What do we think Kung Fu Panda 4 is? Skadoosh!
It is impossible, absolutely unthinkable, to seriously and accurately review Po’s latest adventure in the unusual Juniper City. Maybe because the preview audience was mainly made up of wild children full of energy. It may be due to the umpteenth wave of good humor and peacefulness that inspires the Dragon Master. Or perhaps the entrance at the foot of Jack Black in the final theme with “Baby One More Time” made us sing at the top of our lungs with the last of our daily energy.
We want to avoid too many spoilers, so let’s briefly follow the first lines of the incipit of Universal Picture:
After defying death in three incredible adventures defeating world-famous enemies with his extraordinary courage and his crazy martial arts skills, Po, the Dragon Warrior (Jack Black, Golden Globe nominee), is called by destiny to… give us a cut. He is in fact entrusted with the task of becoming the spiritual leader of the Valley of Peace. However, this leads to a couple of obvious problems. First, Po knows as much about spiritual leadership as he does about the paleo diet, and second, he must seek out and train a new Dragon Warrior as soon as possible before he can assume his new and prestigious position.
The original cast is first class, the voices are entrusted to the showman Jack Black and sumptuous Oscar and Golden Globe winners. In Italy we instead chose to rely on dubbing professionals. And, personal opinion, there is nothing to envy of the original cast. Even for this fourth film I can only have the thumbs up Fabio Volo in the guise of Po, yet the magnificence of the voice of Tai Lung echoes in the room, as does the sweetness and irreverence of the new co-protagonist Zhen. Yet, in typical Italian style the one in the native language is forcefully served up, omitting (apart from Fabio Volo) the names of our magnificent local voice actors.
DreamWorks Animation adds another little gem to the Kung Fu Panda chapters, still managing to be quite convincing with the reasons why “we needed it without knowing it”. That step that should consecrate Po to the highest rank. That step towards realization which in some way gratifies all the fans, who were waiting for the final triumph of this soft and uncommon panda of Martial Masters.
There always remains that quick and direct comedy, the one that makes you smile without having to think and understand the subtleties, the one that is induced by a digital film and in some way is also a hint of an amazing animation skill. Lights, landscapes, special effects, everything is designed very well to please the eye.
And in all this frenzy and colour, there is always hidden some small pearl of wisdom, of good feelings, of redemption, which in the hour and a half of the feature film accompany us towards the moral of the whole film. And obviously we won’t reveal it to you!
However, we want to leave a little advice to you: if you loved the small and cuddly kittens of “Puss in Boots”, keep an eye on the soft bunnies of the Juniper City underground.
So promoted? Strangely enough, yes. Sequels are always difficult to keep up, but an excellent stratagem was found and a very interesting screenplay that captures the viewer. The 5 Furies are missing, but the presence of Shifu and the dusting off of the old ones villains gives a slightly fresher touch to the chapter, focusing attention on the main protagonists, without unnecessary frills or complementary protagonists.
On March 21st, if you want to have a laugh with friends, sing or watch something light, don’t miss this fun and lively film.
Of course, in case you forgot, the right word is Skadoosh!