Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024)    Universal/Action-Comedy    RT: 94 minutes    Rated PG (martial arts action, mild violence, scary images, some mild rude humor)    Director: Mike Mitchell    Screenplay: Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger and Darren Lemke    Music: Hans Zimmer and Steve Mazzaro    Release date: March 8, 2024 (US)    Cast: Jack Black, Awkwafina, Viola Davis, Dustin Hoffman, Bryan Cranston, James Hong, Ian McShane, Ke Huy Quan, Ronny Chieng, Lori Tan Chinn, Jimmy “Mr. Beast” Donaldson, James Sie, Cedric Yarbrough.

Rating: **

 My pre-viewing comment about Kung Fu Panda 4 consisted on one word: why? My post-viewing comment also consists of one word: WHY? Did anybody ask for a fourth movie featuring the rotund hero with a profound love for martial arts and food, dumplings in particular? Do we really need it? I say no on both counts, yet here we are.

 I’m going to say up front that I didn’t care for Kung Fu Panda 4. That’s not saying a lot because I’m not a fan of the franchise in general. The previous three movies didn’t do anything for me and neither did this one unless you count almost putting me to sleep. I admit it. I closed my eyes more than once during this computer-animated ordeal, but I was still lucid enough to realize I wasn’t missing anything.

 Now we come to the part of the review where I have to relive the experience by describing the plot. Thankfully, it’s not that complicated. Our mighty hero Po (Black, School of Rock) has a new adversary, the shapeshifting Chameleon (Davis, The Woman King). She wants to get her paws on his Staff of Wisdom. She plans to use it to bring back all the villains banished to the Spirit Realm so she can steal their powers and….. ah, who cares?

 With the Furious Five away on other missions, Po needs a new sidekick. Enter Zhen (Awkwafina, Raya and the Last Dragon), a wily fox he first meets attempting to loot the temple. She’s the one who alerts him to the Chameleon. She claims she can help him if he has her released from prison. He reluctantly brings her along on his mission to the bustling metropolis of Juniper City to stop the rotten reptile. They’re followed by Po’s two worried fathers, adoptive dad Ping (Hong, Big Trouble in Little China) and bio-dad Li Shan (Cranston, Breaking Bad).

 In addition, Po is going through a personal crisis. He’s just been told by his master Shifu (Hoffman, Rain Man) that it’s time to advance to the next level of his destiny and become the spiritual leader of the Valley of Peace. This freaks him out because it means not being the Dragon Warrior anymore. He’s tasked with finding a suitable successor. Who might that be? Take a wild guess.

 I’m presently going through an existential crisis of my own. I’m questioning whether or not I’m the right one to review Kung Fu Panda 4. Seriously, am I? It wasn’t made for me. It wasn’t made for anybody older than 10. It’s been a long, long time since I’ve been part of that demographic. I suppose 6YO me would enjoy it. Maybe that’s how I should be looking at it, like the little kid I used to be as opposed to the grownup I am now. I can do that sometimes, but I wasn’t able to this time. My inner child remained dormant throughout which brings me back to my original question. Am I the one to review Kung Fu Panda 4? Probably not, but I can let parents know what they’re in for.

 Directed by Mike Mitchell (Trolls) and Stephanie Ma Stine, Kung Fu Panda 4 is basically recycled material with its tired plot and uninspired visuals. The computer-animation is just that, computerized animation. There’s no apparent human input. It’s colorful and zippy, but somehow still manages to fall flat. The story is predictable. It has plenty of voice talent, but most of them sound like they couldn’t care less, not even Black who can’t seem to muster up a whole lot of enthusiasm for this fourth entry in a series that should have stayed in hibernation. The only ones displaying even the remotest signs of life are Awkwafina- despite having played this same role (i.e. the wise-cracking sidekick) many times in many CA kids’ movies (the most recent being last year’s Migration)- and Davis who relishes the opportunity to play a cartoon villain. The jokes aren’t especially funny, but I will admit to chuckling at a sight gag involving a bull in a china shop. Unfortunately, it goes by too fast to be fully appreciated.

 Now that’s what I think of Kung Fu Panda 4. All of it should all be taken with a grain of rice. If you ask a kid about it, you’ll get a completely different answer. They’ll say it’s great. They don’t care about small details like plotting and originality. They’ll love the wild action sequences, slapstick humor and dumb jokes. They might also benefit from the message about not being afraid of change. In short, they’ll think Kung Fu Panda 4 is the best movie they’ve ever seen. Fine, let them enjoy it. The parents tasked with accompanying them…. well, what can I say? Really, what? I have no idea.