The first part of Kung Fu Panda came out when it was supposed to come out, in 2008. At that time, animated films were at their finest moment, and every new film that came out was a work of art. When we first saw the ravenous panda in the cinema, it thrilled us with an epic story, an extraordinary villain and just the right amount of humor.
But now that I’m leaving the cinema after seeing the fourth part, I quickly realize that it’s more of the same. Although the story is new, it feels repetitive, at least for those who have already enjoyed three stories about Po. It should be noted that the film is not terrible. It’s entertaining without more. Furthermore, if this were the first part of another title, it wouldn’t be rated poorly. Now the poor fat guy has been making the same jokes and going on the same hero’s journey his entire life.
At the beginning of the film, Po talks about how his assistants, the Furious Five, are not in the Valley of Peace because they are on a mission. It’s a somewhat clumsy way for Dreamworks to explain to the viewer that they won’t be appearing here. This fact suggests to me two completely opposite opinions. On the one hand, I see it as positive that Po’s companions don’t appear in the film, as the plot needed to be refreshed and new characters were added. On the other hand, these fighters are very popular among fans and everyone was waiting to see them; To give so little importance to the justification of something so lauded is to anger the viewer. It’s very good that they don’t come up, but it is necessary to develop valid explanations for something so relevant.
This new chapter has two main axes in the plot: first, the protagonist puts his witness in good hands as a dragon warrior and then defeats the villain of this occasion. The chameleon. Master Shifu is the whole plot force that forces the panda to retreat, and while it’s sad, he’s absolutely right. Furthermore, its possible replacement has turned out to be an extraordinary find: Zhen, a specimen of the Corsac fox. Here I would like to praise the screenwriter who breathed life into th is character. She has a very interesting past, a charisma like no other and a difficult character, although you connect with her from the first moment. No doubt a future Zhen spin-off is in the production company’s plans.
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On the other hand, we have the plot with La Chameleon, a powerful villain who wants to rule the world (again) at all costs. This antagonist has all the qualities to shine: a strong character, immoral beliefs and extraordinary powers. However, she goes very unnoticed, she is the same evil character as always, just with a chameleon appearance and different abilities. It doesn’t add anything new or add emotion to the narrative, and if it shines at any point, it’s thanks to a particular twist in the script.
A big plus point that I would like to highlight is the animation, aesthetics and graphics. Visually the film is perfect and has everything a film of this genre should have. It features beautiful, well-drawn landscapes, well-animated battle scenes, and “movie-like” graphics (which is unnecessary). I have no objection to any of these visual aspects. Likewise, the soundtrack is perfect and fits the story perfectly; She is calm when she should be and more energetic in moments of tension. It fits the plot like a glove.
Kung Fu Panda 4 is the final installment of the formula that brought them triumph, a hilarious but reserved protagonist, with a new interesting and visually excellent hero’s journey. In short, a money machine that is sure to achieve great results at the box office, in “merchandising” and in everything that comes with maintaining an image like yours. However, in the end it loses the magic it had before. It’s like that plate of food that you like so much but end up hating after eating it so many times. Our chubby panda’s end has come to an end, and although there are plans for more, it’s time for him to give up martial arts. It’s up to Zhen to pass the baton and try to build a franchise with the fox. It is a film that I recommend if you have little ones in the house. Ultimately, it’s entertaining and doesn’t detract from the plot. However, I recommend not having too high expectations as you will probably not meet them.
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