Kung Fu Panda characters- a critique by Mat Brunet

Full-text transcript of the Kung Fu Panda 3 review:

[00:00:10] Kung Fu Panda three so far. Kung Fu Panda can easily be regarded as one of DreamWorks best franchises and with good reason. The two movies that we got greatly represent the capabilities of the animation studio in order to deliver some awesome work. The first one is a great coming of age story with beautiful animation and action that’s as strong as his comedy. The second one is a fantastic follow up that not only widens the world, it’s set in with new characters and new concepts, but also explores deeper into the characters we all know and love. So now that goes back for his family reunion. Will this movie be able to hold the franchises mighty awesomeness like the last two? Or is the Dragon Warriors kung fu skills start to get a bit rusty? Let’s find out. The story continuing on what the second one discussed, we go deeper into those origins as he goes into the panda village where he learns about the true life of a panda and where he’s from. At the same time, he needs to learn about the power of CZI through self discovery and how he would be able to teach his kung fu skills onto others in order to stop the evil chi for those who have been watching the previous Kung Fu Panda films. You may notice how it’s starting to be a bit formulaic, like it’s becoming easier to predict what can happen next. In fact, some of the plot points here feel like they were taken from the last film, Just Replace Inner Peace with cheese and learning where Poe came from with, well, showing where Poe came from.

[00:01:53] The one significant difference from the others is that this film is a lot more comedic than action packed, since most of the film is focused on the Panda Village and all the unique characters that reside there. It’s not necessarily bad. I mean, it is fun seeing the village, but it feels like the movie is taking itself a lot less seriously than the last two. I think I just need a little. It could have helped that the movie included an additional fighting scene or two. However, even if it does follow the same formula, I don’t necessarily blame the film to use it again. It is a pretty good formula and whatever works is executed very well. The action scenes are intense. The comedy is pretty good and the heart is still strong with well handled messages of accepting who you are and how two dads can work together for one son. That, and it connects well to the previous films showing how continuity is an important factor. The story may have a bit of a recognizable pattern, but it still manages to be enjoyable. The animation. The one thing that will not change in these movies is the high quality of the animation, even if it is the first collaboration between DreamWorks and their Chinese counterparts, Oriental DreamWorks, they both did a fantastic job with this one for Kung Fu Panda three. It puts more of an importance onto being more stylized.

[00:03:33] You’ll notice how the lighting plays a key role and makes itself more present as the going gets tough and montages and the colors are more simplified to make it more comic book like. Once again, it shows a beautiful design that’s Oriental inspired and the character animation is at its finest with the kung fu action scenes as they are both intense and are the highlights of the film, not to mention the addition of having Jade fighters offering a new spice to the battle also like they do in the previous films. There’s even a 2D animated scene, but this time it’s to show the origin story of Master Ogwyn Chi and how their brotherhood fell apart because of CAIS greed to harness the power of cheap all told, like an ancient story in a scroll. But then you have the backgrounds with two new areas that truly add beauty into the world of Kung Fu Panda. First, there’s the Panda Village, which is a more peaceful landscape on the mountains that the pandas can relax and live their lives easily. Then there’s the spirit world, a more mystical place with a golden aura that is surrounded by flying rocks and hillsides with no gravity around them, they both add this new level to the movie that lets the animators be more creative with many of the outcomes and fighting scenes. The Kung Fu Panda films are always notorious for some of the finest examples of what dreamers can do with their animation. This one continues that tradition.

[00:05:14] The characters, unlike the last film, you will see some good familiar faces, but you won’t be learning anything new about them. Starting off with Poe, he’s still the same energetic, passionate and fun loving pande like he is in the other films, but he doesn’t offer anything new to the table. Even with establishing a new relationship with his biological dad, he would still do the same things like geeking out over kung fu and eating even with the Furious Five and Master Shifu, the only act more like allies to PO so they can help him out when the time is needed. The one that is more of a help to the movie is actually Mr. Ping, who now feels challenged as a father when the new guy comes in and always makes sure that both PO and his stomach is good at all times like he usually does, Paing brings in a good amount of the heart and comedy of the film. Then you have the new ones, starting with Lee. He’s the dad that’s more like PO and brings him to the Panda Village. His role is probably not as big as you’d expect other than just playing as dad number two. As for the other pandas in the village, they all have a rather small role, but they do have a little quirk that makes them stand out like me made the flirtatious one, the big hug guy, the little girl with Poes, Tigress figure, the old lady and many more. And then there’s Kai, the villain of the film that wants to harness the power of Chee from every master fighter.

[00:06:51] In concept, he sounds like a really fascinating villain that can add a new level to the Kung Fu Panda world. But in execution, he seems like he wants to be more comedic than actually be threatening. I’m going to take your Chee then the Chee of every panda in chit chat in the Chitty Chitty, Chitty Chitty Chitty Chitty Chat. He’s not awful or anything. He’s just not as strong of a villain as much as Tai Lung or Lord Shen. The characters may not be at their best like previous films, but it does feel good to see some of these familiar faces again. Kung Fu Panda three may not be as awesome as the previous films, but for a third installment of a movie, it’s pleasantly surprising how it managed to end up being this good, despite starting to repeat itself in terms of story. The movie is still engaging action packed full of humor and heart and fun characters, all delivered with some beautifully well crafted animation. This will absolutely be something that’s worth watching for fans of the Kung Fu Panda movies. But even newcomers can come in and enjoy the same. Maybe watching the films can help a bit for some context purposes, but it still ends up being kung fu fun for everyone. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I go to literally roll out and eat some good dumplings. I can’t review more films on an empty stomach, you know.