Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016) review - Movie Thoughts (Chapter 46) 🐼

Hello everyone,

Today's film was another one of those animated feature franchises which added another installment after a point where I thought the franchise was done or had really stopped caring about it. I remember how much I loved the first and second Kung Fu Panda movies, but I wasn't really fussed about this one when it first came out. With the time, I finally got around to checking it off my list once and for all....

(**disclaimer: the following thoughts are 100% my opinion, you do not have to agree with them - film is inherently subjective and everyone's perspective is valid! Also, there are probably spoilers in the following, read at your own risk. Now onto some thoughts....**)

Source: IMDB

Like another famous animal/adventure franchise, many viewers may have thought that this beloved franchise was finished after two rounds. Unlike that same animal/adventure franchise, the 2011 sequel and this film’s predecessor was widely regarded to be good enough to warrant the franchise ending on that positive note. No-one really thought this third iteration was particularly necessary. While Kung-Fu Panda 3 was a solidly enjoyable ninety-four minutes of familiar family fun, it never really truly asserted itself enough with exciting new stuff to escape predictable re-run territory. Continuing on his adventures of awesomeness and kung-fu training, Po (Jack Black) faces two new threats; one spiritually powerful and another one closer to home. Colourful, dynamic and witty; everything old was new again but the new characters didn’t carry enough memorable weight to push it above its predecessors.

A seemingly natural evolution that tied everything up from the previous films, there was a clear return to the archetypes of the 2008 story whilst introducing a new element. The opening scene quickly setup the premise on the old ground in a former student/friend gone bad whilst also explaining the parameters of the new device ‘chi’ and the spirit realm which allowed for the return of beloved tortoise master Oogway (Randall Duk Kim) into the fray. Sticking to the interspecies mashups that this universe was known for – where else would a chicken, crocodile, tiger, crane, monkey, panda, praying mantis, snake and goose function in the same space?, but injecting a whole bunch of new pandas into the mix was a fun caveat without the same sort of impact that the history or setting of Kung-Fu Panda 2 had. The Five don’t have a lot to do, but it’s always nice to see their unique personalities onscreen. The one with the most development has been Tigress (Angelina Jolie) slowly thawing, but other than that they have always been mainly plot accessories and occasional comic relief. Nostalgic callbacks like the blank scroll joke and the development of the infamous Wushi finger hold were really fun and chuckle worthy, and thematic callbacks to what it means to be the dragon warrior and particularly Po’s identity were also revisited with a lot of shallow gusto.

This film’s new characters and ideas were great but not exactly memorable or pushing the boundaries. Injecting the eccentric secret panda village and Po’s birth father Li (Bryan Cranston) allowed for some hilarious gags around the device of learning a new skill in being a true panda. Pandas don’t walk but roll, they don’t use chopsticks or stairs and all pandas dance. Going through those montages was fun, but slowed the pace and action down quite considerably. It was exciting to see a new development in the original band of masters fighting amongst each other. Seeing Mantis (Seth Rogen) and Crane (David Cross) fighting as zombified jade soldiers against Shifu (Dustin Hoffman), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Tigress and Po on the Palace steps was a dynamic action sequence that there wasn’t enough of throughout the overall makeup of the film.

Directors Jennifer Yuh Nelson and Alessandro Carloni were solid hands to end the franchise with because of their extensive familiarity with the franchise creatively and visually. Not necessarily their strongest effort, the shallow, by-the-numbers movement between sequences and pacing made for a very monotone viewing experience. Formulaically brilliant; the hero’s journey was once again intertwined with goofy edges and the frenetic action of kung-fu fighting. The humour was generally funny, if a little corny and annoying at times. Screenwriters Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger return for their third writing effort; relying on the familiar and well-worn success of tone and gag to add a cohesive final chapter to the trilogy. Not as emotionally devastating as its predecessor, it certainly had more heartwarming and light-hearted moments.

Thematically, parts of this iteration were exciting to see explored. The tension between adoptive and biological parents; especially in the case of goose father Mr. Ping (James Hong)’s petulance that hid a very raw insecurity underneath. Po’s struggle with self-confidence and belief, as well as identity beyond the binaries of species or societal expectations. Weaved into the fate and destiny tropes that came from a mystical martial arts premise were some real heavy stuff that didn’t end up coming together quite as cohesively as expected.

Visually, it was beautifully vibrant and bright. Colour had always been important in this world, and the rustic sparks were once again shining through. Ancient settings were centre stage with the grandeur and scope of mountainous Chinese landscape, but the ‘spirit realm’ looked disappointingly remarkable and underwhelmingly similar to the ‘mortal realm’. Hans Zimmer’s spritely score gave some extra panache and energy to the mix too.

With a somewhat predictable plot, funny jokes and warm family fun, there’s no doubt that this film will be an enjoyable experience for kids and adults alike. The problem is that everything felt all too familiar and wasn’t balanced out with enough ground-breaking new stuff to create a truly unique story. Kung-Fu Panda 3 came back with a shiny formula that has lost its shine but still fit neatly into the mold of the quasi-inspirational merit of a bumbling panda who learnt kung-fu.

7.5/10, 3.5 STARS

Thanks for reading,

Love and dumpling eating dragon warriors, Emily 🐼