Studio: Universal Pictures
Release Date: 5/8/2024
Rating: PG
Film Grade: C+
The Story: Po has finally settled into his role as the Dragon Warrior, but a new challenge awaits. Shifu informs him that it’s time to take his next step and ascend to the role of the valley’s spiritual leader, following in the footsteps of Oogway. That means it’s time for Po to select someone to succeed him as the new Dragon Warrior.
But before that can happen, a mysterious threat arises from outside of the Valley of Peace. With the Furious Five away on other missions, it will be up to Po and an unlikely ally to defeat this new evil.
My Take: The fourth feature in the series may be the weakest. Aimed at a young audience, older viewers will have little trouble guessing where the plot is going. I give them points for growing Po’s character, but it’s at the cost of diminishing the status of the Dragon Warrior title. And while it was fun to see the new candidates, it also seemed odd to exclude all of the Furious Five from contention. He’s taught them nothing in all this time? Their absence was really felt in this installment.
I’m not a fan of Jack Black but have always enjoyed his work as Po. He continues that streak here, filling the character with an infectious blend of innocence, earnestness, wonder, and discovery. Joining him in this outing is Awkwafina as a sly thief, playing the typical kind of role we see (or hear) her in. I find her voice to be incredibly grating, but others may feel differently. Viola Davis gives the new big baddie a credible edge and seems to relish her villainous role. We also have the return of James Hong as Po’s adoptive father. It’s always a treat to hear him, and he hasn’t lost a beat, even at a young 95 years of age.
Video: This is a great looking movie. Colors are so bright and vibrant that they just leap off of the screen. We get inky blacks and great contrast highlighting the character designs, sets, and landscapes. There were a few scenes that looked a little under rendered and lacking in detail, but they’re brief and only stand out in comparison to the rest of the film. These animated titles keep looking better and better, and this is just the Blu-ray. I imagine the 4K must look even sharper and livelier.
Audio: It’s another Universal Blu-ray release that comes with an Atmos soundtrack! That said, the format isn’t used to its full potential. Top speakers are mostly tasked with expanding the musical score, with some overhead effects from time to time. I couldn’t find the wides being used at all in my scan of various scenes but will grant that I could have missed some examples.
More disappointing is the lack of effective bass. The infamous “Skadoosh” made its impressive debut in the first installment, and caught fans off guard. That scene has elicited countless smiles aplenty as worthy demo material since then. While Skadoosh makes an appearance, it’s little more than a whimper compared to what it once was.
The overall sound design in the original film was fantastic, even though it was just 5.1. I loved the whole feel of Tai Lung’s prison escape in that movie, and it still holds up today. While we’ve seen ever-increasing visual enhancements in these animated movies, it feels like the soundtracks are not keeping pace. This isn’t a bad mix by any means but could have been more engaging with additional time or attention.
Special Features: Here’s another disc that’s absolutely loaded. As an adult, I didn’t find much value in them, and the video quality is uneven. That said, many are meant to appeal to a young audience and kids may find great amusement in them. The drawing segments would have been something I would have loved as a child.
- Dueling Dumplings
- Mastering the Dumpling
- Bad Bunny Review
- Deleted Scenes
- Kung Fu Talking
- Meet the Cast
- Kung Fu Panda 4 All!!
- How to Draw
- Shadow Puppet Theater
- Feature Commentary
Final Verdict: The filmmakers have tried to add a new facet to the series by evolving Po from a warrior to a spiritual leader, which is a bold move. This film is only the first step in that direction.
Instead, we get an adventure that just isn’t that spirited and feels more rote than it should. But, for an audience of youngsters, it should be amusing enough. There are some laugh-out-loud moments for adults, and there is a level of sweetness to the character of Po that remains ever heartwarming.
We’ll be adding this to our collection at some point, just for completion purposes, but it’s not something we’ll be yearning to revisit in the near future. Households with children will likely be more receptive to it, as it is slightly above most animated kid’s fare.
Fun Quote: “What do I know about being a Spiritual Leader? I can’t even come up with one of those cool-sounding proverbs.”
My Review System:JVC DLA-RS3100 4K Ultra High-Definition Front Projector
Elite Screens Sable Frame B2 117” Width with Infinitely Variable Height
Monolith by Monoprice HTP-1 16 Channel Processor with Dirac Live
Monolith by Monoprice 7x200 Watts Amp
Monolith by Monoprice 3x200 Watts + 6x100 Watts Amp
JBL Studio 590 for Left, Center, Right, Wides, and Rears
JBL Studio 580 for Side Surrounds
JBL Studio SCS 8 for Tops
JTR Captivator 1400 Subwoofer X 4
Panasonic DP-UB420 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
Oppo BDP-93
NVIDIA Shield Android TV - 4K
Xbox One X
HTPC Running madVR (work in progress)
Remote: URC MX-780
Mini DSP 2X4 HD controlling all subwoofers
APC S15 Power Conditioner with Battery Backup
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