes, other instances of this movie forgetting the Furious Five are frustrating and make this movie feel cheap but ANYWAYS.

Another reason I find the Chameleon to be more compelling than Kai (though certainly not on the level of Tai Lung or Shen) is her connection to Zhen. I'll be honest, you can say I missed it all you want, but I genuinely didn't see that betrayal coming and was genuinely stung by it. The connection between the Chameleon and Zhen was honestly the best part of the movie for me. They could've gone even deeper with it, and if they had I would probably love this movie to be honest, but what we do get made Zhen a genuinely sympathetic character to me, which I wasn't expecting, and gives the Chameleon a lot more depth without making her soft. At all. The way she used and groomed this orphan child, how she saw "potential" in her on sight that she manipulated to her advantage, was really twisted. I was honestly pretty satisfied with he fact that Shen was the one to ultimately defeat her and found her to be a mostly pretty good villain, even if, yes, she is a complete non-presence before the reveal of this twist. Kai still has that over her but if we're just judging them based on character, I prefer the Chameleon.

I also love the parallels this twist created between Zhen and Po. Their friendship is another thing that needed more time in the oven but I can buy the connection. I think Zhen being this misguided dark parallel to Po was honestly pretty cool and I really enjoyed her training montage at the end. That was one of the few callbacks to the first movie that didn't feel like pandering. It felt like a more natural parallel and showcased the growth of both characters pretty well.

What did feel overly pandering however was Tai Lung's return, but, not for the reasons you might be thinking. I actually think it was a cool idea to have him return as a spirit (it's really not that out there after the third film) and if they could only get one of the previous three villains voice actors to return, Tai Lung was definitely the right call as he genuinely DID have a lot of unresolved... I suppose angst? The problem is that's not what they focus on. I love Tai Lung, and getting to hear Ian McShane voice him and see him fight again was enough to make me go into fanboy mode but the problem is that the movie entirely focuses on Tai Lung's beef with Po, which, yes, was definitely something that would need to be addressed and honestly was done well. I actually LIKE that Tai Lung respects him by the end, although, yes, Kai and especially Shen bowing too was complete bullshit. If I had my way, Kai wouldn't be there since his soul was obliterated by Chi and Shen would be the only one not to bow and would say "fuck you" to Po as he goes back to the Spirit Realm. Honestly the whole "the villains returning" plot was undercooked as well but anyways, Tai Lung:

Most of Tai Lung's beef and in fact reason for being evil was Shifu and I know those two had their confrontation in the first film but the idea of bringing back Tai Lung and not letting him have at least ONE scene with Shifu?! Not have either of them at least REACT to or even MENTION the other?! That's just kind of outrageous to me. The movie wants me to believe Tai Lung is at peace with the fact that he wasn't chosen to be the Dragon Warrior by the end of the movie but they only did half the work to convince me. They convinced me enough that Tai Lung respects Po now, because he freed his soul from the Chameleon and had time in the spirit world to reflect or whatever, but they didn't convince me that he's at peace with the way Shifu unintentionally wasted Tai Lung's life on something he could never have. It feels, again, undercooked.

I've said that a lot this review but it really is the best way I can describe this movie: undercooked. It's enjoyable, it has some fun action and animation and most of the time, good humour, but story and characterization wise, it feels like, well, perhaps not a first draft, it's more solid than that, but an unfinished draft for sure. This movie has great ideas but didn't properly flesh them all out and make them as compelling as they could have been. So despite overall enjoying this movie, which is more than I expected from the trailer to be fair, I can't help but feel disappointed by it, because it's in the same franchise as two masterpieces and a third movie that, while not quite to the same standard, had much more weight and scale and ended the franchise off on a high note overall. Kung Fu Panda deserved better than this but in fairness, it could have been worse.

I know this review of mine was very critical and all over the place but overall, I am happy I saw this movie. The parts I liked, I really genuinely did like a lot.

It's somewhere between a 6 or 7 out of 10 for me.. Definitely falls short of the original trilogy but I liked it more than I was expecting.

[moviewarfare]

A Review of “Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024)”

I love the Kung Fu Panda trilogy! The 3rd movie felt like a nice wrap-up for the series. However, modern movie studios just can't give up on milking a franchise. Now we have a 4th entry in the series. Is this movie justified, or is it just another cash grab?

Jack Black is still great as Po. He still hasn't lost his charm and continues to deliver a hilarious and charismatic, vocal performance. I also love that his character Po is still a badass dragon warrior. He is always the most skilled fighter in the room and I am glad they didn't make him weaker for the sake of it. Awkwafina is again voicing another sidekick character. She is fine but that is mostly because her character isn't written to be unbearable and that makes Awkwafina bearable. Their characters do have a fun buddy dynamic throughout. Speaking of buddy dynamics, it was nice to see James Hong and Bryan Cranston return as Ping the Geese and Shan the Panda again. Po's fathers have their own, fun mini-adventure in the movie.

The animation is beautiful. Not to the extent of other dreamwork animated movies such as How to Train Your Dragon or Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. However, it looks very appealing for the most part. The action scenes are still very entertaining with its well choreographed Kung-fu scenes. It was also nice to see Ian McShane return as Tai Lung even though it was clearly done for nostalgia bait.

Unfortunately, the story is predictable and boring. Po is required by Master Shifu to pick the next Dragon Warrior but Po doesn't want to and wants to remain the Dragon Warrior. This idea in itself, can be very interesting as he could potentially have to choose between his friends, The Furious Five. Sadly, they are not even in this movie so instead we get a new character in Zhen played by Awkwafina. Oh wow, I wonder who Po will pick…

Po and his dynamic with The Furious Five have always been a highlight but removing that, makes this less interesting. The villain, The Chameleon, is also extremely underwhelming. She can steal the Kung-Fu of martial artists, including previous movie villains. Her motives are weak and her presence is just not menacing enough. They try to say throughout that Po might finally meet his match but they don't do a good job of convincing us that this is true. If anything, the big final battle feels like the easiest fight that Po has ever had so far. How is The Chameleon a threat if the Furious Five weren't even needed?! Ke Huy Quan is also in the movie but his character has no depth at all so it feels like a glorified cameo. Additionally, many of the jokes didn't land. I hate that they leave awkward pauses cause they clearly thought we the audience would laugh.

Overall, this 4th movie had no reason to exist. The story is not meaningful enough to justify its existence. This will be the start of the second trilogy but the ending itself doesn't do much to make me interested in more. The ending is a fine ending to wrap up the series (again). Hopefully, the 5th entry is a lot better and this time, make sure The Furious Five are actually in the movie!

For more reviews like this visit:

https://moviewarfarereviews.blogspot.com/

[reileionard21]

[prophecyofgray]

okay i FINALLY watched kung fu panda 4 and i have a lot of thoughts, especially about the parallels between tai lung and zhen. tai lung was taken in by shifu, who loved him and believed in him but took pride in him to a fault, leading to the arrogance and entitlement that was tai lung's downfall; zhen was taken in by the chameleon, who criticized her and used her and acted only out of self interest, a belief system that ultimately lead to zhen's rebellion. two young kids each given a chance by a master, one of them with kindness and excessive leniency, the other with mal-intent and no room for error. tai lung and zhen could've easily swapped places and each of them turned out differently. it's so fascinating, and a very smart writing choice to bring tai lung back into focus in conjunction with the the introduction of zhen's character.

[filmfanaticfables1990]

The Dragon Warrior Returns- Kung Fu Panda 4 Review

Kung Fu Panda 4 is a fun-filled adventure that brings back our favorite Dragon Warrior, Po. While it may not reach the heights of its predecessors, it still offers plenty of animated action sequences and light-hearted comedy.

The film continues the journey of Po, the Dragon Warrior (voiced by Jack Black), who is now called upon to become the Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace. This poses a couple of problems as Po knows as much about spiritual leadership as he does about the paleo diet. Moreover, he needs to quickly find and train a new Dragon Warrior before he can assume his new lofty position.

The main antagonist of the film is Chameleon (voiced by Viola Davis), a tiny lizard who can shapeshift into any creature. Chameleon has her greedy, beady little eyes on Po's Staff of Wisdom, which would give her the power to re-summon all the master villains whom Po has vanquished to the spirit realm.

While the film struggles to justify its existence and lacks the delicate artistry and warm wit of its predecessors, it is still a fun watch for the whole family. The film is filled with zany jokes and entertaining chase and fight scenes.

Kung Fu Panda 4 is a basic, light-hearted adventure with familiar moments of peril and life lessons. It may not be as memorable as the first three films, but it still provides a good time for fans of the franchise.

[agentnico]

Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024) review

Jack Black’s new version of “Hit Me Baby One More Time” is great. In all honestly all of Tenacious D’s covers are superb. Their take on “I Think I Love You” for Croods 2 slaps as hard as Will Smith’s palm against Chris Rock’s face. Apologies, I just watched the new Bad Boys trailer so that momentary awards moment has sprung back into my mind.

Plot: After Po is tapped to become the Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace, he needs to find and train a new Dragon Warrior, while a wicked sorceress plans to re-summon all the master villains whom Po has vanquished to the spirit realm.

For some reason I presumed Kung Fu Panda 3 was the ending to the trilogy and the story was over. Then again Hollywood wants to keep making more money and this animated franchise has been highly successful for DreamWorks till now, so of course it was only a matter of time. To give them props though, DreamWorks has been on a bit of a hot streak recently with The Bad Guys - a visually-pleasing heist flick; Croods 2 - hilarious riot; this year’s Orion and the Dark - a fun concept with a mind-bending ending; and of course Puss in Boots: The Last Wish which is an animated masterpiece. There, I said it. The Puss in Boots sequel is fantastic and I won’t hear otherwise! As such even though the trailers weren’t showing too much promise, I went into Kung Fu Panda 4 optimistically, hoping it’s not just a needless cash-grab.

Right, yep, it’s a cash-grab through and through. You can tell the writers were really trying to milk some kind of an idea for a plot, and all they could come up with is Po needing to find a new Dragon Warrior in his place. Not the most original concept as is, and one that in the end feels really rushed, and his choice for his replacement is one that feels unsatisfying. The main villain also is really weak. A chameleon voiced by Viola Davis, and though visually the shape-shifting gimmick works really well, narratively this character has hardly anything to do, let alone be in any way intimidating. I recall in one of the previous films the villain was Lord Shen, who was introduced as someone who has killed Dragon Warriors before. What’s the scariest thing this chameleon now does, you may ask? She lightly pushes someone down the stairs. That’s it.

Another rushed aspect of the movie is that many voice actors from the previous films are needlessly ditched either with a lame excuse for their absence, or not giving them any lines and the characters appearing in silence. Like a big selling point in the marketing is that we get to see all the villains from the previous entries come back. A fun idea, however aside from Ian McShane as Tai Lung the other villains only appear as if they’re in a silent movie. Are you telling me that DreamWorks really couldn’t afford to get Gary Oldman to record a couple of lines on his phone and send them over? It’s like if Spider-Man: No Way Home had all the old Spidey villains from previous films come back, but they just stand about silently doing nothing. How crap would that have been? So yes, this really cheapens the movie.

Visually the film looks great. It’s mad to see how the animation has progressed as this series of movies has gone further. Particular attention has been given to the background environments that look gorgeous! Great use of colours and detail. A chase sequence through a city of thieves is a particular eye-popping set piece, that even gives Hans Zimmer the small opportunity to have some fun with the music score during it.

As for the voice cast - Jack Black is a charisma machine! He’s an icon and of course Po is just Jack Black being himself, but he has so much energy in his line delivery that he carries this movie fully on his shoulders. Awkwafina is also in this movie. Look, the reason I’m pointing that out is that if one looks at her filmography since 2019 she’s voiced characters in Little Mermaid, Migration, Kung Fu Panda 4, Bad Guys, SpongeBob: The Movie, Raya and the Last Dragon, The Dark Crystal Netflix series, Angry Birds Movie 2…. That’s so much!! What does she have on these animation studios that they keep hiring her? She’s not the only female voice actor out there. And I’m sorry, she’s not even that great of a voice actress, and I wasn’t a fan of her here either. Dustin Hoffman kind of just lingers about questioning his life, Bryan Cranston and James Hong have some amusing co-dads banter, Ian McShane being back as Tai Lung was lovely, and Ke Huy Quan is the usual ball of excitable energy that he always is.

Unlike Puss in Boots where the wait for the sequel was more than worth it, Kung Fu Panda 4 feels as if the franchise may have run its course and the writers have simply ran out of ideas. There’s a “been there done that” aura surrounding this whole movie, and again it’s not terrible, but more so just passable. There’s nothing new here, simply retreading old territory. I’m sure if you take your kids with you to see it though they’ll probably have a good time. Probably. That “Hit Me Baby One More Time” cover though - hell yeah!

Overall score: 5/10

[ehart2003]

Review Of 'Kung Fu Panda 4'

In this fourth instalment of the series we pick back up with Po who had over the past three movies worked his way to proving he is the true dragon warrior capable of using the powers that come with the role. However after finding out in the third movie he needs to find a replacement for him so he can become Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace. Po is faced with having to accept that it is time for him to move on to a different role, but he refused to accept this reality and this can at times feel like ego or immaturity from him despite having already had a big character development over the other films to where he isn't immature anymore.

The film explores themes of legacy, mentorship, and self-discovery. Po’s journey to find and train a successor is not just about passing on his skills but also about understanding his own value in the world beyond his role as the Dragon Warrior. The message that somebody's identity and worth are not solely tied to their current roles or status is a powerful one, especially for younger audiences in which this film is targeted towards.

The Film, However often struggles to bring anything crazy exciting to the table, with very very little of the Furious 5 that made the previous films exciting or a overly rememberable villain that just uses the well built character development from the other villains to build itself into something a shadow of the others, kind of being seen as just a selfish and jealous creature wanting more power.

One part of the movie which helps to add character and entertainment to the story is Zhen voiced by Awkwafina, As it felt as though the filmmakers gave her more time to shine than the title character and her arc of redemption was powerful to inspire a younger audience watching the film

Final Rating:

2.2/5 Stars

[kaiokenday]

I recently watched kung fu panda 4

If you haven’t watched the trilogy you won’t be lost in the story line A Couple of strong life lessons in that one too lmao

SKADOOOSHHHHHHHH 🙌🏿🅰️

(No spoilers)

[the-celluloid-correspondent]

Kung Fu Panda 4 Review: A Painfully Bland Cash Grab

After Pie is tapped to become the Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace, he needs to find and train a new Dragon Warrior, while a wicked sorceress plans to summon all of the master villains whom Po had vanquished to the spirit realm.

Dreamworks, I am not mad, I am simply just disappointed with you with your latest installment of the journey of the Dragon Warrior in Kung Fu Panda 4. After the surprising masterpiece of Puss In Boots: The Last Wish, I was expecting something exceptional, but what I got was the definition of mediocrity. Never before have I seen an animated film that is so predictable that it not only insulted my intelligence, but the intelligence of its target audience. Within the first ten minutes of the movie, you can predict the entire story. Every twist and turn could be seen miles away. From a character's obvious betrayal to their unearned and rushed redemption arc, this is an insultingly predictable script. Then when paired with a villain who has one of the stupidest villain motivations I have seen in a long time, leads to nothing but mediocrity. 

What is even more frustrating is the story of Po passing on the mantle of the Dragon Warrior and becoming a spiritual leader could have worked if properly set up. The story in its current form makes no sense as it contradicts the entire arc that Po has been going through in this franchise and that Po is not ready to become a spiritual leader. In the movie, it is clear that Po has only been the Dragon Warrior for several years, and is showing no signs of aging. Po becoming a spiritual leader while he is in his physical prime makes no sense. However, if the movie had decided to age Po the story could have worked. It would have been a compelling narrative to see Po face the fact that he is aging and that he can’t be the Dragon Warrior forever. To see Po slowly accept that he is aging and eventually open this new chapter of his life with open arms would have been just as profound as Puss accepting the inevitability of death in Puss In Boots: The Last Wish. Sadly, this movie puts no effort into crafting a compelling narrative. 

On the bright side, the animation was visually pleasing and full of creativity. The voice acting from the entire ensemble, except for Awkwafina who just plays her annoying sidekick type cast, was great. I must give a shout-out to Viola Davis, who gave a frightening performance despite her character having a moronic motivation. Overall, Kung Fu Panda 4 lacks the wisdom seen in the original trilogy as it decides to become a shallow cash grab. 

My Rating: C

[capsarcastica]

Kung Fu Panda 4 Review

While it's not in any way bad, it's the weakest effort in the series. Too often it feels like a retread of the third movie, Po must find a new position while fighting an enemy that uses the powers of his other villains.

It still has plenty of action and heart. Though the end battle comes across more like a video game's final boss. The cast mostly does good.

Jack Black gives another terrific performance. Dustin Hoffman doesn't have much to do. James Hong and Bryan Cranston have lots of fun. Ian McShane is a welcome return that doesn't get enough screen time. Though Awkwafina is once again doing her usual schtick while Viola Davis is the dullest villain in the series.

The fight scenes are handled well, but nothing the series hasn't done before. It looks good but again there's nothing special about it. There's also a serious lack of the side characters that made the previous three so good.

Considering that the series was one of the best Dreamworks had going for it, this one just plays it safe.

[livvyofthelake]

ohhhhhh my god my lead actress's big brown eyes...... girl you're killing me......

[mihirscreenstories]

"Don't Miss Out! Catch These Must-Watch 2011 Movies If You Haven't Seen Them Yet!"

Animated movies have always been a source of entertainment for people of all ages. 2011 was a year that saw the release of some truly outstanding animated movies that captured the hearts of audiences around the world. In this article, we will explore some of the best 2011 animated movies to watch and the reasons why they are worth your time. 1. Rango (2011) : IMDb 7.2/10 Rango, directed by Gore…

[azazel-dreams]

Kung Fu Panda: Po's Winter Wonderland

Rating: ❤️❤️ ❤️❤️ ❤️