The third film in Dreamworks enduring martial-arts-comedy franchise has managed the near impossibility of being simultaneously too predictable and too nonsensical. As a fan of the first two films, I often found myself defending them against detractors who claimed they were too prone to the narrative downfall of the "deus-ex-machina" (an unexpected power or event saving a seemingly hopeless situation). With Panda 3, that fight has become too much to wage. With story beats that are beyond lazy, we've abandoned the majestic fighting of the first 2, leaving us with nothing but childish humor and tons of unearned yet expected emotions. The story finds Po (played by the ever-perfect-for-the-role Black) trying to best a particularly tough new baddie, all the while discovering that his birth-dad is still alive and residing within a hidden community full of pandas. The new villain has a completely inexplicable backstory, but is mostly cool enough to make up for it, and the village of bears is plenty cute and funny. It even provides a respectable example of non-traditional parenting for modern times. Unfortunately, it's all surrounded by the tired "be yourself" morality that kid's films can't seem to get away from. Sure, the animation is as beautiful as ever, the score is cool, and there are a handful of genuine belly laughs. Unfortunately, the overpowering sense of laziness in the script drags down this otherwise successful family outing, a product of trying to squeeze too many stories from one small beginning. Kung Fu Panda 3 is missing the unique spirit of comedic fun and adventure that bolstered the previous two films to the top of the Dreamworks animation stable.
Review of Kung Fu Panda 3
