Jack Black as Po in the Kung Fu Panda movies is one of the best voice acting of the 21st century, it has to be said. Black's strong, malleable voice, effortless comedic style, and endless array of silliness and gags have made him a fan favorite. So when Netflix announced that Black was returning to the famous role of him in the sequel series Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight, expectations were understandably high. After all, the previous two series in the franchise hadn't featured Black even in a cameo.
The Kung Fu Panda universe is no stranger to the small screen. Previously, Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness and Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny ensured that audiences could see more of Po the Panda's antics in the comfort of his own home. But the most recent expansion of this franchise, the Netflix show Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight, breaks new ground by being the first of these shows to feature Jack Black reprising the role of Po.
Stars: Jack Black, Mick Wingert, Rita Ora
As anyone who has seen Dan Castellaneta's Genius can attest, there's no substitute for perfectly cast animated characters. So it's a treat to hear Black's pipes coming out of this resounding warrior's mouth once again. Even better, The Dragon Knight gives Po a new adventure with its fair share of charms. He can never escape the feeling of being a superfluous extension of the original Kung Fu Panda movies. Still, this show can pack a punch in its best moments.
Does the series meet those expectations? Not quite, unfortunately. While Black is still as nice as ever and new cast member Rita Ora comes across as the character called Luthera or "the wandering leaf", the show is a bit scripted. It also doesn't have the calming presence of familiars from the Master Shifu or Furious Five series. Ultimately, the show sits in comfortable mediocrity in the absence of these traditional strengths.
Taking place an unspecified amount of time after Kung Fu Panda 3, Po is now the Dragon Master and tasked with protecting China at all costs. However, his status as a beloved celebrity evaporates after a failed attempt to stop a pair of conniving weasels, Klaus (Chris Geere) and Veruca (Della Saba), from stealing a magical gauntlet. Now stripped of his rank, the disgraced Po is determined to make things right. The opportunity to fulfill that goal comes in the form of the Wandering Blade (Rita Ora).
The story sees an older, calmer, widely respected and loved Po as the Dragon Warrior. In fact, this could even be said to be Po's pastoral phase, as he embarks on a food tour of China, beginning with a town where a restaurant has caught our hero's eye. But the sudden appearance of the Dumont weasel brothers, Klaus and Veruca, puts a wrench in Po's plans: he is stripped of his Dragon Warrior title and decides to help Luthera in her quest to defeat the Dumonts.
The two brothers are apparently looking for a powerful gauntlet called 'the Gauntlet' which closely resembles the Infinity Gauntlet from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Now, I didn't see the point of this narrative choice either, ironic or not. It serves as an unhelpful nod to a franchise that has very little in common with the world of Kung Fu Panda, tonally speaking. Is Po the Iron Man from this series, or is he more like the jokester version of Thor? As you can see, this all leads to confusion on the part of the audience.
This is just one of the obvious flaws in The Dragon Knight's setting. Another is the decision to make the Po Luthera page. Don't get me wrong, I think Po is a wonderful character, be it the sidekick or the lead. The problem here is that the show does much of the Luthera stories about knights in the old days of the British Empire and well Po is from the east and every time the story gets too real and it seems like a dialogue about colonialism is inevitable. , the tension is broken through some absolutely thin joke or joke.
It all feels very manipulative, as if the writers have an eye on the parents of the children this story is intended for. But TV writing doesn't work that way. You can't tiptoe around things like this: say something definite or stay away from the issue; this is how good tv writing works. Marvel movies can get away with referring to real-world events in a vague way, avoiding stepping on everyone's toes. But for a TV show, because of the episodic format, it's pretty frustrating to see the same blind spot crop up over and over again in the script.
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