Kung Fu Panda 3 review: A case of more of the same, though a visually superb, enjoyable outing with Po and his Kung Fu crew.
Kung Fu Panda 3 review by Paul Heath. Dreamworks Animation assembles the team once again for another big-screen adventure for the lovable Po (Jack Black) and co. in the third film in the lucrative and most awesome Kung Fu Panda series.
The last two films in the Kung Fu Panda series have grossed over $600 million each in worldwide box-office receipts, so a third film was a bit of a no brainer. With Kung Fu Panda 3, the studio are already classing the movie as an all-out success with a whopping $300 million already in the bank, with some big international markets, including the UK, to still to see a release.
In the first film in the series, we saw the high-kicking, plump-panda Po become the famous Dragon Warrior, and then in Kung Fu Panda 2, Po had to uncover the secrets of his mysterious origins to unleash the strength he needed to succeed. This time around our fluffy hero is suddenly reunited with his long lost father Li, here voiced by Breaking Bad alumni Bryan Cranston, hot off an Academy Award nomination with the glorious Trumbo. In this adventure, Po learns that he still has a lot to learn about his past, and his own panda family, as well as his own abilities as he ventures on his quest to adapt from being a kung fu student, to becoming a martial arts teacher, following in the path of his beloved instructor Shifu (Dustin Hoffman). Along for the ride once again are the Kung Fu posse in Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Viper (Lucy Liu), Mantis (Seth Rogen) and Monkey (Jackie Chan). Also along for the ride are franchise newcomers in Kate Hudson‘s Mei Mei, and the villain of the story, Kai, voiced by Oscar-winner J.K. Simmons. Kai is the nasty piece of work who is intent on stealing the Chi from every kung fu master across the land, the last one his list being the inner-strength that belongs to Po. With the help of his newly found panda family, along with his Kung Fu crew, Po must become a true master, and rid China of its biggest foe yet.
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The first two Kung Fu Panda movies were a remarkable achievement, both of them earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Film. Series animators Jennifer Yuh Nelson and Alessandro Carloni take the directing reins for the third fare; an continuation story that is also scripted by the same writing team as the previous two films. The Kung Fu Panda series seems to be one of those which manages to get better with each installment, and one that clearly displays a huge amount of passion going into them from both its makers and voice talent. Uniting the comedic talents of Jack Black, now completely at ease with his beloved character of Po, as well as Seth Rogen, along with award winning actors like Dustin Hoffman, JK Simmons and Bryan Cranston, is clearly a winning formula.. All are perfect in their respective roles and are a delight to watch/ hear, though some, like Hudson’s Mei Mei, and even Angelina Jolie’s Tigress to a certain extent, are limited to much more supporting roles. Cranton in particularly though is epic, humble and lovable as Po’s dear old Dad Li, and Simmons also provides another brilliant villain, following on from the solid turns of Ian McShane in the original film, and then Gary Oldman in its sequel.
As expected with a big-budget animated movie from a very commended studio, the animation is among the best we’ve seen in any CGI-generated flick from the last twenty years or so. The advances in technology are clearly visible on the screen, particularly during the film’s splendid finale, and the many fight scenes assembled throughout.
While Kung Fu Panda 3 is at least as good as either of the two films that have come before it, you can’t help but feel that the franchise may not have run its course. It does feel a little tired in places, but not to the extent of it becoming a drain in ones enjoyment. It does however feel that it may have come to the end of its journey with the story wrapped up rather nicely by the time the credits role.
The kids will get a kick out of it (pun intended), and the adults won’t have to suffer at all either. A clear cut case of more of the same from a series of films that have delivered much enjoyment over the eight year history of this hugely successful, and indeed reliable Dreamworks franchise.
Kung Fu Panda 3 review by Paul Heath, March 2016.
Kung Fu Panda 3 is released in UK cinemas on 11th March, 2016.
