Kung Fu Panda movies are like neon signs of yin and yang, a precarious balance of philosophy and fat jokes. Initially, Black Poe was a clumsy individual who trained himself to earn the title of Dragon Warrior, the greatest martial artist title in the region. The big idea was that if pandas could high kick, the rest of us could do anything. However, the franchise is in its 16th year, and the average lifespan of a panda in the wild is only 20 years. Now Po's guide, Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman), promotes the panda to spiritual leader and encourages Po beyond his comfort zone. Po can no longer hit men and eat dumplings on his days off. He must cede his title of Warrior of the Dragon to another against his own will. This change in status causes him to shout out his catchphrase, “But where's Skadoosh?!” (Related article: When Zoo Atlanta's last stragglers return to China later this year, Americans will ask, “Where's the panda?”)
Jack Black has a mystical view of children. I've seen kids react to him like it's Beatlemania all over again. Even children who weren't even born when he last voiced this slapstick dramatic bear on screen in 2016. If he wanted to, Black could start his own kindergarten cult. But first-time series directors Mike Mitchell and Stephanie Ma Stein believe that the Zen-like aspects of the script (by returning screenwriters Jonathan Abel and Glenn Berger, and first-timer Darren Lemke) will appeal to young people. He doesn't seem as confident as previous filmmakers about whether he can continue to do so. . The pacing is frenetic, with one fight scene spilling over into the next, and the timeouts no larger than a domino interval.
Joined by a kleptomaniac fox (Awkwafina), a surly pangolin (Kay Hui Quan), and a trio of ferocious little rabbits, Poe sets out to defeat a sorcerer named Chameleon (Viola Davis). Masu. Davis' villain has little backstory and a fairly vague plan to take over the world, but the EGOT Award-winning actor is so menacing and furious that it's not until later that her character becomes part of Mushu's I don't notice how thin it is like skin. The combat is blurry and the camera pinballs around trying to keep pace. As the brawlers slice through the air, paint smears streak across the frame. Along the way, the battle ensues for so long that by the end you can barely remember how and why it started.
There's so much going on on the screen that it requires meditative concentration, but I can't even appreciate the beautiful images that are flowing so fast. One conflict consists of white and black. Other works depict animals sliding on oil slicks and puddles, or watching as a chameleon throws a mutating jab at an elephant's trunk.
Comedy also changed form (and fewer fat jokes, according to today's tastes). The humor is often overcaffeinated and anarchic, a style that suits the film, but when the film dares to slow down, it shows a flair for reworking classic gags, such as wordless shots of animals strutting through a china shop. be. The best gag is when Poe tip-toes across the roof of a napping Komodo dragon, trying desperately to keep it quiet. For a moment, I thought Charlie Chaplin might root for this sequence. 20 seconds later there was a fart joke and I changed my mind.
P.G. at area theaters. Martial arts action, mild violence, scary imagery, and mild vulgar humor. 94 minutes.