Kung Fu Panda 4 is in theaters as of March 3rd, and I took my family tonight to go watch the new film featuring Jack Black’s Po, the Dragon Warrior of the Valley of Peace. I’ll be giving my review, so there are going to be spoilers down below. Make sure you watch the film before you jump to the rest of the post.
Review
It seems that KFP4 is getting a pretty rough run on many of the film review sites, scoring lower scores such as a 6.7/10 on IMDb, 70% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 57% on Metacritic. But here’s the deal. I am no movie critic. Every single movie I go to is for the fun of going to the movies. This film is clearly for an audience way younger than I, which is why it was the perfect opportunity to take the kids to the theater! Actually, this was my nephew’s first movie theater experience. The kids really enjoyed themselves, and the adults did too!
The Chameleon
The villain of the movie, The Chameleon, is a shapeshifting sorceress with one flaw, she can’t fight. She know no Kung-Fu, so if she were to go against Po in a fight, she would likely be overthrown. She fixes this flaw during the process of the movie. I really liked her design! The way her eyes moved independently at times and her three claws were very in character of a chameleon. As a previous chameleon owner, I never thought of my boy Leon as a villain, but I can say I am certainly happy he never decided to take over the world. He was already a sneaky boy, I can only assume how easy he could have taken over the city.
The Next Generation
The overall lesson I got out of KFP4 was that of replacing yourself. Po isn’t getting any younger, and seeing as how the first movie came out in 2008, Po has been serving as the Dragon Warrior ever since Master Oogway chose him way back in the first installment. The time has now come to choose the next Dragon Warrior. Po is reluctant to pick a new warrior because he is the Dragon Warrior. Why should he be forced to find a replacement when he is doing a perfectly fine job?
I feel as though at the age I am, so many cool movie franchises started when I was younger, and now that I have kids, those main characters I grew up with are transitioning out, and being replaced by new lead characters (looking at you, Ash Ketchum). As sad as I am to see these old friends age out of the spotlight, I am excited for what new adventures these characters will be part of that my kids will get to see and experience as they grow up.
Zhen
The film continues with the typical evil villain taking over the world plot, but through the course of events, Po meets a sticky fingered fox named Zhen. Zhen grew up on the streets, learning to steal whatever she needed to survive.
I kind of see a little of myself in Po, especially in the way that he treats Zhen. Throughout my life, I have always tried to draw out the best in people, showing them there is a better way to live their life, and that they are never too late to make a change, to do the right thing. Zhen of course struggles with change, but over the course of the movie, begins to treasure her friendship with Po and eventually becomes the Dragon Warrior, as Po ascends to his next responsibility as the Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace.
We often encounter the concept of replacing yourself. It has been told to me numerous times to always be on the lookout to replace yourself. Start training the younger generation to take your job. It isn’t surprising that this is the case. When you look at Christianity, for instance, Jesus instructed his 12 disciples to go out, baptize, and make disciples of all nations. Here we are, 2000 years later, and Christianity is still spreading. How? By building up the younger generation and passing on the torch. That means if you could trace back to the person who told you about Christ, and then traced back who told that person about Christ, and so on, eventually you would get to Christ himself!
As a Christian, I have to be on the lookout for opportunities to share my faith. As a drummer, I need to be observant of those younger drummers in my life that are growing in their craft. As a teacher, I need to be aware of the younger teachers that are working out their own teaching styles. In any area of life you can think of, there should be people that can pour into you, but also, people that you can pour back into. Start thinking how you can replace yourself, because like it or not, you will not be here forever. Who is going to carry the torch when you are gone?
One of my favorite scenes in this movie is where Po and Zhen are being chased by the police, who are all bulls. At one point they end up going through a china shop owned by a rabbit. Obviously fearful of his product being destroyed, the rabbit just looks on in horror and disbelief as the main characters and the bull police carefully tip toe their way through the store without having a “bull in a china shop” moment!
Also, if you enjoy Jack Black’s music, you won’t be disappointed in the end credits.