Eagle Era

The fourth installment of the beloved franchise is a fun movie with brilliant animation

Muhammed A. Ali

Staff Writer

     Eight years after the release of Kung Fu Panda 3, Jack Black and the star-studded cast return for the highly anticipated Kung Fu Panda 4. With the rumored return of Tai Lung and other major characters from the Kung Fu Panda franchise, the fourth movie garnered much excitement from an eager fanbase, and was listed as one of the most anticipated movies of the year by Rotten Tomatoes.  

     The movie provides a fast-paced and action-packed experience, not wasting a moment in the film’s hour-and-a-half runtime. Within the first ten minutes, we dive straight into Po’s ceremonial selection of the next Dragon Warrior. The animation in this movie is impressive as per usual, with the fight scenes easily ranking as some of the best in all of DreamWorks animated feature films.

     The Chameleon (voiced by Viola Davis) is an interesting and surprisingly compelling villain. She differs from previous villains because she is not directly related to any of the main characters. This makes her a bit less nuanced than the others, as there is no personal conflict within Po when taking on the villain. Despite this, Davis does a great job at portraying the solemn, yet power-hungry sorceress who takes other master’s forms to fulfill her dreams of mastering Kung Fu herself. The Chameleon brings back the three antagonists from the previous movies, including Tai Lung, who proves to be one of the most entertaining aspects of the movie.

     Many were excited, but also concerned, after seeing the original Kung Fu Panda villain reappear in the trailers for this film. Thankfully, fans were met with an equally incredible and powerful Tai Lung, once again voiced by Ian McShane. The film handles his return perfectly, and Hans Zimmer’s iconic Tai Lung theme serves as a further benefit to the already fantastic comeback of the long lost protege to Shifu. 

     While Tai Lung’s return was well-handled, the same cannot be said about Lord Shen and General Kai. The villains from the second and third movies were present in the film, but received no dialogue whatsoever, likely due to budgeting issues. 

     Another unfortunate aspect to the movie was the absence of the Furious Five. Although it is explained early on that they were gone on their own separate missions, the hole created by their truancy is felt, especially after three films in which they are heavily incorporated into the plot.

     While not as emotionally powerful as its predecessors, Kung Fu Panda 4 still explores the rich themes of acceptance of change. Initially, Po feels worried when he learns he must hand the Dragon Warrior title to someone else, but eventually comes to realize that change is not always a bad thing. This sort of underlying messaging falls right on par with the other three films, which all deal with powerful real-life themes as well. 

     Though not a perfect movie, Kung Fu Panda 4 effectively continues the story of Po and provides an enjoyable viewing experience that is worth the ticket price.

Caption: Kung Fu Panda 4 is currently in theaters and will move to streaming platforms in July 2024. (PC: Dreamworks Animation)

Muhammed A. Ali – Multimedia Editor