I am not the biggest Jack Black fan in the world, but his Kung Fu Panda movies are good for a laugh for those seeking a movie safe for families. Here’s my take on the latest installment.
Plot Summary
Kung Fun Panda 3 tells of how the binge-eating, martial-arts learning Panda Bear “’Po’ must face two hugely epic, but different threats: one supernatural and the other a little closer to his home,” according to IMBD.
Positive Elements
There are at least a handful of memorable, laugh-out-loud moments in this movie. There is also one scene that was shown in the trailer that kids will enjoy quoting and enacting, when “Po” faces his nemesis. Most kids’ movies these days have plenty of bathroom and rude humor, yet this movie had less than typical. The movie, once again, spoke to the importance of courage, friendship, honor and family.
Negative Elements
One of my least favorite phrases (“What the…”) is used, along with a small handful of other off-color elements. There is violence, but it is in a cartoon, Kung Fu way. Eastern spiritual ideas are presented as realities.
Spiritual Content
There was a lot of spiritual content in this movie, especially for a cartoon. Spiritual does not necessarily mean good. This movie, set in China, focuses on false spiritual ideas like the Yin-Yang and the other spiritual realm. Christian parents would do well to talk to their kids about false Eastern religions and what the Bible actually teaches and is true about the afterlife.
Overall
Sequels are hard to do well, and Kung Fu Panda 3, while it is not a classic, did live up to the series and offers a few laughs. Be sure that kids watching it know the truth about our souls and what happens when we die, lest this movie shape their moral imagination in a pose that looks more like Kung Fu than the King of Kings, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Rating: 2 stars (out of 4)
Photo credit: DreamWorks