‘Kung Fu Panda 3’ Poster
Jack Black is back voicing his cuddly, lovable, unlikely hero, Po the panda for a third outing in the popular Kung Fu Panda franchise. But is this a lazy sequel to further cash in on a successful title before it wears out its welcome, or a more genuine family fun film? DreamWorks have previous with the former, arguably guilty of milking the hugely popular Shrek series until it was a dry husk compared to its original. So it was with a, perhaps, understandable trepidation that I watched this, willing myself to leave any potential cynicism at the door. So how does Kung Fu Panda 3 rate in comparison to its predecessors? Is this another enjoyable DreamWorks adventure through the history of far-eastern martial arts, or a case of one adventure too many?
In this installment, Po and the assembled warriors are forced to face down a dangerous new foe, in the form of Kai (J.K. Simmons), a dangerous and powerful yak, and a one time former counterpart and friend of Po’s original master, Oogwey (Randall Duk Kim), turned bad by greed and ambition. The task of defeating him becomes harder when Po is faced with the added distraction of the return of his long lost father Li Shan (Bryan Cranston). Po ends up returning with his “new” dad to his original Panda village – and the heritage he originated from – where he inadvertantly comes to learn the vital lessons that will allow him to truly find his power and finally become the legendary Dragon Warrior that destiny has ordained him to be.
In a lot of ways, this third installment follows much the same structure as its predecessors, and gives audiences everything they have come to expect from the franchise. Done badly this could have ended up as a negligent creative process and a cynical move towards milking another “cash cow” franchise, and yet this manages to retain all the same charm and family friendly humour that has allowed it to build up a loyal fan base, whilst still raising itself safely above the clouds of cynicism. Kung Fu Panda has so far avoided the pitfalls that have befallen other franchises which have overstayed their welcome, such as its illustrious DreamWorks counterpart, Shrek. In truth, Po and co don’t feel too tired nor do they show very obvious signs of fatigue, as such the franchise should learn the lessons of Shrek before it and go out as a trilogy whilst it still remains relatively strong. Over the three films, the strengths that have continued to shine through are in its charming, playful and spontaneous sense of humour, coupled with its, at times, truly beautiful animation. Watching these films, and this one in particular can be a genuine visual joy, and in an age of 3D, 4D and D-Box *shudders* vying for our collective – apparantly dwindling – attention in cinemas, this is a film whose style justifies the use of at least 3D technology, when so many other films use it as a greater cash in technique.
Kung Fu Panda 3 is nothing ground-breaking or earth shattering, but it is exactly what it’s always been, enjoyable family fun. DreamWorks and the team behind all the Kung Fu Panda films have found a nice balanced recipe, and filling it with a remarkable cast of voice actors (Jack Black, J.K. Simmons, Bryan Cranston, Seth Rogen, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie to name but a few) has given the recipe a life which has endeared the characters evermore to its growing audience. With its underlying message that anybody can achieve their dreams however unlikely they appear, as well as always remaining true to yourself and being proud of who you are, further resonates with the accompanying parents worldwide who will be attempting to instil those (or similar) messages to their children. All in all, Kung Fu Panda continues its predecessors good work as an enjoyable family film which has continued to keep true to itself; it has a lot of fun but does it with genuine heart.
Through The 4th Wall 