Ephemeris of the Mind (Film Review) Kung Fu Panda 3
Time to read: 2 min read
Movie Poster
If you only do what you can do, you'll never be better than what you are.
Previous Kung Fu Panda film reviews:
Review
In the third film of the franchise, Po (Jack Black) faces off against General Kai (J. K. Simmons), a former comrade of Master Oogway (Randall Duk Kim) who has turned evil. Kai escapes from the Spirit Realm and seeks to conquer the world by stealing its chi. At the same time, Po finds his biological father Li Shan (Bryan Cranston) and travels to visit the hidden panda village.
This movie feels like more of the same; if one enjoyed the previous films, with its beautiful animations, moving soundtrack, and corny slapstick humour, then one will find this film enjoyable too. Po’s character develops every film and this film’s development does feel kind of forced in that Po has already obtained the pinnacle of kung fu but still needs to advance for the plot. I found the conclusion of the film kind of unsatisfactory because it felt abrupt and very deus ex machina. I did like Simmons’ sarcastic Kai who is the villain that probably had the best chemistry with Po. The jealous competition between Po’s adoptive father Mr. Ping (James Hong) and his biological father Li Shan are entertaining as well, and probably the only way to introduce a gay couple without triggering censors in various countries.
Conclusion
A weaker sequel but still has beautiful animation, great soundtrack, and tons of slapstick puns.