I'm a HUGE Kung Fu Panda fan. These are my comfort movies. I love the likable characters, charming humor, gorgeous visuals, action choreography, amazing score, philosophy, and clever ways they handle familiar themes. Now that we have the fourth film, how did it turn out?

If you love these films like I do, then I am glad to say that Kung Fu Panda 4 is another solid entry in the franchise! If you are one of those people who loved the first two but wasn’t the biggest fan of the third one, I still highly recommend it.

It would be hard for me to rank all the KFP films because they each have something that helps them stand out from the others. The first film had the best story, the second one had the best character drama and villain, and the third one had the best comedy, colors, and lessons. Where Kung Fu Panda 4 shines is in its atmosphere, worldbuilding, and action. I highly suggest you see this film on the biggest screen you can find because the landscapes and action scenes are absolutely stunning to see in a theater! As someone who loves animation and the process of making it, I was just blown away by what this production team has designed here.

Also, BEST end credits song!

Jack Black is always great as Po, but I got to give some praise to the newer members. Awkwafina's character Zhen compliments Po really well and they work off one another a lot better than I thought they would. I'm looking forward to seeing their relationship bloom in future sequels. I also loved Ke Huy Quan as Han, and you can tell that Viola Davis is having a lot of fun playing The Chameleon (who is honestly a much better villain than I thought she would be).

There are a few issues worth mentioning:

* While it is good to set up a solid friendship between Po and Zhen first, I would have liked to see more teacher-student moments between them since this is the character that Po will be training to be the next Dragon Warrior.
* I love Po's dads and I think they make a very sweet duo but their subplot wasn't that necessary. Their main contribution to the film is helping Po with the lesson of change. It's done in only one scene and while it is well handled, they didn't need so much screen time leading up to that moment.
* Also, I think the one major disadvantage this film has compared to the others is that it is not quite as deep. It has plenty of heart but this one is more of a grand action spectacle than a emotionally powerful and philosophical Kung Fu Panda movie. I would have appreciated it if there were a few more really deep scenes.

Aside from that, I LOVED this movie. It's great that after four films this franchise hasn't lost its touch. It continues to move the story forward and can still give us some fun, eye-catching entertainment. I know there will be people who think this sequel is "unnecessary" or be pissed that the Furious Five only appear for one scene. However, since making Kung Fu Panda a 6-part film series has been the plan for a while now, I see this film as an excellent part 1 to a brand-new trilogy. I cannot wait for more!