If you’re one of those people – and I’m with you – who roll your eyes when handed a pair of 3D glasses at the multiplex, wondering if all this rigmarole is REALLY necessary, then take heart: The lovely, color-popping visuals in “Kung Fu Panda 3” are well worth those darned glasses.
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Every Kung Fu Panda movie has plenty of action and the third installment is no different.
Although the film succeeds on many levels, it falls short on others. Panda 2 felt like a bit of a place holder/set-up for #3, but was still amusing and beautifully designed.
Having attained an unprecedented mastery of martial arts as the Dragon Warrior he was destined to become, Po (voice by Jack Black) faces a new challenge. As a result of its focus on Po, his fathers and the panda village, the presence of Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) and the Furious Five seems unwarranted, and it feels as if they were only included to appeal to fans of the prequels.
In the film, which is directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson and Alessandro Carloni, Po finally meets his biological father, Li Shan – voiced by Bryan Cranston – and the remainder of the community he never knew as an orphan. It was a insane coda to a solid story, on one hand half-negating sentimental themes about Po’s bond with adoptive goose dad Mr. Ping (James Hong), but on the other, leaving us curious about where the filmmakers would go with it. Nowhere bold, ultimately. Of course the ultimate fight will be against Po, who must stop him in his tracks. So Po and Li set off for the secret panda village for chi, and panda, lessons. But a new threat arises: The water buffalo-like Kai (J.K. Simmons), a former comrade of ancient master Oogway (Randall Duk Kim), has escaped from his prison in the spirit realm and plans to wreack vengence on the real world. Kai has the ability to steal the “chi” (life force) of his opponents. That’ll be the Kung Fu Panda franchise’s legacy, the idea that shouldn’t have worked but did, beautifully and with its own chi.
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Who hasn’t fallen in love with the adorable Po, as he continues on his legendary adventures of awesomeness? Simultaneously, roly poly goofy panda and Dragon Warrior, Po (Jack Black), is being promoted to kung fu teacher by his master, Shifu (Dustin Hoffman). After a sequel, tons of merchandise, video games, and holiday specials, we’ve arrived at Kung Fu Panda 3. When the characters execute the martial arts kata, their gestures suggest the brush strokes in the related Chinese characters. Po embraces this lifestyle wholeheartedly, but realizes that it’s the individual aspects of who he is that make him, him. Let’s hope the same is true for the DreamWorks artists, and that their upcoming features maintain this level of quality. Among the topics discussed is the notion that the Kung Fu Panda franchise might end as a trilogy.
