Written by: Rylee McDonal~Copy Editor
Image from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21692408/
The newest edition to the “Kung Fu Panda” franchise was recently released, and will hopefully be the last edition.
The movie brought back many voice actors such as Jack Black and Dustin Hoffman playing their respective characters, while also adding new additions.
Awkwafina, who plays the new character Zhen, premiered to what felt like take up the legacy that Jack Black and his character Po have set up with the first three movies.
The story also brought back several villains that had been in previous movies, with only one voice actor returning; Ian McShane voicing Tai Lung who was the villain from the first movie.
The movie itself was cute and especially nostalgic for those who grew up with the franchise.
However, the story did feel a little rushed, and the two separate plots felt somewhat unnecessary.
The first plot being Po and new character Zhen finding and defeating the new villain, and second plot being Po’s dads attempting to find and prevent him from doing so.
While the movie was enjoyable and very much kid friendly, it felt like an unnecessary addition to the franchise.
It felt like the ending to a story that already ended with the third movie, and attempting to resuscitate a franchise that didn’t necessarily need it.
It could be that this movie is meant to set up something new for the franchise, especially due to the new character.
Regardless of the reasons, the new movie was fun to watch, and would be a good experience for anyone who has had an interest in it.
