Kung Fu Panda 4: Rated PG for Pathetically Generic
Written by Caleb Lee
You know when you have a bug bite on your back and you can’t reach it? You try to scratch it, but it’s an indescribably frustrating and uncomfortable feeling. But somehow at the same time, you do feel some relief. That’s what watching Kung Fu Panda 4 was like.
Directed by Mike Mitchell and starring Jack Black and Awkwafina, the fourth installment of this iconic series by Dreamwork, though it had a few bright moments, unfortunately did not live up to the legacy set by its three predecessors.
The fourth movie still had some of the charm that the previous three installments had. Jack Black’s humor was hysterical as always, and I personally thought that all the voice actors were solid, as well as the animation. The fighting scenes, while predictable and overly childish (though that may be a reflection of my age), still have the flair that fights in the earlier movies had, such as the one between Po and Tai Lung. I think the best new development in this movie was Aquafina, who played the newest character Zhen.
But beyond this, it is hard to find any other positives. The plot seems like it was written in five minutes and is very predictable, to the point where the characters were practically 2D. The poor scriptwriting gave the movie and characters no depth at all, and halfway through the movie you already know how it’s going to end. Walking into a movie under a brand that I loved to watch as a child, and seeing how it seemed like nothing but a quick money grab left a bitter taste in my mouth.
Yet despite its flaws, I would still recommend this movie, merely because it has the name Kung Fu Panda and it features Jack Black as Po. And I would always give a movie with those credentials a chance before I judge it.
