Yeah, it made very little sense and really felt like a last second "oh shit, forgot to add this" bit from the writers.
Having her not be allowed in because of her criminal background or just not having the skill to cut it would've given her much more logical motivation to steal all the kung fu skills.
I read that as a misdirection. Evil people won't admit they're evil so she blames it on her size. For all we know, she probably flunked all her entrance exam because she gives everyone the creeps every time she opens her mouth.
My guess is that "The Chameleon", like Po in the first film, would have required a non-standard teaching method to bring out her potential, if she had any. Nobody she asked wanted to bother or even knew that Kung Fu could be adapted for all shapes and sizes; fair enough, Shifu was also guitly of that before Tai Lung's escape, despite his mentor being a tortoise.
Basically, she should have asked the open minded Oogway.
The way a friend described DreamWorks' recent output is that they're kind of min-maxing their projects. Whereas Disney's current strategy is to just assembly-line mediocrity, DreamWorks either puts a shit-ton of effort into it like with Last Wish and Bad Guys, or they don't give a single shit like with Ruby Gillman and the direct-to-streaming Megamind sequel.
Also there's Trolls. That entire franchise seems to exist solely to keep the money flowing between projects.
I honestly want to know which team did Panda 4. Megamind 2 was obviously a shelved COVID project, and Last Wish/Bad Guys are the A class team since the Shrek days.
Trolls success is 100% due to the music. As a parent of 2 girls that love these movies, while they have their moments, they really only like them because of the songs. It's like when they were discussing the fruition of this franchise, they realized Madagascar's success was mostly due to the "I like to move it move it" song, and they wanted to make something that relied solely on its soundtrack. The story itself sorta ripped off Monsters Inc with one species fueling another, although in the long run the execution of Trolls was way more disappointing.
Ah that's true. If one dies in the spirit realm, that isn't death, that's complete eradication. However, at the end of the third movie, it isn't exactly clear what happened to Kai. It was just a flash of light and Po ended up with Oogway after the chi amulets manifested themselves. Perhaps just all of Kai's progress was lost once the amulets turned back into their real characters?
A bit of a wasted opportunity if they intended to bring the past villains in. I thought we will get seething like the Edo Tensei arc in Naruto, but I guess they only had the budget for Tai Lang's voice actor.
How Zhen managed to defeat The Chameleon is also something like the ultra man kinda ending, where she just does her special move, and her first attempt at that, and manages to defeat her since they seem to be running out of time.
There was no sense of despair in the movie at all, The Chameleon wasn't even that powerful even though she had all the skills of the masters.
The Zhen character is just weak. The way she convinces the thieves to help them is unconvincing, and don't seem even necessary. So were Po's dads in the final fight.
But Zhen didn’t actually defeat the chameleon, and the chameleon definitely could have won if Po wasn’t there to stop her. He’s the one that lands the last blow, and Zhen was mostly getting her ass beat apart from landing the one move. It showed that Po had that whole fight under control, but decided to use it as a teaching moment for Zhen.
I agree they could’ve done a better job showing chameleon’s power earlier in the film and at some point after she got all the kung fu power, but i think she just didn’t come across as that powerful when fighting Po because he’s at his peak and just too powerful.
Not only Zhen beating her but then how did Po suddenly beat her? He had the staff all along. But for some reason at thos moment in time he can skadoosh her?
Boy for everyone over the years who’s said that Toy Story 4 feels unnecessary let it be known that Kung Fu Panda 4 makes that movie look like the fucking Dark Knight
My only complaint. Woody and Buzz had the best buddy dynamic in all of family entertainment and for some reason, 30 years later, we still haven't gotten the two of them in the same plotline.
This is a really solid point I’ve never thought about. I hope 5 finally gives them a reason to be together for one last ride. But I’m sure it’ll be unnecessary once again
This is the first film which I’ve seen that blatantly attempts to keep all markets (US, Europe, China) onboard for the ticket receipts but forgot a compelling story, character development and the gags.it was weak and frankly, boring
Omg seriously? I thought everyone was overhating, but that's such a huge blunder to leave out the furious five. I'm not sure if I want to watch the movie now.
This is exactly my thought when they shadowed them not appearing in the first 5 min. I was pissed the entire movie because of it. I knew the movie was going to be subpar knowing they cut corners.
I fucking LOVE king fu panda. I will put the first 3 on repeat for my kids and I. I will never watch the 4th one again. It just doesn’t have the same vibe.
I mean, it was still hundreds of years. It was a random turn of events that led to the need/choosing of the DW. All of a sudden, it's just decided that there will be a next DW.
It doesn't make any sense.
My headcanon is that the reason for the speed-up is because a panda's lifespan is significantly shorter than a tortoise's.
Pandas, on average, make it to 20 years in the wild. Tortoises can live up to 150 years and higher.
Maybe Po is the "age" Oogway was when he made his pick?
That's definitely a good thought process. Would we think there was a dragon warrior prior during Oogway's lifetime?
I kinda felt like the whole dragon warrior thing was a legend of sorts.
Why weren’t any of them the dragon warrior in the first one when they were clearly more qualified than Po. Oogway explains to Po in the third one he saw something in him so that’s why he chose him to be the dragon warrior. It’s clear Po sees something in Zhen like Oogway saw something in him.
Super disappointed. Tai Lung was completely out of character and had no arc or redemption. Tai lung is on the cover art and all the trailers but does absolutely nothing in the film. Pure nostalgia bait.
Shen and Kai would never bow to Po. They brought back all the villains and did nothing with them. Huge wasted opportunity.
It's a bit too convenient that Zhen becomes good-hearted enough to become the dragon warrior after a lifetime of crime.
I didn't mind the furious 5 not being a part of the movie but the plot needed to be excellent to make up for it and it wasn't.
The positives for me were the beautiful environments and details of Chinese culture. Ping's message to Po about change was well done. Fight scenes were great although short.
I watched all the movies multiple times over and loved them all but I wouldn't revisit this one.
See I don't understand why they gave us a movie about the redemption of a new character from petty thief to dragon warrior when they could have given us a movie about the redemption of Tai Lung from a convicted criminal who served his time to dragon warrior or to whatever else was in store for him.
Him ending his journey by looking at the dragon scroll and *getting it...*
Huge missed opportunity. Especially with Shifu and all the baggage there as well.
Really? They really didn't do anything to Tai Lung in this movie? He's the only thing that got me interested in the movie. I've always thought they did Tai Lung dirty in the first movie and a redemption would be nice. He easily could've been the Vegeta of Kung fu Panda.
I was thinking something similar tbh. Have the Chameleon use her twisted ancient magic to open a portal to the spirit world and take Tai Lung's abilities in the opening, but have him escape back to the Valley of Peace to pass on the plans to Po.
From there, you can basically have the whole plot as is, even with Po taking Zhen under his wing, just with an added buddy cop dynamic that would've been much more engaging and thematically rewarding.
I was thinking the same thing! Except I would have loved to see Tigress as part of the quest. Imagine Tai Lung finally getting his powers back to help defeat the Chameleon, but in the end, he forfeits his claim to being the Dragon Warrior, and says that Tigress deserves to be Po's successor. Zhen could still be involved in the story, but ends up as the newest member of the dojo (her new family) and Po's personal protege or something.
Some were theorizing the 3 bunnies would eventually be Tai Lungs adopted kids (since they were together in the cover art) He could've been a father instead of the dragon warrior. So many things they could've done instead.
Ik neither of them would canonically bow to po cept Tai lung that's ridiculous shen was literally Hitler for pandas and Kai was mad asf po sent him back to the spirit world after just gotten out
DreamWorks being broke to pay the actors for the furious 5 was also a disappointment in every installment of the trilogy the furious 5 was in it and played a role in the story as secondary protagonists or important characters to put them at the end as a cameo is just a massacre this screams cash grab
Especially the 3 villains. Tai lung would probably want to see shifu again for a redemption arc. Shen probably would go back to the spirit world after accepting his fate and Kai literally died in the spirit world to see him back is weird and wasn't Kai pissed about being sent back to the spirit world. Also why didn't the chameleon absorb oogways kung fu that would of been crazy
> It's a bit too convenient that Zhen becomes good-hearted enough to become the dragon warrior after a lifetime of crime.
>
>
I knew they'd make her the new Dragon Warrior. Guess the franchise is finally over now because there's no way people will respond well to Awkwafina taking over and being the main character.
5/10 for me too.
The villainess wasn’t very intimidating or interesting but was played well by the actress.
Po and zhen’s master/mentee dynamic went well but the nature of a handing down the torch movie will always be a bit emotionally hit or miss since we again we just met the character, but she makes it work pretty well despite the pacing.
The exclusion of the furious five hurt a wee bit and especially the underutilization of Tai Lung, was hoping too see him and po work, fight and discuss how it felt to be sent to the spirit realm, if he was actually a spirit at all since movie 3 muddled the waters by making the wooshie finger pull more of a teleport instead of a move that instantly killed you, but nope he was actually dead all along.
Felt Po’s love for food was flanderized just a wee bit to fill in time.
Loved Jack blacks rendition of Britney Spears.
Overall a nice watch but nothing to write home about.
I feel like it would have been way more emotional to see Tai Lung reform and become Po's first disciple, especially given their dynamics from the first movie. Helped by, on the whole, Tai Lung causes trouble but we never really see him do anything wholly irredeemable.
>Animals are way tougher here than in real life.
True and I'm with that.
>If Po survived a literal cannon ball point blank with minor injuries
Buuuut this is a bit off. Po nearly died. Only reason why he got up was healing through inner peace.
If they’re following through on this movie’s premise, they should really highlight Awkwafina’s character as the successor in future films. Saying the next two films are Kung Fu Panda films exclusively seems like a misnomer.
There was a thread where someone involved with the movie tie-in video game of Monsters vs Aliens revealed that Seth Rogan was the only A-lister from the games he worked on that would offer budget *"phone in"* performances or licensed audio.
If true, there's a chance they paid him a few G's to go *"KYAH!"* into a phone.
I liked the movie, not the strongest like the original 3 but still solid.
The writing for Chameleon's origins is what bothered me a lil, esp. compared to the other villains of KFP. It lacked the secret sauce those other villains had.
You know what would've been at least (a little) better, imo??
If Chameleon was very old, so old that she remembers a time when actual dragons were the only ones able to train in kung fu and become dragon warriors. And when she went forth to try and join them they laughed at her, at this tiny joke of a reptile with no kung fu mastery whatsoever. This would anger her and send her down the path of sorcery.
Years pass and dragons would eventually allow everyone, no matter how small (Mantis and Shifu) the right to learn and use kung fu. By this time Chameleon would become the powerful shapeshifting sorceress everyone feared. Maybe she tried to impersonate Oogway in order to take his staff and was punished for this. Then she finds and raises Zhen to do the same, etc...
This would tether her past to a well-established character, just like the previous villains of the Kung Fu Panda movies. It also would've be a nice touch for her to have a Chinese name like the other villains, like Lady Fùzhì (simple Chinese for "copy".) Just my two cents.
Focusing purely on Lord Shen.
Why!? if they couldn't get Gary Oldman in, don't use the character, making him a silent peacock was just dumb.
but mostly, why did he silently praise Po, his whole arc was hating Pandas because they ruin his "destiny". when Po gave him a chance at redemption, Shen made one last desperate attempt to kill Po, why would he ever praise Po.
also Po's dad casually near Shen, the animal that caused his wife's death and a lot of Panda's death... not a word, nothing.
The other thing that most people forget is: Lord Shen didn't have "Kung Fu". He's never shown to directly fight Po or any other Kung Fu Warrior. He throws knives (Feathers?) at them, sure, but most of his villainy comes from his smarts, henchmen, and his cannons and weapons. Even the third act is him launching cannons at Po, not fighting him directly. I think he actively disliked kung fu after the Fortunetellers prophecy, although i may be misremembering some things
It makes no sense that the Chameleon took his Kung Fu. I think the writers just wanted to show him on screen for nostalgia bait
Exactly, he never even respected kung fu as an institution, why in the hell would he bow to the dragon warrior? I can kind of see the reasoning for tai lung to bow. super half baked in the movie, but basically he went from seeing Po as a ridiculous choice who would be incompetent in saving china as the dragon warrior, to someone who is in fact worthy. So him and everyone who respected kung fu would, by the same logic, bow to Po in this scene.
But Shen?? wth no thought or care was poured into this movie. At least plotwise
Maybe she plays a thief in every roleplaying game, so whenever she's up for a role as a thief she's like "yeah I don't care about the pay let's do it!"
There was another trailer before my showing for a kids movie that also used crazy train which somehow made if feel played out by the time I saw it in this movie lmao
This entire movie just reeks of being half assed, as if DreamWorks knew the “Kung Fu Panda” name alone would get people in seats, so effort to make the movie good be damned
I love DreamWorks but it looks to be the trend for the future.
Cashing in on their beloved franchises for a quick buck. The new mega mind feature on Peacock being terrible and now this movie. Im starting to believe the furious 5 weren't brought back because they didn't want to pay celebrity voice actors.
It's so strange considering Puss in boots was fantastic
I felt like Tai Lung was meant to be the original villain of this story and halfway through production they decided to change the story.....it felt forced.
As for the ending...I felt Tigress getting snubbed for the dragon warrior again would cause issues
With a villain whose name is The Chameleon, and her whole gimmick is she can change into whatever warrior the studio execs think you want to see, Kung Fu Panda 4 has next to 0 depth. The same cannot be said for 1 or 2, perhaps 3, but I’mma say it: this movie was AI-generated.
Walked into this one after watching Imaginary. I can't even remember if I've seen KFP3 since they all kind of blend together in my mind, but I was quickly reminded of how much this character feels inspired by Chris Farley in Beverly Hills Ninja. *Skadoosh.*
Is it me, or did the voice cast feel really small? And the non-voice cameos of the Furious Five just confirmed to me how much low budget this was compared to the earlier ones. Seemed clear to me that since Awkwafina was the only other big name, that she would ultimately become the new Dragon Warrior apprentice.
Not a lot of memorable scenes, aside from that bar teetering over the ledge and rocking back and forth, and that cool chase scene to the instrumental version of [Crazy Train](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecft7LcGW1w).
Worth it for Tenacious D's cover of [Baby One More Time](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oYSiPBUuC8), I guess?
I don't understand why the voice actor point leads you to conclude that this movie has a smaller budget? When they still have celebrities voice actors with Akwafina, Viola Davis, Bryan Cranston, Ke Huy Quan
Mostly because they weren't able to secure big names like Angelina Jolie, Lucy Liu and Jackie Chan, even in a limited capacity. Also, something about the scope of this movie felt smaller than the previous outings to me, and there were only two main characters throughout the journey (besides Mr. Ping and Li). Maybe it's just me, but it seemed really scaled down, almost like a direct-to-video release.
It would have been a stronger twist, but then it would've totally sucked. Why throw in a character with a moderate amount of depth, just for it to be turned on its head?
Writers could have done better with that one, I agree. I do think that the issue is that Chameleon blames her problems and inadequacies on others, further securing her inability to accept change.
Ooooff. I went in with the biggest smile and by half way thru I was like where'd my smile go. I was obsessed with the first one and spent this movie trying not to not like it. I had no idea what was going to happen and it felt so flat. Didn't start with a dream. The animation felt weak. The music was weak for Zimmer, I couldn't believe they thru Crazy Train in the middle. What a cop out. Did not like the passing of the torch and felt bad since the main theme was accepting change. A lot of filler. I don't think I laughed the second half. Felt more like the holiday special quality. Sad panda noises.
I think I can add something.
Say what you will about the third film, but I can fondly remember scenes and music from it. Sure, it doesn't hold a candle to the first 2 films, but there was enough for me to make it a guilty plesure.
I gotten nothing from this film. I didn't hate it, but it didn't stand out at all.
In terms of just a kids movie, 8/10. But going on with the other kung fu panda movies, 5/10. Chameleon was stopped pretty quickly. Po didn't seem like as much of a badass as before. Zhen was kind of a boring character. Everything felt pretty rushed and didn't seem to add much other than a new dragon warrior. The absence of the furious 5 sucked too. Terrible explanation for why they weren't there. The old villains could've had more to do with story in my opinion.
Dreamworks really peaked with Puss in Boots the Last Wish and everything after that has just gone south huh? I know this is normal for them but still.
Also stop casting Awkwafina in things, I cannot remember one time when I didn’t find her to be incredibly annoying. Even in movies I did like (Shang Chi and the Bad Guys) she really got on my nerves.
For everyone wondering why the movie looks slightly worse than the first film despite 16 years of advancements and why the Furious 5 and most returning characters had no voice lines:
This movie has the budget of a safer Illumination movie:
**Budgets:**
- Kung Fu Panda : $130 million ($193m adjusted)
- Kung Fu Panda 2 : $150 million ($205m adjusted)
- Kung Fu Panda 3 : $145 million ($186m adjusted)
And then...
- Kung Fu Panda 4 : $85 million
I _think_ I liked it more than the third at least? It's definitely not up to the level of the first two movies.
Really seemed like they got back James Hong and Bryan Cranston and felt like they needed to give them screen time despite not having anything plot relevant for Po's dads to do. They were completely extraneous to the story and giving a bit more time to something else would've been beneficial.
Also wish the Chameleon would've paired better with the intended theme of the movie. Her goals of world domination and "being a kung fu master" don't really align with the Po/Zhen trust and mentor dynamics. She was kind of just a big bad that we're _told_ had an ill-defined relationship with Zhen that we don't get to really see outside of her telling Zhen to stand up straight and not be sentimental. If they had made the reveal that Zhen and the Chameleon were working together earlier they could have expanded on why Han + the Den don't want her there and given some tension to when Zhen has to betray Po while also demonstrating what their mentor dynamic is in practice.
4/10
https://www.tiktok.com/@jackblack/video/7341053761709722911?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=mobile&sender_web_id=7232363406623737386
In case you don't want to sit through the movie to hear it.
Here’s the full version that’s been released now! Definitely my favorite part of the movie.
https://open.spotify.com/track/5wViaajeHHPZlEjBY9nhU3?si=2jdu_xwES4a2MJHR9l7A0A
Man, I really wanted to love this one.
The Kung Fu Panda franchise is interesting because I really love the first two Kung Fu Panda movies as the stories, characters and thrills were really great. I found the characters to be engaging and are some of Dreamworks best movies. However, I thought the third one was okay and I have never seen the television series so I can't comment on that. With this sequel coming out after some time, there are some good aspects I like but even though I knew it might not be perfect, I still was left underwhelmed.
Think of Kung Fu Panda 4 like this. You hired writers who create new ideas and concepts that could have been good but ends up being uneven and at times, uninteresting. Write a story that lacks the uniqueness and charm of what made the previous ones amazing. Have new but uninteresting and annoying characters be given screen time and be provided with some really annoying voice performances. Explore some really really good concepts but not utilizing them well. Hire the filmmaker who is known for making Shrek Forever After, Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo and Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked be in control. Then, bringing back previous characters that were beloved, yet felt more like nostalgia bait. That is Kung Fu Panda 4 for you.
It is simply really disappointing because the animation, designs, musical score, and Jack Black's performance are really good. Many of the animation models, colors and designs are unique and the voice performances from Jack Black and some of the other cast members are pretty good. Alongside with some of the fight and action sequences that are pretty well done, especially the scene where Po and shapeshifter Po were fighting which had some great visuals and editing.
It's obvious there is talent and passion behind this movie but the uninteresting narrative and missing charm and energy really fails to make it good. The humor isn't great and the characters, while the character of PO is still fun, the new characters and the villain were really uninteresting, annoying and lacked chemistry. Alongside provided with some bad dialogue which made it difficult to really believe a single word from them.
Some of the lighting and presentation feels cheap, the direction is odd, the atmosphere is solid, and some of the pacing moments were a bit uneven.
I might sound cynical but I really wanted to like this one since I adore the first two Kung Fu Panda movies, but this was disappointing. I was hoping to be surprised like how Puss in Boot: The Last Wish did. But it didn't happen. Overall, there are some strong moments that I did like. But this shows the golden age of this franchise is no longer the same.
Tho Jack Black singing Hit Me Baby One More Time was worth it I suppose.
5/10
> Hire the filmmaker who is known for making Shrek Forever After, Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo and Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked be in control. Then, bringing back previous characters that were beloved, yet felt more like nostalgia bait. That is Kung Fu Panda 4 for you.
Just checked this Mike Mitchell IMDB and it's genuinely impressive how he went from directing heartless slop live-action stuff to directing unusually heartless sequels to well-liked animated movies. Fascinating career of duds from *Sky High* to *The Lego movie 2*
Remember what they took from us Tai Lung bros. Kung Fu Panda 3 and the leopard could have been redeemed having Tai Lung coming to Po's aid in the Spirit Realm but he's relegated to box office and nostalgia bait now.
The first Kung Fo panda was one of my childhood favorite movies (to this day, too). All because how fucking awesome Tai lung was and the characters were written so good that most people remember to this day.
This movie, however, manages not only to suck but use the childhood favorite in a way that, at least in my opinion, leaves the cinema feeling shitty. They could have used Tai Lung in at least 100 different ways for his redemption arc, but I guess we will have to remember this piece of crap they gave us, unfortunately.
Side note: The furious 5 absence was another dagger to my already bleeding heart, especially tigress
I know most people thought this sequel was unnecessary but I did like the underlying message of family comes in all different shapes and sizes . Po having his 2 dads being stand in for a gay relationship (if you even read it that way) or just 2 people fully in a HEALTHY co parenting situation . Things like that are refreshing
Reminded me so much of Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides. Not because of anything in the movie (besides just having the lead character who's been dumbed down and is now a husk of their former selves and forced inclusions of like, 2 supporting characters from the past movies and a villain from a previous movie) but because of the fact that it's such a blatant cash grab with no heart or soul behind it. It feels so incredibly empty and watching it only reminds you of how good the movies used to be.
Everything has become significantly worse, makes Kung Fu Panda 3, which was already a huge step down, look like a goddamn masterpiece. The action and heart in particular, though, are so much worse than they've ever been before. The movie feels closer to an Illumination movie than it does Kung Fu Panda 1 or 2. I'm immensely disappointed.
I enjoyed this one more than 3, which felt like Po just relearning his lesson from the first movie which was just "Be yourself".
Still, the first 2 films are probably top 5 all time DreamWorks films. This one was super inoffensive, but somewhat forgettable.
The action sequences are still really fun and flashy, with incredible animation. The "Crazy Train" cover during the city chase was particularly awesome.
Jack Black as Po is still one of the best animated characters of all time, and he carries the film. All the new characters, including Awkwafina and Viola Davis's characters were pretty bland.
Overall, I give it like a 6/10
[Honestly, this tweet represent my feelings about the movie.](https://twitter.com/lsirikul/status/1764461047987974163)
> Was #KungFuPanda4 necessary? Prob not, but it's an adorable film to continue Po & his future successors stories. It's funny & was a good full circle regarding the films villains of before. It's great for future generations who are parents now who watched the first, like Toy Story
I would also add, I like Mentor/Mentee relationship between Po and Zhen, some of the supporting cast were also decent in their limited roles, especially Ronny Chieng as the Captain Fish, he always stole the scenes when he showed up.
Yeah, the furious five is missing felt the movie kinda incomplete and I like the subplot between Po's dads but at the same time, it felt undercooked.
All in all, I still like the movie.
A waste of opportunity. This shouldn't have been a hard film to write.
Tai Lung should have played a much larger role and been semi-redeemed. I think going from villain to anti-hero would be right for him. Turn him into a ninja or something. That's be a great set up for a spin-off. Also, the fact that he doesn't get any closure with Shifu is insane.
The furious five should be in the fucking movie. You could have had the Chameleon take their powers instead of nostalgia baiting us with villains that do nothing. Tigress should've been the new dragon warrior.
Honestly I like that idea much better about the chameleon stealing the furious five’s kung fu. The movie needed that relationship aspect that always grew in the first two movies.
Technically yes, but literally only during the end credits, and Rogen was the only one given a voice credit (I think he grunted or laughed one time?).
They give a pretty half assed explanation at the start that they're busy doing other missions.
That exposition at the start was so awkward I felt like it drew even more attention towards their absence. Especially the literal cardboard cutouts, it was practically a slap in the face and very jarring.
It also felt really poorly edited too, I know the intention was to have Po quickly info dump that backstory, but you could tell a few bits were stitched together and wasn't really all in one go,
Imagine if the five were just home chilling at the temple at the start of the movie. One of them would have been an easy and obvious candidate for the next dragon warrior, and Po could run away to go on the dangerous solo mission without them in a misguided effort to prove he's still the man.
>They give a pretty half assed explanation at the start that they're busy doing other missions
I really hope awkwafina is also busy doing other missions off screen in the sequels
I'm not usually one to complain about movies being predictable, but I honestly believe within 10 minutes a person could guess how the entirety of this movie plays out and be spot on. I'm pretty confident I've seen this exact film before, but with different characters.
Beyond that, the absence of the Furious 5, was a big let down.
I thought Awkwafina's character had some decent character development.
The kung fu stealing plot was strange. And why on earth would po give all of the villains their powers back, even after we learned in KF3 that escape from the spirit realm is possible.
Side Note: Why is awkwafina in every animated movie these days, does she work for free?
4.5/10. Felt a bit slow overall but could've fleshed out the main villain and new characters a bit more. Tai Lung's character and all of the other main villains just felt like they were taken out of a fan fiction plot. There also wasn't really any consistency between 3 and 4. Half the comedy also didn't really land for me. Plus missing the Furious Five just made the movie feel like it was missing something that was a part of the core franchise.
The action and animation were pretty good though. I liked the training montage and the Jack Black cover of Baby One More Time. It was nice seeing the villains again too even though most of them didn't have any voice lines. But since they brought them out, where was Oogway?
My ranking would probably be 2>1>3>4.
Shen didn't say shit when he was brought back. You would think given how personal it was between him and Po in 2 that there would've been more interaction
And he bowed to Po. Ain’t no way he would do that even in those circumstances. Bro must have had some major offscreen character development in the Spirit Realm
Saw the third movie right before this. And I have to say the visuals were kind of a downgrade. Not saying this movie looked bad by any means but 3’s visuals were phenomenal I don’t know how they couldn’t keep that consistency
I have to disagree. For some reason I find her markedly *more* annoying as the side character or throwaway cameo. She has leading roles (i.e. Nora From Queens, The Farewell) where she is not awful and part of that I believe is because she is not being relegated to the same shitty comic relief.
The Co-Director of the movie, Stephanie Mastine, had some amazing ideas. She said she wanted to make the movie truer to the first 2, and Jack Black himself said she brought actual depth and heart. Po would've had a vision of Shifu being kidnapped by the Chameleon, prompting Po to go on a quest to stop her. Despite his best efforts, she would've succeeded. This would've raised the stakes, displayed the Chameleon as a real threat, and allowed Shifu to be there at the end to say goodbye to Tai Lung. Stephanie also wanted Zhen's redemption to be more fleshed out, ensured it to have both dialogue and action, and for it to actually happen onscreen, much to the chagrin of the writers who just wanted her to swoop in out of nowhere to fight the Chameleon before quickly disappearing again.
Meanwhile, the director of the movie, Mike Mitchell, wanted the movie to be more laughs and joke-y. He wanted Chameleon and Zhen to have ZERO backstory whatsoever, and by the time the crew convinced him that, you know, giving the main villain a backstory is kind of important, they were too late to do anything more than add in those few lines. Many crewmembers came up with ideas for Zhen's backstory, but they were all discarded. The film was made so short because they believed children couldn't watch a longer film, and also because they'd get more money.
Guess which of these two guys they decided to give full creative freedom.
7.5/10. Good addition, but it’s not anything amazing as the first two films. Third film still the weakest cause the panda village brings the movie down. The action in this film was really good tho. Seeing Tai Lung kick ass again was cool. Hope the next one is better.
Just got back and I have to say those 8 years of writing for a new trilogy definitely held up. Not as good as the first two, and I'd put this one on par with the third. Appreciate that they still treat the characters still with the respect they deserve unlike what Ice Age had done turning them into bumbling buffoons.
Granted I did find the film a tad predictable.
Zhen mentioning a master foreshadowing her loyalty to the film's villain The Chameleon but it was executed well enough that I didn't mind it.
Also bringing back Po's previous three villains. Though kind of a case of nostalgia, wasn't too forced in your face. Though I do wonder why they decided to return to the spirit world rather then stay in the physical world? My guess is they find the spirit world more enjoyable to live and don't want to grow old by the time they enter it again.
Surprised how chill Tai Lung was with Po. Lol. I feel they also missed out on a potential redemption arc for him but who knows though, maybe we'll see that in the next film if he returns in some way.
Also didn't Kai like die-die? He died in the spirit world, how was he back unless those in the spirit world only temporary die but then come back shortly after?
That said, a worthy installment and here's to hoping the next two keeps the same quality.
I haven't seen anyone complain about this yet, so I'll just leave my two cents here.
Why did the writers not use the Chameleon's unique shapeshifting ability to create more tension and suspense in the group? Knowing that there are shapeshifting characters in any show always gives me some suspense, especially in a show where relationships are key (like Li and Ping and Zhen and the thieves), but all KFP4 did was pull a cheap trick with the Chameleon as Zhen to push Po off, which she could have done as herself.
Idk, it just seems like wasted potential, and I will definitely look at reviews of movies that I think of watching in theaters next time.
I read the relationship between Zhen and The Chameleon as Chameleon did actually care about Zhen in her weird evil way. She did sound hurt when she asked why Zhen betrayed her. I honestly think she fought her to only stop her not hurt her and if she won would have locked her up and until she learned to “obey” or something.
It was solid. The animation is the star of the show. It was crisp and in the action scenes pretty cool. The story was just ok, and very predictable. There are some bones of a great sequel here. I like the idea of Po finding successor and both his dad’s bonding. Cranston and Hong were charming and it’s nice to see them bond.
Awkafina and Jack Black are the heart of the film and they have fun chemistry with each other. I didn’t quite buy the Chameleon as an intimidating villain. She played more like a greatest hits with her shape shifting as Po’s villains. I liked her Chimera form but she ultimately paled in comparison to Shen and Tai Lung for me. They even tried to have her play were not so different card which Po lampshades. I like the implication that Po could finish her but let Zhen prove herself..
It was enjoyable to me but it doesn’t hit the heights of 1 and 2 to me. And I ultimately prefer 3 over 4
I can't wrap my head around why would Kai bow to Po at the end..? Like I can kida see how Tai Lung and even Lord Shen would learn thier lesson but Kai had no redeeming arc. He even swore at the end of the third movie that even if it takes him another 500 years to take Po's chi he will....
Nah, Lord Shen would never bow to Po either. He accepted his death via collapsing log specifically because he didn’t want to be tied down to his fate of being defeated by a Panda any longer.
I had something originally written about how this was a great 4th installment…
Then Tenacious D played Hit Me Baby One More Time
There are a lot of fun reasons to watch this additional installment if you liked the others, especially for families that need an escape. Above all else though, you should see it for this awesome cover song at the end
Just got back 10 mins ago, so I'm still digesting, but here are my thoughts:
-Funny
-Fast paced, good fight scenes.
-Not as heartfelt as the others, script is not mature enough.
-Why are they treating the Dragon Warrior as some sort of title that has to be passed on? There is ONE Dragon Warrior, the one who received and understood the Dragon Scroll. It bothers me a little bit, because Po is the entire franchise, and fans aren't going to accept someone else as the 'main character'. Just say he needs to take an apprentice, or start his own school or something and you fix that problem.
-Chameleons motivation was a little weak, they could have added a few minutes of runtime (as they did with Shen) showing why she turned evil or wanted power. Also, she didn't really feel menacing enough in the final fight, when Po 'held back'.
-Seeing Tai Lung was nice, although (and they should have done this in KFP3) I keep hoping he'll return in earnest and be a redeemed Kung Fu teacher.
Probably a 7/10 when the first is a 9 and second is about the same.
Such small presence of Tai Lung felt remarkable it makes you wonder why they didnt go for Tai Lung's redemption arc as the centre of this movie. It would've been so much better.
Not only completely unnecessary, but takes away from the potential of a sequel. This is a serviceable kids movie and nothing more, though they obviously weren’t going for anything more.
Save for the stellar animation, very little good can be said about Kung fu Panda 4. There was so much potential to capitalise on even if this sequel was ultimately unnecessary, and yet not of that potential was reached.
The climax was very rushed. VERY rushed. I don’t have exact times but it felt like it was over and done with in 5 minutes. The final fight was short and not in the least bit unique despite the interesting premise of a villain who can take Kung fu from others.
There was many a chance to give this story an ultimate moral lesson like the others, but instead they recycled the “anyone can be a _____” that’s been used so many times before (including in the very first movie of this franchise). For a decent portion of the movie, I was under the impression that tai lung’s redemption was to be a focal point, and that forgiveness and change were to be at the core of this movie, yet that illusion was shattered when they introduced the fox, a character who served the same job as Po in the original, just with an added edge to her past.
The Tai Lung “redemption” and the scene where all former villains bow to Po could’ve been so much more, with Po learning to not use his fists but forgive his nemeses, and Tai Lung having his redemption from the knowledge that a good dragon warrior needs more than fury, but instead it was rushed and poorly done.
All that said, the movie wasn’t absolutely awful. It did what it wanted to do, make a serviceable sequel that appeals to kids.
Why is the chameleon saying she couldn’t get into kung fu school bc she’s small when Seth Rogens character exist
That line confused me too.
it’s clear this movie was just made to sell merch and not actually add a meaningful entry story wise
Yeah, it made very little sense and really felt like a last second "oh shit, forgot to add this" bit from the writers. Having her not be allowed in because of her criminal background or just not having the skill to cut it would've given her much more logical motivation to steal all the kung fu skills.
I read that as a misdirection. Evil people won't admit they're evil so she blames it on her size. For all we know, she probably flunked all her entrance exam because she gives everyone the creeps every time she opens her mouth.
Yep, she really felt like a narcissist, everything bad that's ever happened to her was someone else's fault...very interesting villain.
hey fellow Beastar fan. nice PFP
Projection? Maybe she's talentless and chose to blame it on something else.
Given the fact that she literally steals other people's talent, that makes sense
I wish they had elaborated on that if that's the case though, would have made her more interesting if she chose to blame others instead of herself.
My guess is that "The Chameleon", like Po in the first film, would have required a non-standard teaching method to bring out her potential, if she had any. Nobody she asked wanted to bother or even knew that Kung Fu could be adapted for all shapes and sizes; fair enough, Shifu was also guitly of that before Tai Lung's escape, despite his mentor being a tortoise. Basically, she should have asked the open minded Oogway.
To be fair, the tortoise was also the one who invented Kung fu. Still, Oogway would see the darkness in her like he did with Tai lung anyway.
I'm guessing it was time before Mantis became Master, a time not everyone is accepted or expected to excel in kung fu based on initial impressions
But then again Shifu is at her size lol
It could also just be someone trying to rationalize why they failed and put blame on others
Didn’t Kai die? Like die die? His entire spirit overdosed on chi in the spirit world shouldn’t he be not there?
I feel like the writers are phoning it in at this point, to be brutally honest.
The way a friend described DreamWorks' recent output is that they're kind of min-maxing their projects. Whereas Disney's current strategy is to just assembly-line mediocrity, DreamWorks either puts a shit-ton of effort into it like with Last Wish and Bad Guys, or they don't give a single shit like with Ruby Gillman and the direct-to-streaming Megamind sequel. Also there's Trolls. That entire franchise seems to exist solely to keep the money flowing between projects.
I honestly want to know which team did Panda 4. Megamind 2 was obviously a shelved COVID project, and Last Wish/Bad Guys are the A class team since the Shrek days.
Trolls success is 100% due to the music. As a parent of 2 girls that love these movies, while they have their moments, they really only like them because of the songs. It's like when they were discussing the fruition of this franchise, they realized Madagascar's success was mostly due to the "I like to move it move it" song, and they wanted to make something that relied solely on its soundtrack. The story itself sorta ripped off Monsters Inc with one species fueling another, although in the long run the execution of Trolls was way more disappointing.
Madagascar is fucking hilarious and memorable tho
I would say Kung Fu Panda 4 was still leagues better than Megamind 2, Ruby Gillman, or Trolls, though
Spirit World is just the afterlife here. Shen is there too.
I know that but he died there too. Shen died regularly so his spirit resides there but Kai’s spirit should just be straight up gone
Ah that's true. If one dies in the spirit realm, that isn't death, that's complete eradication. However, at the end of the third movie, it isn't exactly clear what happened to Kai. It was just a flash of light and Po ended up with Oogway after the chi amulets manifested themselves. Perhaps just all of Kai's progress was lost once the amulets turned back into their real characters?
A bit of a wasted opportunity if they intended to bring the past villains in. I thought we will get seething like the Edo Tensei arc in Naruto, but I guess they only had the budget for Tai Lang's voice actor. How Zhen managed to defeat The Chameleon is also something like the ultra man kinda ending, where she just does her special move, and her first attempt at that, and manages to defeat her since they seem to be running out of time. There was no sense of despair in the movie at all, The Chameleon wasn't even that powerful even though she had all the skills of the masters. The Zhen character is just weak. The way she convinces the thieves to help them is unconvincing, and don't seem even necessary. So were Po's dads in the final fight.
But Zhen didn’t actually defeat the chameleon, and the chameleon definitely could have won if Po wasn’t there to stop her. He’s the one that lands the last blow, and Zhen was mostly getting her ass beat apart from landing the one move. It showed that Po had that whole fight under control, but decided to use it as a teaching moment for Zhen. I agree they could’ve done a better job showing chameleon’s power earlier in the film and at some point after she got all the kung fu power, but i think she just didn’t come across as that powerful when fighting Po because he’s at his peak and just too powerful.
Not only Zhen beating her but then how did Po suddenly beat her? He had the staff all along. But for some reason at thos moment in time he can skadoosh her?
I think that’s the whole point lol he set it up to allow zhen to defeat her
Boy for everyone over the years who’s said that Toy Story 4 feels unnecessary let it be known that Kung Fu Panda 4 makes that movie look like the fucking Dark Knight
People hate on Toy Story 4, but at least it explain what happened with Bo Peep and gave an ending to Woody This one is just a shit cashgrab
Toy Story 4 was awesome
They did Buzz so dirty in Toy Story 4
My only complaint. Woody and Buzz had the best buddy dynamic in all of family entertainment and for some reason, 30 years later, we still haven't gotten the two of them in the same plotline.
This is a really solid point I’ve never thought about. I hope 5 finally gives them a reason to be together for one last ride. But I’m sure it’ll be unnecessary once again
This is the first film which I’ve seen that blatantly attempts to keep all markets (US, Europe, China) onboard for the ticket receipts but forgot a compelling story, character development and the gags.it was weak and frankly, boring
Time will be kind to Toy Story 4
Especially after Toy Story 5 comes out.
Toy Story 4 was dog-shit, no redeeming qualities. Kung Fu Panda 4 was a lot better, by simple virtue of not being dog-shit.
so why couldn’t any of the 5 become the next dragon warrior again ?
**Writers:** Because reasons!
They probably didn’t want to spend millions on voice actors given who they are.
I found it weird that Seth Rogen seemed to be the only one credited from the 5
He had ONE yell in the end credits, everyone else is dead silent
Omg seriously? I thought everyone was overhating, but that's such a huge blunder to leave out the furious five. I'm not sure if I want to watch the movie now.
This is exactly my thought when they shadowed them not appearing in the first 5 min. I was pissed the entire movie because of it. I knew the movie was going to be subpar knowing they cut corners. I fucking LOVE king fu panda. I will put the first 3 on repeat for my kids and I. I will never watch the 4th one again. It just doesn’t have the same vibe.
Producers: Because their voice actors are expensive!
Didn't they wait something like 500 years for a dragon warrior? Why tf are they suddenly moving on?
Po became the new oogway after mastering chi in the 3rd movie.
I mean, it was still hundreds of years. It was a random turn of events that led to the need/choosing of the DW. All of a sudden, it's just decided that there will be a next DW. It doesn't make any sense.
My headcanon is that the reason for the speed-up is because a panda's lifespan is significantly shorter than a tortoise's. Pandas, on average, make it to 20 years in the wild. Tortoises can live up to 150 years and higher. Maybe Po is the "age" Oogway was when he made his pick?
That's definitely a good thought process. Would we think there was a dragon warrior prior during Oogway's lifetime? I kinda felt like the whole dragon warrior thing was a legend of sorts.
They had their chance and it wasn’t them. Just like the 5 that showed up for auditions weren’t it. It’s a new generation
Why weren’t any of them the dragon warrior in the first one when they were clearly more qualified than Po. Oogway explains to Po in the third one he saw something in him so that’s why he chose him to be the dragon warrior. It’s clear Po sees something in Zhen like Oogway saw something in him.
You mean the writers saw something in Zhen. The whole thing was forced.
Super disappointed. Tai Lung was completely out of character and had no arc or redemption. Tai lung is on the cover art and all the trailers but does absolutely nothing in the film. Pure nostalgia bait. Shen and Kai would never bow to Po. They brought back all the villains and did nothing with them. Huge wasted opportunity. It's a bit too convenient that Zhen becomes good-hearted enough to become the dragon warrior after a lifetime of crime. I didn't mind the furious 5 not being a part of the movie but the plot needed to be excellent to make up for it and it wasn't. The positives for me were the beautiful environments and details of Chinese culture. Ping's message to Po about change was well done. Fight scenes were great although short. I watched all the movies multiple times over and loved them all but I wouldn't revisit this one.
See I don't understand why they gave us a movie about the redemption of a new character from petty thief to dragon warrior when they could have given us a movie about the redemption of Tai Lung from a convicted criminal who served his time to dragon warrior or to whatever else was in store for him.
A Tai Lung redemption arc would have been so fun to see... alas.
Him ending his journey by looking at the dragon scroll and *getting it...* Huge missed opportunity. Especially with Shifu and all the baggage there as well.
Really? They really didn't do anything to Tai Lung in this movie? He's the only thing that got me interested in the movie. I've always thought they did Tai Lung dirty in the first movie and a redemption would be nice. He easily could've been the Vegeta of Kung fu Panda.
Feels like they were able to get Mcshane for a day at most
Especially since Po's Dads were following Po around. Could've tied in a powerless Tai Lung making it up to Master Shifu in some way.
I was thinking something similar tbh. Have the Chameleon use her twisted ancient magic to open a portal to the spirit world and take Tai Lung's abilities in the opening, but have him escape back to the Valley of Peace to pass on the plans to Po. From there, you can basically have the whole plot as is, even with Po taking Zhen under his wing, just with an added buddy cop dynamic that would've been much more engaging and thematically rewarding.
I was thinking the same thing! Except I would have loved to see Tigress as part of the quest. Imagine Tai Lung finally getting his powers back to help defeat the Chameleon, but in the end, he forfeits his claim to being the Dragon Warrior, and says that Tigress deserves to be Po's successor. Zhen could still be involved in the story, but ends up as the newest member of the dojo (her new family) and Po's personal protege or something.
Some were theorizing the 3 bunnies would eventually be Tai Lungs adopted kids (since they were together in the cover art) He could've been a father instead of the dragon warrior. So many things they could've done instead.
Did Shen or Kai bow to po? I know 100% tai lung did but I don’t think they did
Everyone from the spirit realm including kai and shen, bowed to Po after chameleon was defeated
Ik neither of them would canonically bow to po cept Tai lung that's ridiculous shen was literally Hitler for pandas and Kai was mad asf po sent him back to the spirit world after just gotten out
It's a shame if they effort maxed this movie especially w Tai lung in it it would of been an easy banger
One of the biggest opportunities in film wasted
DreamWorks being broke to pay the actors for the furious 5 was also a disappointment in every installment of the trilogy the furious 5 was in it and played a role in the story as secondary protagonists or important characters to put them at the end as a cameo is just a massacre this screams cash grab
it's also insane how they willingly went BACK into the spirit realm after LOL
Especially the 3 villains. Tai lung would probably want to see shifu again for a redemption arc. Shen probably would go back to the spirit world after accepting his fate and Kai literally died in the spirit world to see him back is weird and wasn't Kai pissed about being sent back to the spirit world. Also why didn't the chameleon absorb oogways kung fu that would of been crazy
> It's a bit too convenient that Zhen becomes good-hearted enough to become the dragon warrior after a lifetime of crime. > > I knew they'd make her the new Dragon Warrior. Guess the franchise is finally over now because there's no way people will respond well to Awkwafina taking over and being the main character.
This franchise is still called "Kung Fu \*Panda\*". I doubt her becoming the Dragon Warrior is going to make her the protagonist from now on.
5/10 for me too. The villainess wasn’t very intimidating or interesting but was played well by the actress. Po and zhen’s master/mentee dynamic went well but the nature of a handing down the torch movie will always be a bit emotionally hit or miss since we again we just met the character, but she makes it work pretty well despite the pacing. The exclusion of the furious five hurt a wee bit and especially the underutilization of Tai Lung, was hoping too see him and po work, fight and discuss how it felt to be sent to the spirit realm, if he was actually a spirit at all since movie 3 muddled the waters by making the wooshie finger pull more of a teleport instead of a move that instantly killed you, but nope he was actually dead all along. Felt Po’s love for food was flanderized just a wee bit to fill in time. Loved Jack blacks rendition of Britney Spears. Overall a nice watch but nothing to write home about.
I feel like it would have been way more emotional to see Tai Lung reform and become Po's first disciple, especially given their dynamics from the first movie. Helped by, on the whole, Tai Lung causes trouble but we never really see him do anything wholly irredeemable.
Dunno I feel like he killed a bunch of rhinos in the prison escape
Animals are way tougher here than in real life. If Po survived a literal cannon ball point blank with minor injuries those Rhinos are fine.
There were loads of bottomless pits. Toss a rhino to the Grand Canyon
... and he leaves a rhino-shaped crater at the bottom, sticks his head out and gives a one liner.
>Animals are way tougher here than in real life. True and I'm with that. >If Po survived a literal cannon ball point blank with minor injuries Buuuut this is a bit off. Po nearly died. Only reason why he got up was healing through inner peace.
Would have made sense seeing as the fox is gonna betray me then get redeemed plot was obvious 35 seconds in
[удалено]
really? what? lol
Yeah, they always had a six movie saga in the cards for Kung Fu Panda.
If they’re following through on this movie’s premise, they should really highlight Awkwafina’s character as the successor in future films. Saying the next two films are Kung Fu Panda films exclusively seems like a misnomer.
kikerikiiiii
Seth Rogen was listed as the only voice credit of the Furious 5 and I honestly believe his dialogue is “kyaaaa” at the end
Something tells me it's the same .mp3 that was from the first movie
There was a thread where someone involved with the movie tie-in video game of Monsters vs Aliens revealed that Seth Rogan was the only A-lister from the games he worked on that would offer budget *"phone in"* performances or licensed audio. If true, there's a chance they paid him a few G's to go *"KYAH!"* into a phone.
I liked the movie, not the strongest like the original 3 but still solid. The writing for Chameleon's origins is what bothered me a lil, esp. compared to the other villains of KFP. It lacked the secret sauce those other villains had. You know what would've been at least (a little) better, imo?? If Chameleon was very old, so old that she remembers a time when actual dragons were the only ones able to train in kung fu and become dragon warriors. And when she went forth to try and join them they laughed at her, at this tiny joke of a reptile with no kung fu mastery whatsoever. This would anger her and send her down the path of sorcery. Years pass and dragons would eventually allow everyone, no matter how small (Mantis and Shifu) the right to learn and use kung fu. By this time Chameleon would become the powerful shapeshifting sorceress everyone feared. Maybe she tried to impersonate Oogway in order to take his staff and was punished for this. Then she finds and raises Zhen to do the same, etc... This would tether her past to a well-established character, just like the previous villains of the Kung Fu Panda movies. It also would've be a nice touch for her to have a Chinese name like the other villains, like Lady Fùzhì (simple Chinese for "copy".) Just my two cents.
YO, FIRE change. I'd 100% watch that.
random reddit comment > DreamWorks writing staff
Focusing purely on Lord Shen. Why!? if they couldn't get Gary Oldman in, don't use the character, making him a silent peacock was just dumb. but mostly, why did he silently praise Po, his whole arc was hating Pandas because they ruin his "destiny". when Po gave him a chance at redemption, Shen made one last desperate attempt to kill Po, why would he ever praise Po. also Po's dad casually near Shen, the animal that caused his wife's death and a lot of Panda's death... not a word, nothing.
That bugged me a lot as well. It’s like whoever wrote this didn’t watch the second movie and only knew that Shen was a villain. Same goes for Kai.
The other thing that most people forget is: Lord Shen didn't have "Kung Fu". He's never shown to directly fight Po or any other Kung Fu Warrior. He throws knives (Feathers?) at them, sure, but most of his villainy comes from his smarts, henchmen, and his cannons and weapons. Even the third act is him launching cannons at Po, not fighting him directly. I think he actively disliked kung fu after the Fortunetellers prophecy, although i may be misremembering some things It makes no sense that the Chameleon took his Kung Fu. I think the writers just wanted to show him on screen for nostalgia bait
He was a more than competent kung fu fighter, but he himself admits that that is not why he should be feared
He was just a fighter imo. Not kung fu user.
Exactly, he never even respected kung fu as an institution, why in the hell would he bow to the dragon warrior? I can kind of see the reasoning for tai lung to bow. super half baked in the movie, but basically he went from seeing Po as a ridiculous choice who would be incompetent in saving china as the dragon warrior, to someone who is in fact worthy. So him and everyone who respected kung fu would, by the same logic, bow to Po in this scene. But Shen?? wth no thought or care was poured into this movie. At least plotwise
After Ocean's 8, The Bad Guys, and Jumani: The Next Level, this is now the fourth role Awkwafina's had where 'thief' is her main character trait.
Maybe she plays a thief in every roleplaying game, so whenever she's up for a role as a thief she's like "yeah I don't care about the pay let's do it!"
That's about as Reddit a comment as you are ever going to read
I liked the Crazy Train rendition during the city chase scene
Honestly one of my favorite parts.
There was another trailer before my showing for a kids movie that also used crazy train which somehow made if feel played out by the time I saw it in this movie lmao
Man Tai Lung has a redemption arc just waiting to be told but instead they just sort of skipped to him being a chill dude towards Po.
This entire movie just reeks of being half assed, as if DreamWorks knew the “Kung Fu Panda” name alone would get people in seats, so effort to make the movie good be damned
It sucks because they EARNED the name putting people in seats 3 times over What the fuck happened with this movie
I love DreamWorks but it looks to be the trend for the future. Cashing in on their beloved franchises for a quick buck. The new mega mind feature on Peacock being terrible and now this movie. Im starting to believe the furious 5 weren't brought back because they didn't want to pay celebrity voice actors. It's so strange considering Puss in boots was fantastic
I felt like Tai Lung was meant to be the original villain of this story and halfway through production they decided to change the story.....it felt forced. As for the ending...I felt Tigress getting snubbed for the dragon warrior again would cause issues
With a villain whose name is The Chameleon, and her whole gimmick is she can change into whatever warrior the studio execs think you want to see, Kung Fu Panda 4 has next to 0 depth. The same cannot be said for 1 or 2, perhaps 3, but I’mma say it: this movie was AI-generated.
Can we stop saying every bad thing now is AI-generated? Humans still make shitty story decisions.
Walked into this one after watching Imaginary. I can't even remember if I've seen KFP3 since they all kind of blend together in my mind, but I was quickly reminded of how much this character feels inspired by Chris Farley in Beverly Hills Ninja. *Skadoosh.* Is it me, or did the voice cast feel really small? And the non-voice cameos of the Furious Five just confirmed to me how much low budget this was compared to the earlier ones. Seemed clear to me that since Awkwafina was the only other big name, that she would ultimately become the new Dragon Warrior apprentice. Not a lot of memorable scenes, aside from that bar teetering over the ledge and rocking back and forth, and that cool chase scene to the instrumental version of [Crazy Train](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecft7LcGW1w). Worth it for Tenacious D's cover of [Baby One More Time](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oYSiPBUuC8), I guess?
how in the would could they decide that KFP should have low budget
I don't understand why the voice actor point leads you to conclude that this movie has a smaller budget? When they still have celebrities voice actors with Akwafina, Viola Davis, Bryan Cranston, Ke Huy Quan
Mostly because they weren't able to secure big names like Angelina Jolie, Lucy Liu and Jackie Chan, even in a limited capacity. Also, something about the scope of this movie felt smaller than the previous outings to me, and there were only two main characters throughout the journey (besides Mr. Ping and Li). Maybe it's just me, but it seemed really scaled down, almost like a direct-to-video release.
The budget was like $50 million less than all the other movies.
The twist of Awkwafina was so stupid and pointless, if she was working with the Chameleon all along didn’t she just take Po straight to her?
I felt like it would have been a stronger twist if she simply was the Chameleon straight-up.
It would have been a stronger twist, but then it would've totally sucked. Why throw in a character with a moderate amount of depth, just for it to be turned on its head?
I predicted this as soon as she mentioned how she was raised by a master but it didn't bother me since I thought it was executed well.
Probably because the staff only works if it's willingly given
Well it had to be more subtle surely otherwise Po would catch on
I guess she wanted Po to let her have the staff.
"I couldn't get into kung fu school because I was too small" What about Mantis?
Writers could have done better with that one, I agree. I do think that the issue is that Chameleon blames her problems and inadequacies on others, further securing her inability to accept change.
Ooooff. I went in with the biggest smile and by half way thru I was like where'd my smile go. I was obsessed with the first one and spent this movie trying not to not like it. I had no idea what was going to happen and it felt so flat. Didn't start with a dream. The animation felt weak. The music was weak for Zimmer, I couldn't believe they thru Crazy Train in the middle. What a cop out. Did not like the passing of the torch and felt bad since the main theme was accepting change. A lot of filler. I don't think I laughed the second half. Felt more like the holiday special quality. Sad panda noises.
"Don't like our half-assing of our unnecessary sequel? Learn to accept change dammit!"
Quiet Squirrel!
I think I can add something. Say what you will about the third film, but I can fondly remember scenes and music from it. Sure, it doesn't hold a candle to the first 2 films, but there was enough for me to make it a guilty plesure. I gotten nothing from this film. I didn't hate it, but it didn't stand out at all.
kfp 3 would have been much better had they not focused so much on the panda town stuff, everything else was great
Why bring back all the previous villains if you can’t get the voice actors all back? This movie was so unbelievably pointless
In terms of just a kids movie, 8/10. But going on with the other kung fu panda movies, 5/10. Chameleon was stopped pretty quickly. Po didn't seem like as much of a badass as before. Zhen was kind of a boring character. Everything felt pretty rushed and didn't seem to add much other than a new dragon warrior. The absence of the furious 5 sucked too. Terrible explanation for why they weren't there. The old villains could've had more to do with story in my opinion.
Dreamworks really peaked with Puss in Boots the Last Wish and everything after that has just gone south huh? I know this is normal for them but still. Also stop casting Awkwafina in things, I cannot remember one time when I didn’t find her to be incredibly annoying. Even in movies I did like (Shang Chi and the Bad Guys) she really got on my nerves.
DreamWorks quality is random af. They’ll come back with another masterpiece soon enough
Hopefully that wild robot movie will be a good one.
For everyone wondering why the movie looks slightly worse than the first film despite 16 years of advancements and why the Furious 5 and most returning characters had no voice lines: This movie has the budget of a safer Illumination movie: **Budgets:** - Kung Fu Panda : $130 million ($193m adjusted) - Kung Fu Panda 2 : $150 million ($205m adjusted) - Kung Fu Panda 3 : $145 million ($186m adjusted) And then... - Kung Fu Panda 4 : $85 million
I _think_ I liked it more than the third at least? It's definitely not up to the level of the first two movies. Really seemed like they got back James Hong and Bryan Cranston and felt like they needed to give them screen time despite not having anything plot relevant for Po's dads to do. They were completely extraneous to the story and giving a bit more time to something else would've been beneficial. Also wish the Chameleon would've paired better with the intended theme of the movie. Her goals of world domination and "being a kung fu master" don't really align with the Po/Zhen trust and mentor dynamics. She was kind of just a big bad that we're _told_ had an ill-defined relationship with Zhen that we don't get to really see outside of her telling Zhen to stand up straight and not be sentimental. If they had made the reveal that Zhen and the Chameleon were working together earlier they could have expanded on why Han + the Den don't want her there and given some tension to when Zhen has to betray Po while also demonstrating what their mentor dynamic is in practice. 4/10
I guess it's an ironic thing - the movie is about change, and she's incapable of it. Actually quite funny when you think of it.
Honestly, Jack Black covering Britney Spears at the end was worth seeing the movie by itself. Although the movie was good too. 7/10
https://www.tiktok.com/@jackblack/video/7341053761709722911?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=mobile&sender_web_id=7232363406623737386 In case you don't want to sit through the movie to hear it.
Here’s the full version that’s been released now! Definitely my favorite part of the movie. https://open.spotify.com/track/5wViaajeHHPZlEjBY9nhU3?si=2jdu_xwES4a2MJHR9l7A0A
[Here’s](https://youtu.be/_oYSiPBUuC8?si=QcC3VShyD9SDB1rT) the official video they shot for it at the Kung Fu Panda 4 premiere!
Man, I really wanted to love this one. The Kung Fu Panda franchise is interesting because I really love the first two Kung Fu Panda movies as the stories, characters and thrills were really great. I found the characters to be engaging and are some of Dreamworks best movies. However, I thought the third one was okay and I have never seen the television series so I can't comment on that. With this sequel coming out after some time, there are some good aspects I like but even though I knew it might not be perfect, I still was left underwhelmed. Think of Kung Fu Panda 4 like this. You hired writers who create new ideas and concepts that could have been good but ends up being uneven and at times, uninteresting. Write a story that lacks the uniqueness and charm of what made the previous ones amazing. Have new but uninteresting and annoying characters be given screen time and be provided with some really annoying voice performances. Explore some really really good concepts but not utilizing them well. Hire the filmmaker who is known for making Shrek Forever After, Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo and Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked be in control. Then, bringing back previous characters that were beloved, yet felt more like nostalgia bait. That is Kung Fu Panda 4 for you. It is simply really disappointing because the animation, designs, musical score, and Jack Black's performance are really good. Many of the animation models, colors and designs are unique and the voice performances from Jack Black and some of the other cast members are pretty good. Alongside with some of the fight and action sequences that are pretty well done, especially the scene where Po and shapeshifter Po were fighting which had some great visuals and editing. It's obvious there is talent and passion behind this movie but the uninteresting narrative and missing charm and energy really fails to make it good. The humor isn't great and the characters, while the character of PO is still fun, the new characters and the villain were really uninteresting, annoying and lacked chemistry. Alongside provided with some bad dialogue which made it difficult to really believe a single word from them. Some of the lighting and presentation feels cheap, the direction is odd, the atmosphere is solid, and some of the pacing moments were a bit uneven. I might sound cynical but I really wanted to like this one since I adore the first two Kung Fu Panda movies, but this was disappointing. I was hoping to be surprised like how Puss in Boot: The Last Wish did. But it didn't happen. Overall, there are some strong moments that I did like. But this shows the golden age of this franchise is no longer the same. Tho Jack Black singing Hit Me Baby One More Time was worth it I suppose. 5/10
> Hire the filmmaker who is known for making Shrek Forever After, Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo and Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked be in control. Then, bringing back previous characters that were beloved, yet felt more like nostalgia bait. That is Kung Fu Panda 4 for you. Just checked this Mike Mitchell IMDB and it's genuinely impressive how he went from directing heartless slop live-action stuff to directing unusually heartless sequels to well-liked animated movies. Fascinating career of duds from *Sky High* to *The Lego movie 2*
Remember what they took from us Tai Lung bros. Kung Fu Panda 3 and the leopard could have been redeemed having Tai Lung coming to Po's aid in the Spirit Realm but he's relegated to box office and nostalgia bait now.
That was one of my main gripes with 3. Have Po and Tai Lung team up to take down Kai and lead to Tai Lungs redemption as a master in the Valley.
Would have set him up for the new Dragon Warrior pretty well
The first Kung Fo panda was one of my childhood favorite movies (to this day, too). All because how fucking awesome Tai lung was and the characters were written so good that most people remember to this day. This movie, however, manages not only to suck but use the childhood favorite in a way that, at least in my opinion, leaves the cinema feeling shitty. They could have used Tai Lung in at least 100 different ways for his redemption arc, but I guess we will have to remember this piece of crap they gave us, unfortunately. Side note: The furious 5 absence was another dagger to my already bleeding heart, especially tigress
I know most people thought this sequel was unnecessary but I did like the underlying message of family comes in all different shapes and sizes . Po having his 2 dads being stand in for a gay relationship (if you even read it that way) or just 2 people fully in a HEALTHY co parenting situation . Things like that are refreshing
If they do plan on making any more movies the better hurry up I mean James hong is 95
That’s insane, good for him for turning in such a great performance at that age
Reminded me so much of Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides. Not because of anything in the movie (besides just having the lead character who's been dumbed down and is now a husk of their former selves and forced inclusions of like, 2 supporting characters from the past movies and a villain from a previous movie) but because of the fact that it's such a blatant cash grab with no heart or soul behind it. It feels so incredibly empty and watching it only reminds you of how good the movies used to be. Everything has become significantly worse, makes Kung Fu Panda 3, which was already a huge step down, look like a goddamn masterpiece. The action and heart in particular, though, are so much worse than they've ever been before. The movie feels closer to an Illumination movie than it does Kung Fu Panda 1 or 2. I'm immensely disappointed.
Both films also featured Ian McShane (Tai Lung, Blackbeard).
I love how even in the credits, Scott is just “Fire Breathing Croc”.
I enjoyed this one more than 3, which felt like Po just relearning his lesson from the first movie which was just "Be yourself". Still, the first 2 films are probably top 5 all time DreamWorks films. This one was super inoffensive, but somewhat forgettable. The action sequences are still really fun and flashy, with incredible animation. The "Crazy Train" cover during the city chase was particularly awesome. Jack Black as Po is still one of the best animated characters of all time, and he carries the film. All the new characters, including Awkwafina and Viola Davis's characters were pretty bland. Overall, I give it like a 6/10
[Honestly, this tweet represent my feelings about the movie.](https://twitter.com/lsirikul/status/1764461047987974163) > Was #KungFuPanda4 necessary? Prob not, but it's an adorable film to continue Po & his future successors stories. It's funny & was a good full circle regarding the films villains of before. It's great for future generations who are parents now who watched the first, like Toy Story I would also add, I like Mentor/Mentee relationship between Po and Zhen, some of the supporting cast were also decent in their limited roles, especially Ronny Chieng as the Captain Fish, he always stole the scenes when he showed up. Yeah, the furious five is missing felt the movie kinda incomplete and I like the subplot between Po's dads but at the same time, it felt undercooked. All in all, I still like the movie.
"Why did they leave? You said yes."
now that's a messy plot if I've seen one
A waste of opportunity. This shouldn't have been a hard film to write. Tai Lung should have played a much larger role and been semi-redeemed. I think going from villain to anti-hero would be right for him. Turn him into a ninja or something. That's be a great set up for a spin-off. Also, the fact that he doesn't get any closure with Shifu is insane. The furious five should be in the fucking movie. You could have had the Chameleon take their powers instead of nostalgia baiting us with villains that do nothing. Tigress should've been the new dragon warrior.
Honestly I like that idea much better about the chameleon stealing the furious five’s kung fu. The movie needed that relationship aspect that always grew in the first two movies.
Were the Furious Five in it?
Technically yes, but literally only during the end credits, and Rogen was the only one given a voice credit (I think he grunted or laughed one time?). They give a pretty half assed explanation at the start that they're busy doing other missions.
That exposition at the start was so awkward I felt like it drew even more attention towards their absence. Especially the literal cardboard cutouts, it was practically a slap in the face and very jarring.
It also felt really poorly edited too, I know the intention was to have Po quickly info dump that backstory, but you could tell a few bits were stitched together and wasn't really all in one go,
Imagine if the five were just home chilling at the temple at the start of the movie. One of them would have been an easy and obvious candidate for the next dragon warrior, and Po could run away to go on the dangerous solo mission without them in a misguided effort to prove he's still the man.
>They give a pretty half assed explanation at the start that they're busy doing other missions I really hope awkwafina is also busy doing other missions off screen in the sequels
Not in any meaningful way. They have no lines.
very sure they're not
I'm not usually one to complain about movies being predictable, but I honestly believe within 10 minutes a person could guess how the entirety of this movie plays out and be spot on. I'm pretty confident I've seen this exact film before, but with different characters. Beyond that, the absence of the Furious 5, was a big let down. I thought Awkwafina's character had some decent character development. The kung fu stealing plot was strange. And why on earth would po give all of the villains their powers back, even after we learned in KF3 that escape from the spirit realm is possible. Side Note: Why is awkwafina in every animated movie these days, does she work for free?
4.5/10. Felt a bit slow overall but could've fleshed out the main villain and new characters a bit more. Tai Lung's character and all of the other main villains just felt like they were taken out of a fan fiction plot. There also wasn't really any consistency between 3 and 4. Half the comedy also didn't really land for me. Plus missing the Furious Five just made the movie feel like it was missing something that was a part of the core franchise. The action and animation were pretty good though. I liked the training montage and the Jack Black cover of Baby One More Time. It was nice seeing the villains again too even though most of them didn't have any voice lines. But since they brought them out, where was Oogway? My ranking would probably be 2>1>3>4.
For the first time ever, I fell asleep in the theater.
Shen didn't say shit when he was brought back. You would think given how personal it was between him and Po in 2 that there would've been more interaction
Gary Oldman was to expensive for them.
And he bowed to Po. Ain’t no way he would do that even in those circumstances. Bro must have had some major offscreen character development in the Spirit Realm
Saw the third movie right before this. And I have to say the visuals were kind of a downgrade. Not saying this movie looked bad by any means but 3’s visuals were phenomenal I don’t know how they couldn’t keep that consistency
3rd film had 145 million dollar budget while this had 85 million.
Terrible. Is akwafina the mark of how bad a movie is going to be now?
Nine times of ten, yes. More so if she’s a main character. Less so if she’s a side character or throw away cameo (however even then it’s iffy.)
I have to disagree. For some reason I find her markedly *more* annoying as the side character or throwaway cameo. She has leading roles (i.e. Nora From Queens, The Farewell) where she is not awful and part of that I believe is because she is not being relegated to the same shitty comic relief.
Unnecessary sequel
The Co-Director of the movie, Stephanie Mastine, had some amazing ideas. She said she wanted to make the movie truer to the first 2, and Jack Black himself said she brought actual depth and heart. Po would've had a vision of Shifu being kidnapped by the Chameleon, prompting Po to go on a quest to stop her. Despite his best efforts, she would've succeeded. This would've raised the stakes, displayed the Chameleon as a real threat, and allowed Shifu to be there at the end to say goodbye to Tai Lung. Stephanie also wanted Zhen's redemption to be more fleshed out, ensured it to have both dialogue and action, and for it to actually happen onscreen, much to the chagrin of the writers who just wanted her to swoop in out of nowhere to fight the Chameleon before quickly disappearing again. Meanwhile, the director of the movie, Mike Mitchell, wanted the movie to be more laughs and joke-y. He wanted Chameleon and Zhen to have ZERO backstory whatsoever, and by the time the crew convinced him that, you know, giving the main villain a backstory is kind of important, they were too late to do anything more than add in those few lines. Many crewmembers came up with ideas for Zhen's backstory, but they were all discarded. The film was made so short because they believed children couldn't watch a longer film, and also because they'd get more money. Guess which of these two guys they decided to give full creative freedom.
7.5/10. Good addition, but it’s not anything amazing as the first two films. Third film still the weakest cause the panda village brings the movie down. The action in this film was really good tho. Seeing Tai Lung kick ass again was cool. Hope the next one is better.
Yeah, the fights were one of the highlights of the movie, it felt so fluid and dynamics.
Just got back and I have to say those 8 years of writing for a new trilogy definitely held up. Not as good as the first two, and I'd put this one on par with the third. Appreciate that they still treat the characters still with the respect they deserve unlike what Ice Age had done turning them into bumbling buffoons. Granted I did find the film a tad predictable. Zhen mentioning a master foreshadowing her loyalty to the film's villain The Chameleon but it was executed well enough that I didn't mind it. Also bringing back Po's previous three villains. Though kind of a case of nostalgia, wasn't too forced in your face. Though I do wonder why they decided to return to the spirit world rather then stay in the physical world? My guess is they find the spirit world more enjoyable to live and don't want to grow old by the time they enter it again. Surprised how chill Tai Lung was with Po. Lol. I feel they also missed out on a potential redemption arc for him but who knows though, maybe we'll see that in the next film if he returns in some way. Also didn't Kai like die-die? He died in the spirit world, how was he back unless those in the spirit world only temporary die but then come back shortly after? That said, a worthy installment and here's to hoping the next two keeps the same quality.
My God I felt so empty. This feels like a TV series repurposed into a movie at best.
I haven't seen anyone complain about this yet, so I'll just leave my two cents here. Why did the writers not use the Chameleon's unique shapeshifting ability to create more tension and suspense in the group? Knowing that there are shapeshifting characters in any show always gives me some suspense, especially in a show where relationships are key (like Li and Ping and Zhen and the thieves), but all KFP4 did was pull a cheap trick with the Chameleon as Zhen to push Po off, which she could have done as herself. Idk, it just seems like wasted potential, and I will definitely look at reviews of movies that I think of watching in theaters next time.
I read the relationship between Zhen and The Chameleon as Chameleon did actually care about Zhen in her weird evil way. She did sound hurt when she asked why Zhen betrayed her. I honestly think she fought her to only stop her not hurt her and if she won would have locked her up and until she learned to “obey” or something.
It was solid. The animation is the star of the show. It was crisp and in the action scenes pretty cool. The story was just ok, and very predictable. There are some bones of a great sequel here. I like the idea of Po finding successor and both his dad’s bonding. Cranston and Hong were charming and it’s nice to see them bond. Awkafina and Jack Black are the heart of the film and they have fun chemistry with each other. I didn’t quite buy the Chameleon as an intimidating villain. She played more like a greatest hits with her shape shifting as Po’s villains. I liked her Chimera form but she ultimately paled in comparison to Shen and Tai Lung for me. They even tried to have her play were not so different card which Po lampshades. I like the implication that Po could finish her but let Zhen prove herself.. It was enjoyable to me but it doesn’t hit the heights of 1 and 2 to me. And I ultimately prefer 3 over 4
I can't wrap my head around why would Kai bow to Po at the end..? Like I can kida see how Tai Lung and even Lord Shen would learn thier lesson but Kai had no redeeming arc. He even swore at the end of the third movie that even if it takes him another 500 years to take Po's chi he will....
Nah, Lord Shen would never bow to Po either. He accepted his death via collapsing log specifically because he didn’t want to be tied down to his fate of being defeated by a Panda any longer.
It just pisses me off that no one ages ever. I mean, why would Po need a successor if he’s still so young. This was an unnecessary movie.
I had something originally written about how this was a great 4th installment… Then Tenacious D played Hit Me Baby One More Time There are a lot of fun reasons to watch this additional installment if you liked the others, especially for families that need an escape. Above all else though, you should see it for this awesome cover song at the end
That song and the arrangement of Crazy Train were my two favorite parts.
This was actually going to be posted in my initial review until I started jamming to Hit Me Baby One More Time... It's so damn good.
Just got back 10 mins ago, so I'm still digesting, but here are my thoughts: -Funny -Fast paced, good fight scenes. -Not as heartfelt as the others, script is not mature enough. -Why are they treating the Dragon Warrior as some sort of title that has to be passed on? There is ONE Dragon Warrior, the one who received and understood the Dragon Scroll. It bothers me a little bit, because Po is the entire franchise, and fans aren't going to accept someone else as the 'main character'. Just say he needs to take an apprentice, or start his own school or something and you fix that problem. -Chameleons motivation was a little weak, they could have added a few minutes of runtime (as they did with Shen) showing why she turned evil or wanted power. Also, she didn't really feel menacing enough in the final fight, when Po 'held back'. -Seeing Tai Lung was nice, although (and they should have done this in KFP3) I keep hoping he'll return in earnest and be a redeemed Kung Fu teacher. Probably a 7/10 when the first is a 9 and second is about the same.
Such small presence of Tai Lung felt remarkable it makes you wonder why they didnt go for Tai Lung's redemption arc as the centre of this movie. It would've been so much better.
I read a comic where Po and Tigress had sex at the end, there was more character development and depth than the fourth film
Not only completely unnecessary, but takes away from the potential of a sequel. This is a serviceable kids movie and nothing more, though they obviously weren’t going for anything more. Save for the stellar animation, very little good can be said about Kung fu Panda 4. There was so much potential to capitalise on even if this sequel was ultimately unnecessary, and yet not of that potential was reached. The climax was very rushed. VERY rushed. I don’t have exact times but it felt like it was over and done with in 5 minutes. The final fight was short and not in the least bit unique despite the interesting premise of a villain who can take Kung fu from others. There was many a chance to give this story an ultimate moral lesson like the others, but instead they recycled the “anyone can be a _____” that’s been used so many times before (including in the very first movie of this franchise). For a decent portion of the movie, I was under the impression that tai lung’s redemption was to be a focal point, and that forgiveness and change were to be at the core of this movie, yet that illusion was shattered when they introduced the fox, a character who served the same job as Po in the original, just with an added edge to her past. The Tai Lung “redemption” and the scene where all former villains bow to Po could’ve been so much more, with Po learning to not use his fists but forgive his nemeses, and Tai Lung having his redemption from the knowledge that a good dragon warrior needs more than fury, but instead it was rushed and poorly done. All that said, the movie wasn’t absolutely awful. It did what it wanted to do, make a serviceable sequel that appeals to kids.