It must be acknowledged that Jack Black's portrayal of Po in the Kung Fu Panda films is one of the best voice acting performances of the twenty-first century. Black has become a fan favourite due to his powerful, adaptable voice, seamless comedic manner, and limitless supply of jokes and goofs.
Expectations were understandably high when Netflix revealed that Black would reprise his iconic role for the follow-up series Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight. After all, Black had not appeared in the first two seasons of the TV franchise, not even in a cameo.
Although the show's writing is a little flimsy and lacking at times, Black is still as lovable as ever. Also, Rita Ora makes an impression as Luthera, a character known as "the Wandering Blade" who is from England and knowledgeable about knight lore.
In addition to this, it also lacks the comforting presence of Master Shifu or the Furious Five, two recognisable characters from the series. In the end, without these conventional virtues, the show devolves into safe monotony. It’s a shame that these characters weren’t brought back, not even for a surprise cameo.
We start this story with an older, more composed Po who is well-liked and respected and appears in the story as the Dragon Warrior. In fact, you might even argue that Po is now in his spiritual phase as he starts his culinary tour of China, starting in a village where our hero notices a restaurant.
However, Po's intentions are derailed by the unexpected presence of the Dumont weasel siblings Klaus and Veruca (played charmingly by Chris Geere and Della Saba, respectively). As a result, he decides to support Luthera in her fight against the Dumonts after losing his position as Dragon Warrior.
The two siblings appear to be after a powerful glove known as "the Gauntlet" that resembles the Infinity Gauntlet from the Marvel Cinematic Universe in both appearance and sound. There are a couple of issues. One of the major issues is making Po Luthera's page.
Po is a fantastic character, whether he plays the sidekick or the main character. However, due to Po being from the East, the show heavily relies on Luthera's tales of knights in the glory days of the British Empire. The problem is that whenever the plot threatens to become too real and a conversation about colonialism seems inevitable, the tension is broken by some incredibly weak joke or gag.
Jack Black has plenty of chances to display his entire repertoire of hilarious mischief as the rest of the tale unfolds in a rather predictable fashion. In essence, it is fan service. The last couple of episodes are far and away the best of the whole series. Just wish the show had started up more quickly.
Fans of the franchise will undoubtedly be pleased with Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight, but unlike any of the previous films, it doesn't really add anything to it. Bring Black back for the following one, but make sure to offer him interesting storylines—ideally, one where he can compete with one or more of the Furious Five.
On paper, it seems like a nice concept to incorporate mythology about heroes from many civilizations, but why stop with the British?
Performance | 3/5 |
Enjoyment | 3.5/5 |
Overall Rating | 3.3/5 |