This may be the worst Jackie Chan film I've seen. It's aimed at the under fives and has deep message from the Mainland Chinese government.
The plot of the film has Jackie and his panda getting transported to the land of a lost tribe by magical means in order to help stop some foreseen apocalypse.
Seemingly aimed at the preschool crowd, this film looks like it's a bunch of adults playing dress up to amuse the diaper crowd. Jokes fall flat. Things are made cute or warm and feelie. The action sequences are fine but itwas clearly done via CGI or through editing. (And to be fair Jackie is 71 and it's amazing he's still doing these sort of things, but we had decades where it was all before us so I am spoiled)
It all comes off as incredibly dumb and juvenile. I know the trailer looked like that- but the trailer for the first film did too, but it turned out to be a great deal of fun. This is the sort of thing you grab the remote and surf away.
I do have to say that there has been a lot of talk about the influence in Mainland Chinese films by the government and this film actually is the most blatant I've seen. There is a point late in the film where the panda god tells the little panda that he was brought to the tribe to show them that we must all work for the greater good and that no one is above the community. It's a sweet message that feels like it the government warning everyone not to sell out to capitalism and being out for just yourself. Its an out of left field teaching moment.
I can't recommend this film unless you are under 5 or must see every film with CGI pandas in them

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