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Review of Kung Fu Panda 4 (Hans Zimmer/Steve Mazzaro)
FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:
Buy it... if the continuation of this franchise's basic musical
tone and thematic core on auto-pilot can still capture your interest.
Avoid it... if you expect the fourth score to exhibit the melodic highlights of the prior entries, this one sufficient throughout but never truly excelling in any one moment.
FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:
Kung Fu Panda 4: (Hans Zimmer/Steve Mazzaro)
Extending into yet another decade is DreamWorks' "Kung Fu Panda"
franchise, studio executives content to continue exploring the films'
viability as long as actor Jack Black remains appealing in the titular
role. In the 2024 entry, Kung Fu Panda 4, his humorous Po
character seeks to find a replacement for himself as Dragon Master. For
the obligatory conflict, a new villain, the Chameleon, unleashes a host
of prior villains while flaunting the ability to morph into any other
character. With the succession and defensive goals in mind, Po and a
group of allies are forced to trek from the Valley of Peace to confront
both issues. Inevitably, Po's newest ally proves to be the key to future
sequel stories, though critics weren't particularly enamored with the
plot of Kung Fu Panda 4. At its core, the concept is still a
silly sideshow primarily for children, never afraid of a well-placed
fart joke. The music for the concept initially enjoyed a fruitful
collaboration between DreamWorks stalwart Hans Zimmer and John Powell,
though the latter ultimately lost interest in the franchise sometime
during the timeframe of the second picture. Zimmer then collaborated
with Lorne Balfe for Kung Fu Panda 3 before leaning heavily on
Steve Mazzaro for Kung Fu Panda 4. While no partner for Zimmer
can bring as distinctive and accomplished a voice to the concept as
Powell, the result of Balfe's contributions in 2016 were surprisingly
robust. Mazzaro became Zimmer's lead co-composer in the early 2020's,
yielding some impressive results in this genre and beyond. The Kung
Fu Panda scores have never offered as much thematic cohesiveness as
they probably could have used, but the range of Zimmer's collaborators
have successfully managed to at least maintain the same blend of Chinese
and Western instrumental elements throughout. Compared to the
Madagascar franchise in particular, these Kung Fu Panda
scores have fared quite a bit better in sustaining their quality.
For Kung Fu Panda 4, it's fairly likely that Mazzaro was assigned much of the work while Zimmer was still tied up on the immensity of Dune: Part Two, with some reports indicating that Zimmer joined the efforts on Kung Fu Panda 4 when it was partway finished. No extended team of ghostwriters is seemingly credited for this work, so Mazzaro was probably tasked with helping adapt themes by Zimmer and Powell's first two scores into this fourth entry while carrying over the same instrumental accents. For the Chinese element, erhu, guzheng, pipa, gong, and percussion provide the expected ethnic tone, their numerous solos joined by more conventional woodwinds. The orchestral and choral presence is vigorous throughout, the spread of orchestrations more dynamic than the typically bass-rooted Zimmer tendencies. There are a few very slight bass electronics in "Teach Me Your Kung Fu." The demeanor of the music is exactly as expected, brightly exuberant at times while respectfully dramatic for the Dragon Master and mentorship aspects. Mazzaro accesses Powell's material in roughly half of the score's major cues, though not much of Powell's trademark mannerism really survives. More of Zimmer's influence persists, not surprisingly, and it's unclear whether he or Mazzaro wrote the two primary new identities for Kung Fu Panda 4. For film music collectors, the referencing of new and old themes is paramount, and while there is generally satisfying treatment of the most important prior ideas, none of the adaptations is particularly engrossing. As such, there's a certain feeling of auto-pilot in the end result even if there is nothing technically wrong with it. (This feeling may simply be residual disappointment over the loss of Powell's superior techniques.) Still, listeners will encounter Zimmer's Oogway theme, the Zimmer (and marginally Powell) theme for Po, and Powell's Tai Lung and Furious Five motifs. Joining them is a new identity for the fourth film overall and a secondary motif for the Chameleon character. Together, they form a pretty decent narrative even if none of their individual performances stands apart. Zimmer's highly respectful Oogway theme from Kung Fu Panda enjoys a greater presence in the fourth score due to the story's increased attention on mentorship and the passing of the Dragon Master title. A few of the performances are both full and somewhat impassioned. It briefly follows the Po material early in "Opening Day," and its descending lines are twisted a bit in the first half of "Sharing Stories" before consolidating nicely at the end. The Oogway theme becomes redemptive and soothing at the start of "A Different Path," informing much of the cue, and continues that mode via choral hope in a full performance at 1:05 into "It's Pronounced Skadoosh." It also offers a comedic interlude at 0:26 into "Inner Peace." The Po theme is sadly underplayed in the score given the character's continuing central role, recurring with a quick reference at the opening of "Opening Day" and tickling a few times in "No Footprint Too Small." It is playfully fragmented in "Looking for Po" before becoming suspenseful and contemplative late. Po's material carefully supplies background counterpoint in "Sharing Stories," is touched around the margins in the sensitive "You're Our Son," and is barely teased in the comedy late in "Inner Peace." The Tai Lung theme menaces "Tai Lung Has Returned" in shades, but that cue suggests more heavily the new villain material as demanded by the plot. Interestingly, the vast majority of Powell references in Kung Fu Panda is dedicated to the Furious Five motif, which is used very liberally by Mazzaro throughout. It closes "Journey" with gusto, provides several softer variations throughout the second half of "Opening Day," transcends to heroism at the end of "Tai Lung Has Returned," and prevails against the new main theme in the action during "Tavern Fight," perhaps the score's most Powell-like cue. The motif is repetitively cyclical in hyped form at the outset of "Teach Me Your Kung Fu," flirts with the action throughout the first half of "Be the Pit," and is afforded a couple of fast references at 0:22 into "It's Pronounced Skadoosh." It's safe to say that when browsing through the album tracks credited in part to Powell, it's the Furious Five motif almost always seemingly causing the attribution. The new themes in Kung Fu Panda 4 are adequate at their tasks but not as memorable as the existing identities. The primary new theme is developed well throughout the work, and it is, quite ironically, related in descending structure to Powell's Furious Five motif as maybe an attempt to carry on some of his influence. The construct sounds like the second phrase of a longer theme, however. Listeners can get prolonged performances of the idea in the suite-like "Journey" at the start of the album. The theme returns during the middle of "The Happy Bunny Tavern" on erhu, bursts in full at the start of "Tavern Fight," and quietly concludes "Teach Me Your Kung Fu" on flute. It opens "It's Pronounced Skadoosh" on quick erhu before transitioning into a muscular fanfare at 0:27, and it pleasantly offers resolution at the beginning of "Inner Peace" before shifting to tender flutes later. The new villain's identity for the Chameleon is somewhat basic, ascending bass and low string scariness, but it works. Building throughout and overly dramatic late in "She Could Be Anyone" on choir, this idea guides the first half of "Teach Me Your Kung Fu" and offers choral suspense to the end of "A Different Path." It forces a suspenseful crescendo in the middle of "Who Are You Rooting For" and stews on woodwinds in the middle of "My Master Plan" before unleashing its familiar choral and brass force. There are other individual motifs that bubble to the surface in Kung Fu Panda 4, including a brightly optimistic idea at the start of "Juniper City" with hints of Oogway progressions in loftier shades; this cue is perhaps the most dynamic moment of the entire score. Some listeners may be left cold by these new identities, even if the new main theme fits easily with the franchise. The lack of more obvious Tai Lung and Shen material is disappointing, though. Also absent is Balfe's "Father and Son" theme from the third film, not referenced at all in this score's "You're Our Son." Infusing this score with some zaniness, Ozzy Osbourne's classic rock tune "Crazy Train" is adapted into an action cue using the score's instruments for a truly bizarre comedy moment. Tenacious D's end credits cover of "Baby One More Time" is fine but totally unrelated to the score. Ultimately, the music for Kung Fu Panda 4 is completely sufficient but largely forgettable, the franchise and its music contentedly on auto-pilot. ***
TRACK LISTINGS:
Total Time: 48:16
* performed by Tenacious D
NOTES & QUOTES:
There exists no official packaging for this album.
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