Kung Fu Panda 4 Review

My first reaction to hearing about this movie was, "Oh no, they're making another one?" Don't misunderstand. I fucking LOVE the Kung Fu Panda movies. They are, no joke, some of my favorite martial arts movies of all time. I think they are a perfect trilogy, each one builds and escalates upon the last. Which is why I was concerned. I didn't know where the series could escalate after the third that wouldn't be completely ridiculous. But then the trailers came out and they were pretty good. So I was tentatively excited going in to see this movie.

What's The Movie About?

Po is tasked with finding his successor as the Dragon Warrior, meanwhile an evil shapechanger is amassing power to conquer the world. So Po sets off for one last adventure.

What I Like.

So 4 doesn't escalate as well from 3 as 3 did from 2, or 2 did from 1, but I enjoyed the story and did feel it made sense as a continuation. I think it was a smart Idea to cut out the Furious Five, and I really like Zhan, Po's new companion. Both she and the new villain are great. The Chameleon is maybe my favorite villain in the series. Her powers were cool, the way she shapeshifts was creepy, and I liked her motivation. The other criminals Po meets along the way were also highly entertaining. Thank you for putting Ke Huy Quan in everything now, I love him. The action was very well staged, I would even say it was on par with the first movie. The first fight in the Hall of Heroes is a lot of fun, and there's a couple action scenes on a Tavern overhanging a cliff that were both fun and funny. And the comedy was a lot tighter than the other movies. It is incredibly fast paced with a lot of back and forth, almost like a Marx Brother sketch. I also liked the B-plot with Ping and Li, they were kinda gay and I loved it. 

What I Didn't Like.

There's a chase scene where the editing was a little confusing, and it wasn't as nearly as well staged as pretty much every other action scene in the movie. The movie also implies that Po has killed every single one of his villains including minor off screen ones, which I find... Unsettling. At several points, Po tries to tell people who he is by claiming he's "the Kung Fu Panda", which as far as I'm aware no one in the movies has ever called him that before.

Final Summation.

Kung Fu Panda 4 is a worthy sequel. I don't think I like it as much as Kung Fu Panda 3, but it is a excellent note to end the series on. If they do that.