Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024)

[Jason_V]

Title: Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024)

Genre: Action, Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Family

Director: Mike Mitchell

Cast: Jack Black, Awkwafina, Viola Davis, Bryan Cranston, Ke Huy Quan, Dustin Hoffman, Ian McShane, James Hong, Seth Rogen, Lori Tan Chinn, Ronny Chieng, Audrey Brooke, Jimmy Donaldson

Release: 2024-03-02

Runtime: 94

Plot: Po is gearing up to become the spiritual leader of his Valley of Peace, but also needs someone to take his place as Dragon Warrior. As such, he will train a new kung fu practitioner for the spot and will encounter a villain called the Chameleon who conjures villains from the past.

In a word, boring. Sure, I laughed at some of the jokes--not because they're particularly good, but because they were so bad they're good (IMHO). There's a bunch of action sequences which are pleasing to look at most of the time, but even they're frantic and only serve to keep the audience awake. There is a real story here to mine and explore...the movie isn't interested in trying to understand why Po is reticent to do what he needs to do, let alone complete a character arc for Awkwafina's Zhen (everything happens far too quickly and easily for her story).

Mercifully short at 94-ish minutes (with credits). I can't say I was disappointed, per se, since I had no expectations for this movie. It's just...dull.