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KUNG FU PANDA 3 - FILM REVIEW

  • amusings
  • Mar 23, 2016
  • 4 min read

K U N G F U P A N D A 3

¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

dir: Jennifer Yuh Nelson, Alessandro Carloni

★★★★

IT'S A HAT-TRICK FOR PO AND CO....

The Kung Fu Panda series is one of those odd paradoxes where the title and general presentation of its marketing campaign may leave many to assume the worst. A-List casting choices, colourful silliness and anthropomorphic animals spouting modern euphemisms, any product and premise as trite as a Panda learning the art of Kung Fu should by all means be destined for the ‘DVD Favourites’ bin of any supermarket.


Except it isn’t.


The first Kung Fu Panda was a genuine surprise; a heartfelt, light-hearted but remarkably deep study of its oriental teachings that was easily palatable to kids, and aesthetically engaging and nourishing for adults. Its sequel built on its foundations by going far deeper into the lives and pasts of its characters, and ultimately ended up being a legitimately great movie rivalling the work of the Disney Renaissance (with Dreamworks themselves undergoing their own revival in the process).



"The same crew and director from the second feature

have returned to continue the good work... Dreamworks

have still got what it takes to live up to their newly

established standards."



Five years may have passed since then, but the anticipation of Kung Fu Panda 3’s arrival has been held by the fact that the field of animation itself has undergone a severe paradigm shift in the last few years. The same crew and director from the second feature have returned to continue the good work, and it’s a welcome relief to see that even with the triumphant return of Disney to the mainstream blockbuster throne of animation, Dreamworks have still got what it takes to live up to their newly established standards.


Kung Fu Panda 3 is pretty much everything it was initially designed to be; a continuation of the story strands and narrative arcs left by its predecessors, a transcendent voyage into the discipline of the oriental arts and philosophy, and a qualified capper as what currently appears to be the finale of a trilogy – as well as delivering on all the fat panda jokes that you could possibly wish for.



The direction of the film mostly follows its predecessor’s formula of the levelling up of Po’s (Jack Black) powers as the Dragon Warrior, but the new dynamic comes in the form of his own Panda kind finally entering the frame as physical elements in the story. The first half hour is devoted to the rekindling of the relationship between Po and his father, Li Shan (played appealingly by Bryan Cranston), as well as the family dynamic that springs from his paternal connection with his adopted father, Mr. Ping (James Hong).


The only real stumbling block in this regard comes down to the film's handling of this conflict. It's played mostly for comfortable laughs and heaps on an abundance of light comedy that was somewhat sidelined by its more sincere predecessor, and the almost skittish quality of its distractive banter overwhelms what could be a sequence of poignancy within Po's spiritual journey. It really does feel for a short while like both directors and writers have somehow dropped the ball on the way to the home stretch. But then, at around the halfway mark, all of the dramatic weight and consequence of the previous instalment slowly pours back into the narrative forefront, and from this moment on the film retains the levity and emotional striving that has kept this series in such high standards. Emotional bondage to Po’s internal struggle has always been the series strongest point, and the film doesn’t let up in this regard.



"Of the newer cast, Kate Hudson feels like the least

well utilised in comparison to the Jolie-Pitt children

that make up the new youths of the Panda Village ."



The regular cast all return and are on form, and of the newer cast Kate Hudson feels like the least well utilised in comparison to the Jolie-Pitt children that make up the new youths of the Panda Village. J.K. Simmons on the other hand brings a brilliantly performed menace to antagonist Kai, a powerful warrior harbouring the spirits of former masters with a vendetta to settle. His design and approach is up there with the finest stylings of Guillermo del Toro (coincidently an executive producer), and the look of the film is still a gorgeous exploitation of both the medium and its 3D production values, while Hanz Zimmer’s score remains an impressive audible counterpart to the films cultural serfage.


Dreamworks are obviously planning on not allowing this franchise to disappear anytime soon (with 3 more films already in the pipeline, in fact), but in all honesty this feels like the perfect place to end this story. It's a well rounded and cyclical narrative that takes its characters to the peaks of their potential. Unless they decide to take a drastically new direction, Kung Fu Panda 3 feels like the close needed to this surprisingly wonderful franchise.



MUSINGS


+ A deservedly grand send-off to these completed characters (further sequels notwithstanding)

+ The animation remains engrossing and colourful

+ Jennifer Yuh Nelson's direction continues to be the series strongest creative choice

+ The cast are as charismatic as ever and it is wonderful to see them in action once again


+/- It's a retread of the series' formula, but it's a formula that works in the narratives favour


- The opening half hour might lead many astray with a slightly less focused and comedic force propelling the characters



Release Date: Friday 11 March 2016

Run Time: 95 minutes

Format: Theatrical Release

 
 
 

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