And now, everyone, it is time for the third installment in the Kung Fu Panda franchise. It was released just five years after the second film. Not to mention that this is my second time seeing it since first seeing it in theaters back in 2016. So now, time for some Kung Fu Panda 3!
Plot: In the Spirit Realm, a former student of Master Oogway (Randall Duk Kim), who is a bull named General Kai (J.K. Simmons), successfully steals the chi of other Kung Fu Masters that lived before, including Master Oogway himself. This allows Kai to go from the Spirit Realm, and into the mortal world in an attempt to declare war on any Kung Fu Masters still living, and defeat them by stealing their chi as well. With the help of Tigress, Monkey, Crane, Mantis, and Viper, aka the Furious Five (Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, David Cross, Seth Rogen, and Lucy Liu respectively), can Kung Fu Master Po stop Kai in his tracks, and send him back to the Spirit Realm once, and for all?
Well, even if Kung Fu Panda 3 is at least a good sequel, it lacks the depth, and substance that made Kung Fu Panda 1 really great, along with the heart, bigger depth, and emotion that made Kung Fu Panda 2 one of the better sequels. Does that make the sequel bad? Well, not if you’re just thinking of this film as a standalone movie, rather than a sequel. Still, even then, the movie falls due to a lack of strong characters arcs, minus maybe Po, to a degree, and a stronger story overall. As for General Kai, he was definitely a decent villain. However, he’s not quite as memorable as maybe he could have been. He’s still memorable. It’s just that he somehow could have been better, and lacks the charisma, and depth that made villains like Lord Shen, or even Tai Lung more interesting. Still, the fact that Kai is voiced by J.K. Simmons, of all people, makes him more fun to watch onscreen. That is especially since he does have some funny lines, thanks to what J.K. Simmons did to the character of Kai. As for some of the newer characters, minus Po’s father, Li Shan, and the villain, General Kai, they probably won’t be all that memorable. In fact, you’ll probably forget about them. Sure, there was the one female panda, who did her dances with the ribbon object. That character was decent. Even then, there might have been a little more potential for the newer characters in this sequel.
Now, what are the benefits for Kung Fu Panda 3? Well, there’s the music by Hans Zimmer. Whereas he composed alongside John Powell in the first two films, the company, for some reason, had him be the only one to compose this time around. And let me tell you, he does not disappoint, as with many films that he’s composed. Honestly, the times that Zimmer’s score really shines is during the epic fight scenes, most notably the ones that occur in the Spirit Realm. Next, there’s the gorgeous animation. Now, the animation, and visuals, are beautiful to look at. However, the Spirit Realm is really where the animation is not only beautiful, and gorgeous, but is surprisingly drawn really creatively. I mean even when the film switches from the bright colors to the dark ones in that world, it is still really memorable, very symbolic, and more than you could ask for. And yeah, even the animation overall, in the mortal world, was really good too. As for the relationships, while the film did lack some in that area, it also does well in other ways, most notably when it comes to Po’s relationship with Tigress the most of the Furious Five, and his relationship with both his adoptive father, Mr. Pony, and his biological father, Li Shan. Okay, I’m curious, as far as the Furious Five goes, why does Po seem to have a closer relationship with Tigress than eight the other members of the Furious Five, especially in the second, and third films? I mean, for those of you who have at least seen 1-3 of the four films, do any of you notice that, or is that just me? Well, just wondering either way. It was also really cool to see a backstory behind Master Oogway, and General Kai’s former friendship as well. Yeah, even if Kai’s not as memorable as the previous two villains, at least he’s fairly well developed, in part, because of this backstory. In addition to all of this, there are some really hilarious jokes included in the script, one of the most memorable ones being made during the climax near the end of the film. I won’t tell how that joke goes. However, let’s just say that I wouldn’t be surprised if many other people would consider it their favorite joke in this sequel as well. The second to last thing that I should mention is that there were some very welcome surprises to be found in this sequel as well. Finally, if there were any lessons to be learned from this film, they would probably include ones like not being jealous of others, and learning to forgive others, particularly when they have wronged you.
And that’s my review for Kung Fu Panda 3. Although it lacks the same amount of heart, emotion, and maybe even memorable comedy that made the first two films really great, there are still plenty other elements to enjoy, from what clever jokes that there actually are, to the gorgeous animation, the world building and more. If you have seen the first two movies, but not the third film, still give it a shot. You’ll still have a fun time, regardless. Now, the question remains, will Kung Fu Panda 4 improve, or be worse than this third film? We shall see.
Final Grade: B
Matthew’s Animated & Live-Action Movie Reviews 