The ‘Kung Fu Panda’ franchise started in 2008 and after the release of the first movie, critics and audiences began to adore the Po character. After the 2008 movie became a big hit, the franchise spawned a couple more movies, video games and a few TV/streaming series.
When ‘Kung Fu Panda 3’ was released in 2016, Po and the Furious Five took a theatrical break and have been seen on TV/streaming. Now, Po is finally back on the big screen for an all new adventure with ‘Kung Fu Panda 4.’
Po must train a new warrior when he’s chosen to become the spiritual leader of the Valley of Peace.
However, when a powerful shape-shifting sorceress sets her eyes on his Staff of Wisdom, he suddenly realizes he’s going to need some help.
Teaming up with a quick-witted corsac fox, Po soon discovers that heroes can be found in the most unexpected places.
‘Kung Fu Panda 4’ marks the highly-awaited theatrical return of Po and families will surely enjoy it. This animated sequel is highly entertaining and heart-felt at times.
There are quite a few moments throughout the movie that are quite hilarious. There are a couple interactions between Po and Master Shifu (once again voiced by Dustin Hoffman) that can really give you a few chuckles.
The new character of Zhen, voiced by Awkwafina, steals the show in a few scenes and can be really humorous as well. There are also a few scenes where this new character has a heart-breaking moment when she starts talking about her background and life.
Viola Davis also does a great job voicing the main villain, named The Chameleon. The voice casting of Davis as the villain is perfect and sometimes gives a chilling vibe to the villain character. Also, the characters, Mr. Ping and Li (Po’s real father and adoptive father) serves more of the comic relief in this movie and their scenes will really make you laugh.
Po’s latest theatrical adventure could be his most challenging yet since part of the story involves him possibly looking for the next Dragon Warrior. During Po’s new mission, he begins to become closer to Zhen and I hope we see more adventures of them together.
If you are fans of the Furious Five characters that have been in the previous movies and the few TV/streaming series’, they do only have a small appearance in this one. So, hopefully we get to see these fan-favorite characters in a potential fifth movie.
Overall, ‘Kung Fu Panda 4’ is a solid entry of the franchise. There are plenty of laughs, heart, and amazing animation. Also, during the beginning of the end credits, Jack Black (also his band Tenacious D) sings a popular song that will also leave you entertained.
So, have a nice family movie night with the kids and check out Po’s latest adventure on the big screen at the Dietrich.
The cast: Jack Black as Po; Awkwafina as Zhen; Viola Davis as The Chameleon, Dustin Hoffman as Shifu; Ke Huy Chan as Han; Ronny Chieng as Fish; Ian McShane as Tai Lung; James Hong as Mr. Ping and Bryan Cranston as Li.
‘Kung Fu Panda 4’ is written by Jonathan Aibel (Trolls Band Together; Kung Fu Panda 1-3), Glenn Berger (Trolls Band Together) and Darren Lemke (Goosebumps 2; Shazam!) and directed by Mike Mitchell (The Lego Movie 2) and Stephanie Stine.
Since 2016, after the release of the third movie, there have been some rumblings of a potential fourth movie. In August 2022, the fourth movie was finally confirmed to be in production.
‘Kung Fu Panda 4’ is rated PG for martial arts action/mild violence, scary images and some mild rude humor and has a running time of 94 minutes.
Let me know on my Wyoming County Press Examiner reviews Facebook page what your favorite movie in the series is! And coming up on the review front — ‘Arthur the King,’ ‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’ and ‘Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.’
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