“Panda 3” A Fitting Way To Wrap Up Trilogy

Far too many movie trilogies end on an unsatisfying note. Crushed under the weight of expectation, most franchises simply can’t stick the landing, and leave armies of disappointed fan in the lurch. But the makers of “Kung Fu Panda 3” don’t play that.

Instead of crashing and burning, “Kung Fu Panda 3” brings the story of Po, panda bear and kung fu master, to a close in a way that will leave a smile on your face.

”Kung Fu Panda 3” finds Po (voiced by Jack Black) at a crossroads. It’s his time to go beyond his role as the Dragon Warrior and become a teacher. This inflames Po’s sense of inadequacy. To make matters worse, big baddie Kai (J.K. Simmons) has busted out of the spirit world looking to steal the life force of the world’s kung fu masters.

In order to learn the skills to defeat Kai, Po agrees to head to a secret panda village with his long lost father (Bryan Cranston). There, Po learns to embrace his true panda nature, which means lots of sleeping and eating. Will he learn the skills he needs to stop Kai? Can he reconcile his feelings for his birth father with his feelings for the goose that raised him? Is anybody else craving Chinese take-out right now, or is it just me?

While the story plays out fairly predictably, it’s an enjoyable enough ride. It’s impossible to not like Po. He’s engaging, funny and smarter than he looks. He always figures out what he needs to learn to accomplish his goals, and he carries the lessons he learns with him, where many movie characters immediately forget what they’ve learned and revert to their original, unenlightened states. I’m looking at you, “Ride Along 2”.

Po is surrounded by fun characters. The Furious Five, his companions from previous movies, are back. Po’s scenes with Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) are enjoyable, and you might learn something if you listen closely enough. The panda village is full of lovable characters. Even Kai is pretty engaging.

A lot of that comes from the voice performances. Black is endearingly goofy as Po. Cranston is equally fun as Li, although it messed with my head a little to think that Po’s dad is Walter White. Simmons is obviously having a blast playing Kai, and that makes him a solid character although he’s a little clichéd.

Visually, “Kung Fu Panda 3” is beautiful. The colors are bright and rich, the setting are eye-catching and the animation if fluid and smooth. This movie is a treat for the eye, and the spirit realm in captured is way that is awesome on a cosmic scale. The action scenes are exciting and easy to follow, at times feeling more like dance numbers than fights scenes.

”Kung Fu Panda 3” may not be the last “Kung Fu Panda” movie, but if it is, this leaves the story in a good place. It feels like Po has mastered himself and become the best version of himself that he can be, and that’s the whole point of these “Panda” movies. This third installment is a little predictable, but it’s also a funny, thrilling beautiful ride.

3 Indy Fedoras out of 5

MPAA Rating: PG