Review of Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016) by Patrick M — 20 Feb 2016

Po's last lesson...learned a lot like a few others. Kung-fu SPOILERS ahead, folks.

As a fan of these movies, I eagerly anticipated this third (and evidently final) installment. The premise is promising enough: The Valley of Peace is threatened by the forgotten warrior Kai, who has used the mastery of chi to enslave kung fu masters. At the same time he's tasked with teaching the Furious Five in place of Shifu, Po finds his biological father, and is told that Pandas are known masters of chi manipulation. Adding to this is the conflict between the family Po is discovering, and the goose that raised him.

The action and comedy are still good. It manages to still be fun to watch these characters interact and crack wise. The actors all do a good job, even though some are underplayed; Jean-Claude Van Damme had maybe...what, a battle cry reprising Master Croc? James Hong and Bryan Cranston do well as different protective fathers: One wants to know and shield his son, the other fears losing him (though Mr. Ping did acclimate pretty quickly with the village cubs).

The story...that's a bit of a tough one there. It definitely has its strengths, but not without some weaknesses compared to previous films. Kai is a workable villain, despite the whole "brother betrayed" cliche. His motivations don't seem as strong as Tai Lung or Shen, but the running gag that no one but Po recognized him was fun. I particularly liked the music that played while he was approaching the Jade Palace.

In bringing the series full circle, I can't help but see some contradictory themes. The first movie worked on the idea of "no secret ingredient", which could be interpreted as saying that not only can anyone be "something special", but that anyone could've been chosen as Dragon Warrior. Oogway knowing that Po, as a panda, would be the optimum choice to eventually defeat Kai sort of contradicts that, and uses destiny as a trope. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but it doesn't feel as solid as the story in the second movie. but in fairness, that was quite a film to try and top...

Again they seem to go with a self-discovery arc for Po. He's finding out who he is, but extending to whose son he is, and his evolved role as a teacher. It's not quite as strong as the second film, perhaps because it's play far less emotional, but still feels like a necessary evolution of his character. Though, the fact that they once again have him "just learning" the technique he needs to know is very deus-ex-machina, and is sort of a cheat. It was fun in the first one, and played to him being a kung-fu nut that was surprisingly adept. In 2, he at least practiced inner peace and endured painful recovered memories. Here, he warps to the afterlife and comes back just knowing what he needs. I do, however, like that others helped him in his victory.

I read somewhere that Mei-Mei was to be Po's arranged bride, but it looks like they scrapped it. The idea didn't really appeal to me, but without it, it kind of makes you wonder why have that character around at all. But she didn't really detract from the film, so not a big deal, I guess. She was sort of fun an underplayed vain kind of character.

All in all, this is a good send off for the movies that filled with about as much action and humor they're known for. It's just not as strong or powerful as the second. While some elements feel very much like episodes from the "Legends of Awesomeness" TV series on Nick, it's still worth a watch to people who enjoy these movies.