Summary
It’s been over fifteen years since the dragon warrior first kicked his way into movie fans' hearts and continued to stay there with each new release in theKung Fu Pandamovie series. The latest title in the series,Kung Fu Panda 4, only recently hit cinema screens, coming out eight years after the previous trilogy signed off.
The series is perhaps best known for its solid stories and beautiful animation, as well as boasting one of thebest celebrity voice performances in an animated movieto date, the hilarious Jack Black as the main hero Po. Each film brings something new to viewers and Po’s ongoing journey. They’re all a great watch, but as with any ranking there’s always a top, so why not read on below to see which movie comes out on top?
4Kung Fu Panda 4
Metascore: 56
It stands to reason that most fans probably weren’t expecting a new entry into theKung Fu Pandaseries. After all, it has been coming up to ten years since the third entry was released, and it seemingly capped the series off nicely. Still, fans were pleased to hear a new fourth entry was on the cards, but upon seeing a trailer featuring the new character of Zhen, played by Awkwafina,it left a few fans uneasy and cautiousabout just how well this new entry would fare on release.
Thankfully, the film came together nicely, offering a good experience packed with funny jokes and beautiful animation that fans of the series have come to expect.Kung Fu Panda 4delivered another strong franchise villain in the form of The Chameleon. She was at the heart of some tense scenes and exciting combat moments, but ultimately, her generic plan and association with Po made her feel like the weakest of the series' great baddies.
The story focuses on Po finding a new dragon warrior, with him set to take on new responsibilities as Master Oogway did in the films prior. Fans will get a kick out of seeing Ian McShane return as Tai Lung, but the Furious Five and snippets of other previous cast members are only seen and not heard, making the film seem like it couldn’t budget them properly or explain their absence in a way that complements the story. It isn’t something that detracts from the main narrative thread, but fans might find it hard to brush off their absence as easily as the film tries.
The latest entry into theKung Fu Pandamovie canon doesn’t quite meet the heights of what came before. That’s not to say the movie isn’t a good time, as there’s still plenty of laughs and another menacing villain for Po to contend with, but it feels more like agood DLC expansion to the main series, rather than an essential entry into the main series.
3Kung Fu Panda 3
Metascore: 66
Capping off a trilogy isn’t always the easiest task. Fortunately,Kung Fu Panda 3wasn’t in the same boat as a few other underwhelming third entries. The 2016 release gave fans what they had come to love, as well as continuing the story about Po’s past and heritage.
The story for the third entry sees Master Oogway’s old friend turned nemesis, Kai, return to the mortal realm after escaping the spirit realm, leading Po and co to put a stop to his Chi-stealing rampage. The film also introduced fans to Po’s panda father, Li Shan, as he re-enters his son’s life and whisks him off to a hidden panda village. The film is filled with gorgeous scenery, and the animation excels with the vibrancy of color the spirit realm brings. Theaction is well choreographed, leading to some memorable fights.
Kung Fu Panda 3is not only a solid entry into the film series, but a great addition to the DreamWorks catalog. It moves at a brisk pace, introduces new characters fans want to get to know and still has time for butt-kicking action and the silly Panda humor moviegoers have come to love.
2Kung Fu Panda
Metascore: 74
All roads have to start somewhere. For Po, that was back in 2008 with the release of the first entry in the franchise,Kung Fu Panda. This project was a huge success with critics and moviegoers, quickly solidifying itself as one ofDreamWorks' best-animated features.
The first movie sees Po right at the start of his Kung Fu journey. He’s working at the noodle shop his adoptive father, Mr. Ping owns and is obsessed with Kung Fu and the Furious Five. Soon, the return of a previous student, andone of DreamWorks' strongest characters, Tai Lung, threatens to return whilst Po is named the dragon warrior and must learn Kung Fu, despite his body and ability, suggesting otherwise to his teacher, Master Shifu. Thus begins an enjoyable romp filled with stellar animation and inventive action sequences, cementing Jack Black’s lovable Po as one of DreamWorks studio’s most successful characters.
Kung Fu Pandaset the bar for what the series would need to hit going forward. It delivered a whole host of great characters and still to this day some of DreamWorks' most stunning animated imagery. Each year that passes there’s the worry it could lose its charm, but thanks to its timeless story, compelling action scenes, and standout Jack Black performance, it looks set to cement itself as a true animated classic.
1Kung Fu Panda 2
Metascore: 67
Not often doesa sequel outshine the original film. However, there are occasions when a sequel builds upon the groundwork laid by the original, delivering more of what fans loved to become even better than the original movie.Kung Fu Panda 2is one such movie.
Taking note of what made the first movie so entertaining,Kung Fu Panda 2aimed to build upon that with bigger laughs, deeper lore, and some truly stunning visuals. The film set out to explore Po’s tragic past, introducing one ofDreamWorks' most evil villains,Lord Shen in the process. Not only was Lord Shen shown to be pivotal in Po’s past, as he tried to destroy all the pandas after a sage foretold a warrior of black and white would be his downfall, but he also invented the next step in the weaponry war which threatened to be the end of Kung Fu. Lord Shen brought so much weight to this sequel and watching Po struggle to grasp what had happened to him, but also find a way to defeat a weapon that defeats Kung Fu, with Kung Fu made for an engrossing and truly special animated feature.
The sequel hit emotions harder than any other title in the franchise but still retained its comedic charm throughout, providing some great laughs, a deeper martial arts story, and some truly dazzling animated action.Kung Fu Panda 2is the combination of a great martial arts movie and a great animated movie, two that came together to create a spectacular watch for fans of all ages.
