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PRINTER-FRIENDLY VIEW 
Review of Kung Fu Panda 3 (Hans Zimmer/Lorne Balfe)
FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:
Buy it... if you desire a competent continuation of the franchise's
likeable blend of Hans Zimmer and John Powell influences, the latter
diminished in this case by his absence but portions of the score still
entertaining much the same.
Avoid it... if you expect the superior appeal of Kung Fu Panda 2, this entry at times sounding like echoes of the prior score and meandering through more disparate motific ideas due to new contributors.
FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:
Kung Fu Panda 3: (Hans Zimmer/Lorne Balfe)
Successful enough for the studio to openly speculate about a series of
six feature films, the Kung Fu Panda concept has resulted in
predictably funny, innocuous family entertainment over its initial three
entries, with 2016's Kung Fu Panda 3 returning most of the cast
and crew from the 2011 predecessor to applause from critics and
audiences. The titular character, Jack Black's Po, evolves from a
clumsy, accidental hero to a teacher of kung fu himself, a
transformation that is understandably challenging for the pudgy
protagonist. Along the way to inspiring his friends and a new generation
of pandas, he discovers his biological father and the spirit world,
where he must wage battle against a warrior who has betrayed the forces
of good by stealing their chi (and, being voiced by J.K. Simmons, he's
probably inclined to sell them substandard homeowner insurance policies
as well). The story's emphasis on the supernatural is the hook for
Kung Fu Panda 3, along with, of course, all the usual jokes
related to excessive eating and ever-expanding, flaccid bodily girth.
The soundtracks for this franchise have always been affable mixtures of
John Powell animation superiority and Remote Control artistic flair,
with a touch of Hans Zimmer's own string rhythms and thematic
sensibilities now and then. The second score was a noticeable
improvement over the original, the positive influence of Powell really
guiding the work in parts. For Kung Fu Panda 3, Powell stepped
aside to tackle a duo of other projects on which he was committed,
leaving Zimmer to turn to his healthy stock of Remote Control production
house ghostwriters to fill in the gaps. Of course, you'd never know this
from the solo credit that Zimmer receives on the soundtrack cover and
posters for the film, this despite involvement by Lorne Balfe and, to a
lesser extent, Paul Mounsey that likely constitutes a majority of the
score. Balfe enjoyed a solid year of productivity in 2015, and while he
has difficulty matching to prowess of Powell in this circumstance, he
acquits himself quite well nevertheless. Throw in a theme by the group
Imagine Dragons and an adaptation of "Kung Fu Fighting" by The Vamps and
you have a typical Zimmer orgy of contributors cobbling together a
soundtrack through jovial, carefree collaboration. While the lack of
true attribution regarding who wrote exactly what remains extremely
annoying, the end result more than suffices, and Kung Fu Panda 3
manages to overcome the loss of Powell with a few notable highlights of
its own.
The basic ingredients are all familiar in Kung Fu Panda 3, many of the same soloists carrying over their usual contributions on erhu and other specialty instruments from the prior recordings. Somewhat lost in the mix are piano performances by Lang Lang, who is credited on three cues but really only makes an impact on "Oogway's Legacy," which in the film is tacked onto the end credits. Likewise a source of discord between the film and album seems to be the adapted material by Imagine Dragons for the evil Kai; it is heard in countless cues on album but is comparatively downplayed on screen. The most notable new theme for the film is Balfe's own "Father and Son" theme, heard prominently twice on album and unfortunately a little too understated emotionally to really stick. There are times when Zimmer's own voice shines through in Kung Fu Panda 3, but not as often as his fans might like. Expect to hear his writing more prominently in "Oogway's Legacy" and "Jaded," his heavy-handed tendencies on strings especially guiding the latter. While Mounsey excels at the percussion, you get the feeling that Balfe struggled at times to emulate Powell, but there are some successes to note. As in the previous score, some of the most beautiful music exists to represent the secret panda village of the franchise, the aptly named cue, "The Panda Village," expressing downright lovely choral and orchestral shades of majesty that easily constitute the highlight of the score. A nice nugget at about three minutes into that cue is a statement of Powell's panda village motif from the prior score. On album, this cue is adjacent to "The Legend of Kai," the other top entry of the score, especially in its passing of the score's primary descending motif down the octaves midway through. Don't expect to encounter many other portions that beckon you for repeat listens, but the remainder of the work is still pleasantly solid. Even the Imagine Dragons material is adapted into the score with a congruent voice. Some listeners may label this East/West merging to be cheap, but for the concept we're talking about here, not much more intelligence is really required. The album nicely consolidates the song placements to its conclusion, but the score selections are not provided in film order. Nor do they really maintain a cohesive narrative flow. Still, don't be surprised if you append a handful of cues from this score to any compilation of favorites from the stronger Kung Fu Panda 2. Once again, contracts permitting, Zimmer and his ghostwriters don't seem to care about the issue of appropriate, prominent credit for these works, but it's only fair to enlighten listeners who have the mistaken impression that Zimmer writes all or most of this material himself. This is only marginally a Zimmer score. ****
TRACK LISTINGS:
Total Time: 69:17
NOTES & QUOTES:
The insert includes a list of performers and a short note from the
directors about the score.
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The reviews and other textual content contained on the filmtracks.com site may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of Christian Clemmensen at Filmtracks Publications. All artwork and sound clips from Kung Fu Panda 3 are Copyright © 2016, Sony Classical and cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 3/21/16 (and not updated significantly since). |
