Kung Fu Panda 3

This review may contain spoilers!

At this point the Kung Fu Panda is probably the best film series Dreamworks has produced. I would give Kung Fu Panda 3 an 8/10.

This film is one of the best looking Dreamworks films that I have seen in a while; it really takes the time to experiment with varying styles and colurs, introducing a range of really beautiful visuals for this film. The score is incredible and easily one of the most memorable that I've heard for an animated film; the music that accompanies action sequences in this film is better than the music from most live action film fight sequences. Ultimately Kung Fu Panda has a story that progresses at a very natural pace, this is because the plot revolves around a simple quest and an interesting antagonist while still imparting a couple of solid themes. The key here is that it isn't too much, it knows exactly how to deliver it's story for maximum effect. There is a great theme in this film around Po's biological and adoptive father; while this theme has some presentation issues I think it'll resonate well with kid's who relate to Po's character in this regard.

Jack Black, who voiced Po, has always been the perfect voice for this protagonist; Black delivers lines in a really funny and entertaining way. Bryan Cranston, who voiced Li, has really made his mark upon the Kung Fu Panda series; I loved the scene in which he shared his memories of his wife with Po and I thought it was easily one of the best scenes of the film. Dustin Hoffman, who voiced Shifu, really masters the delivery of this character's wry wit; Hoffman bring s an air of maturity to the film and grounds it with some important lessons about identity and perseverance. Angelina Jolie, who voiced Tigress, doesn't have heaps of screen time in this film but shows that she's a master performer with what time she has; Jolie makes her role sound incredibly fierce and strong. James Hong, who voiced Mr Ping, is still a great quirky character in this film; however the thing I liked most about this role was his adversity with Cranston's character and the development of him, Cranston and Black into a family by the end of the film. Randall Duk Kim, who voiced Oogway, is a character that I really love to see in this film series; he is great at playing the sage master but he's also a very witty and fun role in and of himself. Liam Knight, who voiced Lei Lei, is a really funny and cute character in this film; I love the relationship between Knight and Jolie's character.

However the best performance came from J.K. Simmons, who voiced Kai. Something the Kung Fu Panda series has always managed is to create these incredible antagonists; first we had Ian McShane, then Gary Oldman and now J.K. Simmons has left his mark in a big way. This film opens from the get go by introducing us to Simmons' role and as the film progresses he is shown to be more and more intimidating; without a doubt he's a character to be feared. What I think Simmons brought to the role was an air of comedy that the other antagonists in the series have ever really brought; some of the funnier parts of the film is when Simmons banters with Black.

This film has a tendency to beat a comedic moment in time to death which I found to be a bit of a shame; take for example the scene in which Po 'learns how to be a panda', it's certainly funny but it carries on for a long time without really adding much to the film. I also thought that while the adoptive/biological family co-existing theme was great it certainly got awkward as the film went on, particularly the dialogue around this theme.

Jackie Chan, who voiced Monkey, gives some of the worst line delivery in this film; Chan's not very funny nor does he add much to the plot so he becomes a bit of a throwaway character. Seth Rogen, who voiced Mantis, shows us what happens when you censor a comedian too much in a film; sure Rogen is a funny guy but he can't make jokes he doesn't find funny sound funny. Lucy Liu, who voiced Viper, could probably count the number of lines she had on her fingers in this film; Liu has very little presence and is swiftly forgotten about in this film. David Cross, who voiced Crane, doesn't have a particularly good voice for voice acting is what I felt watching him in this film; the scene between him and Rogen was a great example of a pair of voice actors who weren't competent with their delivery. Kate Hudson, who voiced Mei Mei, is just a strange character in this film; she isn't funny and her flirting role feels a little awkward in this film which would have an audience mostly comprised of children.