Just something I reflected on
The last 2–3 posts I've made have been extremely discouraging and upsetting, and I just wanted to reflect on why I'm so negative suddenly.
Below the cut:
Initially, when I watched the trailer for Kung Fu Panda 4, I was super excited. Sure, I saw Zhen and instantly felt off about her, but the rest was too good to be brought down by her. Though, as I went on Tumblr, I got onto the KFP4 tag to check out some fan art for the Chameleon, but was met with a barrage of negativity. I'm not blaming anyone, but it does affect opinions when there's genuinely good points.
This phenomenon has happened frequently, as I usually wish to see fan art and am met with critique that I end up reading (which is still entirely on me), which in turn makes me wonder if I really should like the media I consume.
The reflection I did today did aid me in coming to a proper conclusion about my stance:
I'll like what I damn please, even if it's literal shit. The jokes can be awful, the story can make little sense, the cinematography can be abysmal. I don't care. I watched through the entirety of The Untamed, for goodness’s sake. Yeah, maybe DreamWorks should do better, and yeah, perhaps it's stupid that they made some new character to take up screen time when we could've had the Furious Five. Yes, DreamWorks, do better, treat the furious five better, make a compelling movie twice in a row challenge impossible.
If I end up loving it based on the few good things in it? Then so be it! I like Hotel Transylvania 3. NO ONE likes Hotel Transylvania 3. But I do. So, people may be critics, but I'm genuinely tired of being a critic and I'm going to be a silly guy and go "ohh. animation prettyy omggg tai lung hiii tai lung wydd <33" even if the story isnt living up to the past movies. I watch movies, shows and consume books and media to feel, not to nitpick and be all professional. I watch stuff to have a good time. So if KFP4 sucks, I hope for it to be bad as an enjoyable time and not a waste of time.
11 notes
·
View notes
Kung Fu Panda 4 Thoughts/Liveblog Thing
Just caught this at the theater for a grand total of five whole dollars, so I thought I'd do some quick opinions while it's fresh.
Non-spoiler opinion: It was Okay(TM), but the movies were considerably stronger as a trilogy. It's worth seeing one (1) time if you're a KFP fan (and really, who isn't), but I wouldn't bother paying full price for it or anything
SPOILERS FOR ALL 4 MOVIES UNDER THE CUT:
A list of things that slap:
The animation is stunning and fast-paced. Really loved the use of Chinese-style paint brush strokes to accentuate the action
Also I'll talk about the 5 later but I also really liked the animation change when describing where they are—all KFP movies have at least one animation shift and I'm glad this one kept up with it
Some of the fight scenes were super good, I liked the one that uses the tilting bar on a cliff in particular
(side note: the Missing Link did something similar, just on a ship. Go watch the Missing Link)
The Chameleon served straight cunt the entire time she was on screen and I kind of loved (almost) everything about her. Character design was incredible, voice was perfect, palace design was amazing, abilities were sick
Also the way she rides up chilling in a golden tree branch of all things? Fellas, we have no choice but to stan
Also I just appreciate the choice to both do a female villain for a change and to get a reptile in here after having only mammals and one (1) bird as villains previously
Speaking of character design there were a few really good ones in there, like a pangolin that moves Sonic the Hedgehog-style, a cool looking female boar, and a bunch of Komodo dragon henchmen. Good stuff
The jokes were a very mixed bag for me, some hit and some didn't. I will say that Zhen just going "that's great for you" in response to Shifu stating he's a red panda got me for some reason
If anyone hurts Po's gay dads I'm killing everyone in this room and then myself
Jack Black's cover of Baby One (1) More Time is unironically better than the original
A list of things that Do Not Slap:
Pacing/Plot:
This movie lacked a color scheme? KFP 1 was blue (also some gold), KFP 2 was red, KFP 3 was green. These colors weren't subtle either, there are entire scenes in each movie drenched in these colors and it was really obviously missing here
The whole first half the movie feels really breathless and too fast-paced. Apparently it was a studio mandate to have it not go over an hour and a half which is A) stupid and B) hurts the pacing
As much as I love Po's two gay dads we REALLY should not have been wasting time on their journey when the runtime is so tight
Also them tagging along felt off? Mr. Ping was worried sick about Po in KFP 2 but he doesn't tag alone because obviously he needs to let his son have his space. It's more in-character with Li Shan but it doesn't come across like he's talking Mr. Ping into it or something
In general there are so many plot points in this movie that feel under-developed. You could've made an entire movie out of the previous villains returning, Zhen and the Chameleon's relationship (see below), etc.
Po's Character:
People not knowing Po is the dragon warrior is weird, I'm pretty sure he would've been more well known than that
The entire thing with Po needing to give up his role as the Dragon Warrior doesn't really make sense? The Dragon Warrior is literally a made-up title. There's no need to have a Dragon Warrior because there is no such thing technically, it's why Oogway denied Tai Lung the title and then waited years and years to give it to Po. Like it's not a role that needs to be passed down, that's missing the entire point of the Everything
Also Po's only been like Dragon Warrior for a few years? I don't think we're ever given a time scale but it wasn't that long
The jokes about Shifu and Po having trouble with inner peace/mediating feels off given that was the entire plot of the second movie
It felt like Po regressed a bit character wise. He acts like he has no idea how to be a teacher in this movie but he already was a teacher by the end of the third, that was the entire point??
Also he seemed like he was more gullible in this movie but I could be wrong
Why is Po so impressed with Juniper city. He literally spent most of KFP 2 in Gongmen hello?? I think(?) Juniper is bigger but he shouldn't be acting like he has no idea what a city is
Zhen/Chameleon:
Zhen's character design doesn't match anything else, which is weird because most of the new characters in this film keep the distinct style in some form or another
Her wanted poster shows her with the bold markings KFP is known for and it looks SO much better
The plot twist with Zhen working for the villain was so obvious I did not realize it was supposed to be a twist at first
Also, the entire thing with Zhen was entirely unneeded? The Chameleon could've just just stood up and announced her plan to take over and Po would've shown up on her doorstep with the staff
I guess the idea is that Po needed to hand over the staff willingly for it to work? But if that's the case the Chameleon could've just impersonated Tigress or something and gotten it that way in like 1/3 of the time
Originally she was supposed to have kidnapped Shifu which would've been a much better plot point as it would've given Po extra motivation
The other problem with treating Zhen as a plot twist is that it hampers the relationship she has with the Chameleon effectively being her mom, which is FASCINATING. They had some really interesting chemistry together (the whole "stand up straight" thing as one example) and I could've seen it as a Mother Gospel from Tangled kind of deal, but we barely get any interaction between the two and it's like AAAAAAA
Fanfic writers fix this shit. I believe in you
I'll have to chew on it more but my pacing thought would actually be to start with Po finding out about the Chameleon's "take over everything" plan very early due to Shifu's kidnapping. He breaks into the lair like at the 1/3 mark or earlier and he meets Zhen inside which then leads into why she's doing what she's doing and the mother angle, etc etc blah blah
The Chameleon needed to just straight-up murder someone, comically shoving them down the stairs isn't good enough. I know stairs are Po's greatest enemy but I don't think that applies to everyone
Shen was allowed to stab someone on-screen so I think the Chameleon should be a allowed to strangle someone or something. as a treat
If violence was the concern just keep it off-screen like Master Rhino's death in KFP 2
The shapeshifter turning into a giant monster trope is overrated and I'm glad it was just used briefly here and not even for her defeat
Also the Chameleon's thing with her being rejected from Kung Fu because she's too small makes no sense b/c Mantis, which I'm pretty sure everyone's pointed out already. She does say "lowly" I think but was she ever poor? Could make a very interested parallel to Zhen if that was the case but it was never brought up again
I've heard some argue body image parallels w/ Po in KFP 1 but if that was the intent it's not explored, like, at all, which is a shame because it could've been an interesting angle
Also If they wanted a better excuse related to body image just say she was too frail instead of too small. I haven't owned chameleons but I've heard from people who have that they are very frail and very hard to keep alive, which would be a much better reason to turn her away
Cameos:
Yes I'm devoting an entire section to five second cameos don't judge me
I have mixed feelings on the Five not being present (save for the end cameos). On the one hand they are sorely missed but on the other hand they would've just made the plot bloat even worse
Lack of speaking was also bothersome. Part of me is glad they weren't recast with cheaper VAs because it's disrespectful to interchange them, but on the other hand that might've been better than just not having them speak and not paying anyone anyway
Tai Lung had all the best lines and was also the best used out of all the cameos, even if it would've been nice to have him on screen for longer. Also if they stuck with Shifu being kidnapped those two could've had some much-needed dialogue
Side note, while I don't think it contradicts anything from KFP 3 the spirit world having only kung fu masters in it feels off? It makes it seem so small and limited
Kai being there is weird. He's like. dead dead. Deader than dead. I guess you could argue that you can't kill something that's already dead but there's nothing even acknowledging this
Trying to take Shen's kung fu is really weird because the entire point of the fight with Master Rhino in KFP 2 is that he is not? a master?? like he's GOOD but he's not amazing, like if a master is like a 10/10 he's like an 8/10.
"The Chameleon has the powers of all my old nemesises!" WHAT'S SHEN'S POWER EXACTLY. HIS ONLY POWERS ARE GUN AND MOMMY/DADDY ISSUES
She does summon him way later than Tai Lung and Kai so maybe she was just camp spawning every single person she could think of regardless of skill level? she also uses his wings at one point so maybe she just wanted those, I don't think(?) there were other birds summoned
Though speaking of which she claimed she was using his wings but very clearly wasn't? not only were they black but they were raggedy and lacked the five longer feathers on the tips
Also Shen's model was super off, it looked way too fluffy and like an entire row of eyespots were missing from the edge of the train (which might have been a clipping error? unsure) it's been said the new models were made out of glue and popsical sticks and I believe it
Tai Lung has a habit of just like Grabbing anyone that's smaller than him and it amuses me
It's honestly really weird that everyone would just agree to go back into the spirit world willingly?
Like I think it works for Tai Lung because he's a noble person who just goes into a disassociative state and commits atrocities. Like I think he'd be willing to accept his death
Also it checks out for Shen because he killed himself and given his "dead belong in the past" mentality I can't imagine him wanting to stick around, he'd probably think it was unnatural
But Kai?? Kai was FURIOUS at being dragged back into the spirit world at the end of 3, like hell he'd just go quietly
Also I can see Tai Lung maybe respecting Po enough to bow to him but everyone else is pushing it unless they have therapists in the spirit world. Po offered Shen some nice advice at the end of KFP 2 and his response was to kill himself on the spot, I don't think him or Kai would be bowing
All of them were definitely in the middle of a mahjong match and were experiencing the equivalent of being woken up in the middle of a nap so they were just going along with things
Chameleon: I'm going to steal your kung fu
Everyone:
Misc:
I did like some of the more subtle callbacks. Stuff like Po seeing his reflection in the blade the way Shifu did or the "I can't even beat you to the stairs" scene were nice and not overly overt or in-your-face
If Po actively refers to himself as the "Kung Fu Panda" one more time I'm going to end it all
anyway that was not supposed to be a 12 page essay but it's too late now, goodbye
86 notes
·
View notes
The genuine confidence of Tai Lung on the bridge was damn hot I have to say. I'm not a furry, but human!Tai Lung can hit it
He probably has no idea how to interact with someone in a way that's not related to martial arts. He doesn't know any way to hit it aside from literally hitting something lol
If he found someone cute for the first time he'd be legit confused and probably train the weird feelings away to make those feelings "useful"
Hrrrrrrrr imagine humanoid Tai Lung with leopard ears and a tail that always sways a little when he sees Darling
A Darling who somehow manages to catch him by surprise because he keeps unconsciously letting his guard down when he's around them, so he reacts instinctively by pinning them in a hold before realizing they're not an opponent. Once he does he lets them down and snaps at them for interrupting whatever he was doing
Hating meditation even more than he used to as a child because Darling's face keeps popping into his head. So he decides to use them to help his training instead, just to make those feelings useful and not a total distraction. Like he'll legit lift them as a warm up exercise or make them hold up targets for him to practice precision strikes with.
Him getting sick and Darling taking care of him alongside other Jade Palace attendants, and while he has a fever he's forced to accept being helped in his pathetic weakling state. Darling puts a cool rag in his forehead while he starts falling asleep, and for the first time since Shifu took care of him as a baby, he starts purring and nuzzling their hand. He just thought he was dreaming so he didn't ever think much about it, but when he discovers it actually happened he avoids them for a full week
Hating the idea of them being a weakness for him, and resenting them for "making" him weak just by existing. But also not wanting to get rid of them either...Arrrgh, how is he so strong and powerful when a weakling like Darling can cloud his mind like this?
So he decides to once again make his feelings for them useful by using them as motivation. He'll become the Dragon Warrior, and in addition to achieving his destiny as the strongest warrior in the world and receiving ultimate power, he'll have earned them as well.
Also Shifu can see how his ears perk up, how his tail sways a little sometimes, and how his pupils widen a little whenever That One Palace Attendant is with him. I think he'd initially discourage Tai Lung from doing anything that would distract him from his rightful destiny, but Oogway would probably tell him that loving someone is not a distraction or weakness. Compared to that, only a fool would consider the Dragon Scroll more important.
...still, our guy Oogway would also see how the darkness in Tai Lung might hurt those he cares about. Maybe he'd try to encourage Tai Lung being around Darling to a) dissuade him from working so hard to become the Dragon Warrior, since he never can be and b) bring a little bit of light to diminish the darkness in his heart. Love isn't a form of kung fu, but it IS a powerful force of nature, after all.
58 notes
·
View notes
What are your thoughts on Kung-Fu Panda 4?
Kind of like Wish (still liked it better tho, Wish was just "okay")
In itself, a good movie I liked, I was surprised to love Zheng (is that how it's spelled ?) when I was sure I'd hate how she was shoehorned in the franchise but no she was touching and fun, the humor held up, even if she were not deep I liked the Chameleon (I guess a franchise does need at least one villain who hss no trauma and is jist evil because, she was still likable and charismatic and not exagerated), Mr Ping and Li Shan were amazing and hilarious together (you can't tell me they are not married at this point), I thought I would hate how the Furious Five were not there but they were given a satisfying explanation why that truly made it feel like Po's own journey this time and it felt like all was forgiven when they appear at the very end, Tai Lung was there and even if I was disappointed we were actually clickbaited and lied to (HE DOESN'T BECOME GOOD OR APPEAR MUCH !?!?! FUCK YOU !!!!!), he still finally found solace and a form of redemption or at least a path closer to it by finally being at peace with Po and accepting him as the dragon warrior and grow respect for him which was enough for my 10 years old soul to have found inner peace and feel feels about him. My baby, he finally healed...
But as the way it was advertised... a fucking joke. We were lied to for Tai Lung, Shifu was useless to the plot and made into a joke, Po's new status was super simplified as a magical power, I don't like the different style for the new characters they don't feel like belonging to the KFP universe, the Dragon Warrior is supposed to be known all across China but now only the Valley knows about him, not enough serious moments for too much comedy (it was good sure, but really not the balance the first 2 movies had), speaking of which SO many retcons (LORD SHEN NEVER WAS A KUNG FU MASTER !?! NOR WENT TO THE SPIRITS REALM, HE LITERALLY FUCKING DIED !?!?! ANF KAI WASN'T A MASTER EITHER ?!?!) and oversimplification (magic used to be subtle in the mortal world in the franchise. Now suddenly a DBZ/final boss type of fight really ?), and ALL THE FUCKING WASTED POTENTIAL WHEN YOU READ ALL THAT WAS GIVEN UP ON BY THE SHITTY DIRECTOR WHO DARED CALLING THE ONE OF THE FIRST MOVIES A NOBODY (Then I am told *I* disrespect her for shipping a ship she sees as friends !?!) AND IN FACT PLANNED WORSE (LIVE ACTION !? HUMANS ?! NO FURIOUS FIVE AT ALL ?! NO BACKGROUND STORIES FOR THE CHAMELEON AND ZHENG AT ALL SO THEY HAD TO CRAM THEM LAST MINUTE ?! *HE* IS A NOBODY) AND WE WILL NEVER HAVE HER AMAZING IDEAS I'D HABE FUCKING KILLED AS A 10 YEARS TO EVER SEE BUT NEVER EVER WILL BECAUSE OF HIM AND THE MOVIE IS DONE !?!? (Tai Lung truly being part of the plot and redeeming and having closure with Shifu, I fucking would have loved and cried)
ALL WASTED FOREVER BECAUSE IN ANIMATION THERE NEVER IS ANY SNYDER CUT BECAUSE IT'S SEEN AS A SUBART FOR CHILDREN BY EXECS ?!?
*pants*
*inhales*
So I'll say I liked it, as much as the 3rd in fact, but knowing how much better it could have been if it were not given to an egocentric manchild who understood nothing about the heart and soul of tge first trilogy and how much better the concepts are 10 years old me had been wishing for and would have finally found closure in but I will never, *ever* have this closure about Tai Lung and I wilm never ever see them animated and voiced because his return was wasted because of HIM, it makes me mad and sad...
45 notes
·
View notes