Review of Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016) by Leopoldthebrave — 05 Apr 2017

Kung Fu Panda 3 is still a fantastic film and entry in its franchise, but there are a few minor issues that lower it a bit from the previous two films. While Kung fu Panda 2 went a different direction than the first one by having Po wonder about his past and face his own internal conflicts, this movie goes in the same direction as the first with its "Chosen One" trope, but doesn't do anything to poke fun at it like it used to.

Instead of proving he's still the Dragon Warrior by beating the villain, Kai, Po instead only wins BECAUSE he's the Dragon Warrior. Instead of being a parody of the "Chosen One" story, it has now become the very thing it mocked. While that isn't a bad thing, it does take away a bit from the charm that the first two movies had.

The second and last flaw was in the fight scenes. Don't get me wrong, the animation is fantastic and looks better than ever. But for a movie called KUNG FU Panda, you'd expect a lot more Kung Fu. The fight scenes are way less common here, and the final battle is spent with flying and chi beams rather than exciting and fun to watch martial arts.

Now normally for me, flaws like those would bring this movie down to a 7 from the perfect 10 I gave the previous two films. But it makes up for it with much stronger and sharper humor along with even more incredible character development. Ping trying to get used to Po's new panda family is enjoyable. Watching Po's real father learn to let Po go and fight is heartwarming. The villain is very fun and creative to watch with his weapons despite not being quite as interesting as Tai Lung or Shen from the previous films.

While Kung fu Panda 3 has its fair share of issues that leave a mark on the wonderful franchise, other aspects of the film still greatly make up for it.