Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight Review: The latest series in the Kung Fu Panda franchise manages to entertain, despite its flaws

2.5/5

Story: Dragon Master Po teams up with Wandering Blade, an English knight to rescue four magical weapons and save the world from two cunning weasels and eventually, restore his lost title and reputation.

Review: Po (Jack Black), who is now enjoying the title of Dragon Master, is all set to go on a food tour of China, especially to a village with a 'fat gobs' restaurant run by Pei Pei (Amy Hill). But all hell breaks loose when he manages to reach there as two crafty weasels, Veruca Dumont (Della Saba) and Klaus Dumont (Chris Geere), create a ruckus in the village as they try to steal a powerful glove called the 'Gauntlet'. Po, who gives them a run for their money, miscalculates the power of the gauntlet and accidentally ends up destroying the village, instead of saving it. Though the weasels manage to flee with the gauntlet, Po ends up with the thumb. Soon, it is revealed that Po's title of Dragon Master has been revoked.

He then meets Luthera, the Wandering Blade (Rita Ora), a knighted English bear who is on a mission to take down the weasels, who in turn, are on a quest to get hold of the most powerful weapons of the world. Considering this as an opportunity to reclaim his title and restore his lost reputation, Po expresses his wish to team up with Wandering Blade. Though initially reluctant, she agrees when she realises that she needs Po's help to go behind her enemies faster. Thus begins a road trip, where they encounter lava rivers, armadilloes, porcupines, monkeys, hedgehogs and stags. In the meantime, the emperor's Forbidden Company is on their tail, looking for Po, who has destroyed the village.

Po and Blade head to Po's favorite comic book creator to learn the location of the next weapon, which takes them on a journey through a treacherous desert. Even as they manage to get hold of Klaus and Veruca, Po and Blade get separated when they reach the emperor's palace and try to warn him of their evil intentions, which leads to Blade revealing her hidden past.

Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight is a tad different from the rest of the franchise as some of the popular characters, mentor figures Oogway and Shifu, The Furious Five are entirely absent in this series. Only Po's adoptive goose father, Mr. Ping (James Hong) makes an appearance. Ardent fans of the series might find this a huge miss but the plot with Wandering Blade ventures into darker horizons and gives it a slightly more adult treatment, thus coming across as a standalone series. But that doesn't mean that Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight would not appeal to children. Po continues to be as adorable as he is and the return of Jack Black is an icing on the cake.

Having said that, Po constantly trying to prove to Wandering Blade that he is not just a food-loving Panda and that he indeed is a Kung Fu Master gets taxing at times. Though Po and Wandering Blade become a formidable duo to take on the Dumonts, we do not really get many moments between just the two of them and how their relationship evolves as they are frequently interrupted by either a monkey or an armadillo. Too many supporting characters, at times, tend to disturb the flow of the story. But despite these drawbacks, Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight manages to hold your attention.

Verdict: Though no match to its previous outings, Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight is a fun ride.