Kung Fu Panda 3

There's a reason why the "Kung Fu Panda" franchise is one of the most successful of all-time, and I'd like to believe that that reason is because the writers and the creative talents behind it know how to solidly move the story forward, even with the same characters, they know how to make them evolve without losing the charm and the heart that made the first and the second film effective.

In KUNG FU PANDA 3, Master Shifu appoints Po as the new teacher, a responsibility that of course Po is not able to handle, because he feels more comfortable just being the dragon warrior that saves the village whenever they need help. But that's the thing, once you've felt comfortable and you do only what you can, then you close any room for growth. But being a teacher is not Po's only new challenge. We know that it was just a matter of time until Po reconnects with his family, it was teased at the second film's end. Po's long-lost panda father reappears, just as the supernatural villain Kai, from the spirit realm, returns to the mortal world and vows vengeance. Each film has a certain kung fu style or a goal that Po must achieve, and in this one he has to master the Chi while at the same time learning to know what it means to be a panda.

I had concerns at first because "Kung Fu Panda 3" is released this month, and you know that January is a dumping ground for terrible movies. But now I see that this may actually have been a smart move on the studio's part because this is quite possibly the only great film this month, people will turn to "Kung Fu Panda 3" because everything else will disappoint them.

Just like the first and the second film, KUNG FU PANDA 3's animation is sharp and beautiful. The action sequences are fun and entertaining, and there's a little bit of a fish-out-water situation as well because our hero Po is pretty much new to this whole Panda village and they way they do things over there. But what rings true throughout all three films is that it's ultimately about Po's journey to become one with who he is. He accepted his destiny despite people's doubts, he let go of the past and found inner peace, and now he's put to the test once more, his confidence will be tried once more, and so seeing him be the underdog again is why root for Po. And on top of that, KUNG FU PANDA 3 never runs out of ammo to get you to feel emotional and they do it without trying too hard because it's done in a way that serves the story and the characters, the emotional scenes make sense, I often say that "Kung Fu Panda" movies faithfully follow Pixar's manual — the undeniable importance of a well-written story; one that goes straight for the heart and aims to inspire. KUNG FU PANDA 3 is simply awesome! And it's so cool if you think about it, this is an animated family film franchise that gets more and more solid with each installment, and that's rare.

After the fantastic first movie where Po is a classic hero after being a loser, where the villain has his own story and where the others play a role making Po the character he is, came a second movie with a dark, deep and personal story greatly told, and now we have just an excuse to make Po even more bada** fighting a villain nobody cares for and who came out of nowhere. This makes me sad because it was getting more "mature". But I understand it is a kids movie, so it's still entertaining and pleasant to watch, and I'm pretty sure the kids love this movie.

The Good Stuff (in order of awesomeness)

1. Superb animation and various art styles used. Hits are emphasized well with excellent sound design and voice acting. Good action.

2. Jokes are (mostly) good, made me laugh out loud multiple times.

3. The plot and pacing is pretty good and character development is adequate.

The Bad Stuff (in order of amplitude)

1. Antagonist is not really memorable with vanilla personality and motivation.

2. Film is obviously meant for a young-ish audience and contains some irritating slapstick and bad jokes.

3. 99% of Panda characters are completely forgettable.

Should you watch it: Probably, yes. I can't stress enough how good some of the visuals are.

The third chapter in DreamWorks Animation's Kung Fu Panda series may have the effervescent wit, lighthearted flavour & exciting kung fu action of the earlier chapters but it lacks a compelling story, weighty character evolution & the awareness of where to draw the line for this latest entry fails to find the near-perfect balance between its genre elements, something its predecessors excelled at with relative ease.

The story of Kung Fu Panda 3 continues the awesome journey of the Dragon Warrior as we find Po reuniting with his biological father in addition to being bestowed with the role of teacher, following Master Shifu's retirement. But when an ancient spirit warrior with the ability to steal other warriors' chi returns to the mortal world & hunts the Dragon Warrior, Po travels with his father to their secret panda village to master ways of defeating the enemy.

Co-directed by Jennifer Yuh & Alessandro Carloni, the issue I have with this feature is that its story lacks a coherent structure, it is difficult to connect with any of the characters for their arcs needed a lot more refinement, and there are plenty of moments that add nothing to the story. The previous chapters were able to find outrageous moments of hilarity in a well-timed & clever fashion but here its attempt at humour feels a bit too forced, needlessly silly & uneven for the most part.

Comedy when done right can amuse both the kids & grown-ups but the filmmakers have chosen to target the younger audience more this time. There are still plenty of laugh-out-loud moments that are done well but for the most part, it neither enriches the overall experience nor moves the story forward. The computer animation is still worthy of praise and retains the rich, colourful textures of past two instalments. Editing is a letdown for the narrative lacks a smooth, uniform flow. And Hans Zimmer's score isn't striking either.

On an overall scale, Kung Fu Panda 3 is an overkill for its emphasis on desperately finding ways to make its audience laugh ultimately backfires and while it works as a quite relaxing, enjoyable & amusing flick, it fails to duplicate the high scores that the previous chapters garnered in all departments of filmmaking. Certainly not worth the five year wait, exhibiting signs of weariness & marred by lazy writing, Kung Fu Panda 3 fails to properly implement the formula that turned the first two films of the franchise into instant classics right away.

As a certain character once said, a James Bond movie is only as good as the villain. The same rule actually applies to just about any story with some kind of confrontation, with the best of such stories having villains which you even want to relate to.

Kung Fu Panda trilogy is no exception. One of the reasons behind the first film's excellence was Tai Lung, a character so intense, conflicted and deeply rooted in the history of the KFP universe, that his story managed to combine the vibes of two great confrontations: Obi-Wan vs Darth Vader and Darth Vader vs Luke. So it's no wonder that my greatest wish for every next KFP movie was to have him back somehow. Those vain hopes...

The villain's complexity became the foundation on which the rest of the story could develop. Including the main character. First film's Po was so great because he was a classic "loser with a dream" type of character: confined in his bleak reality but refusing to accept his destiny. Po's power was in finally letting himself pursue the dream he's been having on his own for so long, and in how a true dream can overcome any obstacle in its way.

The problems began when Po was raised to the supreme position. It's where the pursuit of a dream was replaced with a job. Po is not a leader, he's not even a hero, he's just a guy who does what he can because his heart tells him so. But letting him keep that spirit would mean losing pace for the franchise. So each next film was basically creating a new villain out of thin air (or, in this film's case, from the other world, literally) and imposing the duty of defeating him on Po, using it as a justification for granting him another magic ability.

The gods are what we create ourselves. And, at the end of the day, KFP3 finished creating a cult of the Dragon Warrior by transforming Po from a goofus with a heart and spirit into some kind of omnipotent golden Buddha, smiling and just-be-yourself-preaching. The complexity is gone, the humanity, with all its inherent flaws, is gone. The only thing that's left is the divine perfection and invulnerability. Maybe the kids will love such glossy happy ending, just like they love playing video games in god mode: easy win, plain and simple. But for someone more mature, that kind of easy is just boring.