Harmless fun... but still awful
Summary
Panda Plan: The Magical Tribe is arguably Jackie Chan’s worst movie but he has done some stinkers in recent years. I love when he does movies like The Shadow’s Edge which proves he’s still got it on the action front. I guess he wanted to make something for families and the message of love is nice, I suppose. I am not the target audience for this movie and it does at least have a few fight scenes, but not enough to make this worth enduring.
Plot: Action legend Jackie Chan and his panda, Hu Hu, embark on an epic journey after discovering a hidden tribe in the jungle. Mistaken for a “mythical creature,” Hu Hu becomes the target of warriors and tribesmen who believe the panda is the key to averting a disastrous prophecy. Jackie must use his wits and skills to protect his vulnerable companion and uncover the ancient secrets of this mysterious land.
Review: I know what you’re thinking. Eoin, why on Earth are you reviewing this? Well, simply because it’s Jackie Chan and I reviewed the first movie which admittedly wasn’t the greatest. This unnecessary sequel is even worse and may be Jackie’s worst movie to date. There isn’t really anything about this that is going to appeal to anyone over the age of 8.
This is strictly a family movie with juvenile humour and a super cute CG Panda named HuHu which I’m sure the kiddies will love. It’s harmless stuff and infectiously feelgood, but after movies like The Shadow’s Edge you wonder why Jackie would want to make something this bad.
The reason why I am covering it at all is that there are a few fight scenes and a fight in a raft with oars was quite inventive.
At an hour and 40 minutes it goes on for far too long and it doesn’t help that HuHu the Panda looks animated and is even a little janky at times. This is a bit of a spoiler but really, no one cares. At the end Huhu is visited by the spirit of I think his mother in the shape of a talking cloud and I think I felt my face turning red as it was so cringeworthy. I am not the target audience for this movie however, so I think younger audiences may find plenty to enjoy.
Anyway, why waste any more time; if for some reason you wanted to see more of Jackie Chan alongside a poorly animated Panda then The Magical Tribe will be your cup of tea. It’s harmless fun for the kids with a few fight scenes, but just go watch The Shadow’s Edge again instead if you want to see Jackie at his best.