New film review #23: Kung-Fu Panda 3

Warning: Minor spoiler warning ahead for the 2011 film Kung Fu Panda 2

Image source: http://www.liveforfilms.com/2015/08/28/kung-fu-panda-3-gets-a-star-wars-themed-trailer/

I remember way back when I did my first review on this blog on the 2011 FPS release Duke Nukem Forever that I was a fresh-faced young blogger who was possibly the biggest fan of the first two Kung-Fu Panda films (2008 & 2011) in my school.  I remember being blown away by the smooth animation and sweepingly beautiful effects and dashing representation of Chinese philosophy and culture through the adventures of a cute panda with a hearty personality and a likeable variety of sidekicks.  The first film was a truly philosophical film and the 2011 sequel was and still is one of my favourite animated films not to mention sequels in general of all time which is a precedence for myself even more so cemented by the superb work by Gary Oldman as the villainous warlord Shen.

Therefore, despite minor misgivings about a few bits and bobs of this third Kung-Fu Panda particularly of what I saw in the trailer, my hopes were high for a film that would at the least provide a good wrapping-up to that little plot twist with the panda village at the end of Kung-Fu Panda 2 (2011).  Fortunately it does achieve that latter point but aside from that there isn't a huge amount that Kung-Fu Panda 3 does more or better than the previous two films.  On a spiritual and philosophical level, this film is allot deeper than the previous two films and represents a great wrap up for the emotional and character development of Jack Black's main character Po as he brings himself closer and closer to finally becoming the ultimate embodiment of what he is meant to be as the dragon warrior.

This desire to finally encompass the full meaning of what it is to be the dragon warrior is not only the central crux of Po's motivation but also encompasses the philosophical question and inner-message of the film.  Like where the second film's internal message was about balance and the first film was about discipline and concentration, the third film goes for a more specific and deeper message in this case not only emphasising the importance of patience but also helping not only yourself but also others to be the person they are best suited to being rather than an arbitrary conclusion of their personality.  This resonates not only with Po but also with two of the major side-characters in which their realisation of the purpose that they have not only in their own story arcs and the film itself but also Po's life creates some of the most profound character development that I've seen in an animated film not to mention an sequel in general that I've seen in several years.

Image source: http://www.flickeringmyth.com/2016/02/po-teaches-kung-fu-in-a-new-clip-from-kung-fu-panda-3.html/kung-fu-panda-3-8

This development in turn is brought about by the new villain and former warlord of all china Kai, a towering brute of a bull wielding two God-of-War-esque chain-linked blades who once fought alongside Randall Duk Kim's master Oogway and is voiced by the great and legendary J.K.Simmons.  Po must not only embrace his past and heritage in this film but also protect his family while Kai rampages across China absorbing the power of all the kung-fu masters in an attempt to conquer the land and dispose of Po as the only one who can stop Kai's ambitions.  In this, Po must not only embrace his past and heritage but also harness the power of chi in order to finally become the dragon warrior as he was positioned and prophesised to become in the original 2008 film. 

This would ultimately be the best film in the series but unlike the second film it tends to skim a bit on the story and unlike in the first film where this was meant to emphasise the rapidity of Po being thrust into the position of dragon warrior, the quick and straightforward plot and storyline of Kung-Fu Panda 3 does seem a bit rushed and ultimately could've done with a great deal more focus like the first two films did.  On top of this, unlike the second film, the third instalment doesn't so much build upon what the previous two films are or big up the scale of the plot and action.  In all honesty, this isn't such a bad thing with the character development and philosophical musings of the film itself but the action and the narrative do both suffer considerably as a result of the much smaller scale as compared to the previous film.  This isn't of course to say that the story and action are bad as they are still vastly superior to most animated films released since the 2011 second film or How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014).

Really, the biggest problems I have with this film are all little tweaks and while it is probably the weakest film in the series so far, its still a great family outing and a hearty and innocent action film starring everyone's favourite animated animals of Chinese philosophy.  The one big weakness that I'd say this film has in comparison to the previous two films is that aside from the truly superb voice acting by J.K.Simmons, Kai is easily the weakest villain in the movies so far.  Some people criticised  Ian McShane's Tai Lung for being a bit generic and while he certainly was in places, he was still a despicable bastard who more than represented a powerhouse of feline kung-fu and represented not only a powerful physical but also mental challenge to our heroes.  While Kai certainly does the same, I never got the same level of villainous believability or inherent threat and power considering how goofy the design of the character was for a main villain not to mention how he was treated as comedy relief for so much of the film.  Kai could've been one of the great animated movie villains of the last half a decade but was ultimately done in by somewhat misguided writing and direction.

Image source: http://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/hollywood/kung-fu-panda-3-first-teaser-reveals-villain-kai/

Even still, much like the rest of the film, this is still good enough as Kai certainly isn't a bad villain but just could've been a bit better.  In all honesty, this seems like a theme for the film as a whole in that it could've been much better if it had more focussed writing and direction but even taking this into account, the film as a whole is still a superb outing for al the family and is easily the most palatable and light-hearted film I've probably seen in a year.  It still has great action and representation of Chinese philosophy and culture and has the same great characters with the same great voice-acting that we've been adventuring across mythical China with since 2008.  The action is great and has probably the strongest final clash between villain and main hero of the franchise to this point meaning that while the narrative is ho-hum, the action rivals the second film and the end of the first film certainly in speed and intensity making for a finale that more than delivers on a good conclusion.  Therefore, for all its faults at the beginning and throughout (albeit less so in the second act), Kung-Fu-Panda 3 is a solid film for the kiddies and all the family in general.

If there is one thing that the film definitely does better than the previous two films though it has to be in the department of animation.  I always said that the animation in the previous two films was some of the best I've ever seen in a western-made animated film but the animation in this third outing easily blows the last two out of the water with a 100-megaton nuclear chi blast.  The textures on the fur of certain characters or the texture of mundane objects such as concrete walls and bowls make it seem starkly believable despite the speed and energy of the animation in general.  This allows for each movement and impact of the characters to feel wholly believable despite being animated and allows for some of the most dynamic action I've seen in a new movie since Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015).  So if there is one thing the third film has over the first's character introduction and music or the second's story, action, scale and villain it can easily be the visual design and animation which is about as magical as the philosophy and spirit world in this film.

Image source: http://www.inquisitr.com/2733692/kung-fu-panda-3-box-office-in-china-how-will-the-animated-film-do/

In conclusion, this is probably the weakest first act of any of the Kung-Fu-Panda films so far and is easily the weakest film in the franchise to this point but as a film in of itself and even within the franchise as a whole it is still a truly superb animated outing for the young-un's not to mention the whole family.  Sure the narrative is a bit weak but it wraps up the first trilogy of films about as well as I think we all could've hoped.  I don't think it'd be the best of ideas to make another film as this third one wraps up Po's character arc nicely.  If Kung-Fu-Panda 3 is to be the last film in the franchise then even despite all its faults it sure as hell make up for a better end to a classic trilogy than Robocop 3 (1993) or The Dark Knight Rises (2012).

Hopefully you'll enjoy this as much as if not more than I did because this is a film that definitely deserves love and support so until next time, have fun, take care and don't do anything I wouldn't do!

Cinematography/camerawork/animation: 10/10

Storyline/plot: 6/10

Action/set-pieces/key moments: 9/10

Direction: 7/10

Voice acting: 8.5/10

Visual design/sets: 8.75/10

Overall rating: much like the Italian all-you-can-eat that I went to after I saw this movie, this was a bit over-priced for what it was but still deserves support and applaud and is a tasty combination of cheese, salami and green salad...wait...uh...whoops sorry...wrong summary.

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