Po returns to do Kung Fu
JOBURG – The only panda who practises Kung Fu eats and fights his way back into cinema.
Movie: Kung Fu Panda 3
Reviewed by: Amy Ingram
Genre: Animation
Running time: 95 minutes
Starring: Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu, Seth Rogen.
Director: Jennifer Yuh Nelson
Rating: 8/10
JOBURG – Every child’s favourite Kung Fu fighting panda, Po, is back in cinemas with his third movie, Kung Fu Panda 3, where he continues on his path as the Dragon Warrior.
In the last two installments, Po, voiced by Jack Black, and his friends the Famous Five: Tigress, Mantis, Viper, Money and Stork, have trained together and taken down many foes. However, Po is to face his biggest challenge yet.
The Plot: Master Shifu, who has trained Po through the last two movies, is retiring and asks Po to teach Kung Fu on his behalf. While Po struggles to handle this new responsibility, he meets his biological father, who began his journey to find Po in the last movie. Po and his father, Li, hit it off instantly but their happiness is short lived as a new danger arises.
A once great warrior, Oogway, threatens the Jade Palace that Po calls home. Oogway uses the power of other warrior’s Chi, which is essentially a person’s life force, to destroy the Jade Palace. His mission is to absorb the Chi of every Kung Fu warrior in the palace.
Po needs to master the art of Chi to combat Oogway and travels to a secret panda village with his father to learn the ancient technique. Oogway follows Po to the village and threatens to destroy the only place pandas call home. This sets Po on a great journey of self discovery where he learns about Chi, how to teach Kung Fu and how to be a panda.
The Good: The story line is what you would expect of another Kung Fu Panda movie and does not disappoint fans or anyone in search of some animated fighting humour. Another met expectation was the message of friendship, family and justice that was seen throughout the movie. However, the movie is not a rehash of the last two movies but in fact shows strong progression in Po’s Kung Fu skills and in the discovery of his past.
The Bad: The flow of the story is a bit predictable as anyone can guess that Po, being the hero of the story, will save the day and achieve what he set out to achieve.
The Verdict: Kung Fu Panda 3 has the potential to be a hit among adults and children. If you have not watched the last two movies, you can still enjoy the movie as adults will be able to read between the lines. However, the background knowledge allows for more appreciation of the plot, which provides a humorous angle on self development.
Watch the trailer here:
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