Jack Black does Britney Spears justice, Viola Davis almost makes us root for the villain, cute (but evil) bunnies... Here's what to expect from Kung Fu Panda 4. Spoiler alert!
My daughter is no stranger to the kids’ theatre scene – she’s caught Frozen The Musical, Disney Princess The Concert and most recently, Madagascar The Musical, so you could say she’s a bit of a mini theatre geek. But the cinema was one theatre we had yet to conquer, until the opportunity arose for us to watch the new Kung Fu Panda 4 (rated PG). We jumped at the chance to try watching a movie on the big screen together for the first time.
If you’re worried about hopping on the franchise with little to no background on the past films, don’t worry. I didn’t remember what happened in Kung Fu Panda 3 prior to watching this film either. (It’s the one where Po reunites with his biological father – now you know!) It’s been eight years since the last film, and Dreamworks has finally dropped the next instalment to the franchise! My four-year-old was engaged from the beginning to end of its 94-minute runtime. Sure it started off with many questions about the inner workings of a cinema (“How will the characters come out, Mommy? What’s that blue dot on the screen? Why are there Chinese writings when they speak? [Subtitles…]”) but once the movie started proper, she was silent and had her eyes glued to the screen till the very end.
A quick summary of Kung Fu Panda 4
After a series of death-defying adventures defeating villains with the Furious Five, Po, the Dragon Warrior has been asked to take on the role of Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace. As such, he’s now tasked with recruiting the next Dragon Warrior – which he is so not ready for. At the same time, there’s been a recent sighting of a wicked, powerful sorceress, Chameleon, a tiny lizard who can shapeshift into any creature, large or small. 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. Po enlists the help of a quick-witted thief Zhen who really gets under Po’s fur but whose skills will prove invaluable. In their quest to protect the Valley of Peace from Chameleon’s reptilian claws, this comedic odd-couple duo will have to work together. In the process, Po will discover that heroes can be found in the most unexpected places.
Four reasons to catch Kung Fu Panda 4 in cinemas
1. A genuinely interesting plot, and funny moments for the whole family
I’ll be honest, my immediate reaction upon hearing about the movie was, “Who asked for a Kung Fu Panda 4?” but I couldn’t be more wrong. The movie started off strong, with Master Shifu explaining to Po the importance of finding the next Dragon Warrior, followed by a thrilling scene of the ‘audition’ process with skilled kung fu artists showing their incredible moves. Po of course becomes spoilt for choice, and decides not to choose someone right there and then. He tries to meditate to find answers, chanting “Inner peace,” before getting distracted by the voices in his head and thinking about food instead (“dinner please, dinner with peas…”), resulting in a roar of laughter from kids and parents alike.
Funny moments are peppered all throughout the movie too – at one point, Zhen stuffs her paws into Po’s nostrils to stop him from sneezing, for fear of waking the villain’s sleeping henchmen at the entrance of the castle.
2. Wholesome blended family representation
In this movie, Po’s adoptive goose dad Mr Ping and biological panda dad, Li Shan, join forces to set out on a journey in the direction of Po’s mission to ensure his safety. You can’t help but feel the warm fuzzies seeing them work together for the sake of their son. They have a great chemistry and I found that it helped to represent families that don’t always conform to the traditional family unit.
3. The stellar cast
I went to the cinema with absolutely no knowledge of the new film except that Jack Black voices the main character, Po. But the moment I heard the voice behind Zhen, one of the movie’s main characters, I knew it had to be Awkwafina (from Raya and the Last Dragon and Crazy Rich Asians). What stood out to me was her much more subdued and neutral yet upbeat voice acting, a stark contrast to her role as Scuttle in the live-action remake of The Little Mermaid (which many have criticised for being a hit-or-miss in casting).
Other notable cast members include Bryan Cranston, Ronnie Chieng (you can’t miss his unmistakable Malaysian accent!) James Hong and Kay He Quan – both of whom have won awards for their roles in Everything Everywhere All At Once with Michelle Yeoh.
4. Viola Davis. That’s all.
Kung Fu Panda 4 sees a new villain, Chameleon, and boy is she evil. Viola Davis is the voice behind this tiny yet terrifying shapeshifting creature, and that could have been a determining factor, because I really wanted to root for her. Most see a merciless, power-hungry character hell bent on making everyone bow before her. I see a small, fearless but deeply hurt being who has successfully projected her insecurities and toxicity to her disciple. I also couldn’t help but draw similarities between the portrayal of her character and the run-of-the-mill ‘toxic mother’ figure, with lines like, “Stand up straight! Honestly I don’t know where you’ve learnt to slouch like that. You ungrateful little person. After all I’ve done for you!” So consider this a trigger warning, if you will. You’ll also want to watch out for some ‘scary’ scenes that may be frightening for little kids (one of the lizard henchmen come up really fast towards Po in one scene, so it may look like it’s coming right at you).
The movie ends with a rock cover of Britney Spears’ Baby One More Time, which I later found out was sung by Jack Black himself with the accompaniment of Kyle Gass, who makes up the comedy rock band, Tenacious D, with him. Couple that with other loveable ‘bad guys’, and hilarious antics from Po and Zhen, and this is one movie that’s sure to be a hit with the whole family.
As my daughter exclaimed when I asked, what was your favourite part of the movie?
“SKADOOSH!”
We already can’t wait to binge it once it hits streaming sites!
Kung Fu Panda 4 is now showing in cinemas.
