Kung Fu Panda 4 Becomes Lowest Rated of the Franchise

The critics' consensus on Kung Fu Panda 4 is in, and it may have the lowest rating of the franchise, but a 74% on Rotten Tomatoes is not to be sniffed at.

A mix of rotten and fresh ratings dub the film "a good time" but "a lacklustre sequel".

The other three films in the franchise have kept an above 80% rating, with Kung Fu Panda and Kung Fu Panda 3 scoring 87% and Kung Fu Panda 2 scoring 81%.

Kung Fu Panda 4 may not have the same praise from critics as its predecessors, but 74% for the fourth instalment to a franchise is quite the feat.

Critics may not have tired of the beloved Jack Black character yet, but audiences will get their say when the film hits theaters on March 8.

For now, here's a closer look at some of the first reviews.

Review roundup

• Associated Press: The series' first new installment in eight years is a reliably funny, sweet and wonderfully realized passing of the torch, with a paw in the past and another into the future -- an elegant goodbye and a hello.

• We Live Entertainment: While not shining as high as the first couple of entries, there's still plenty of fun to be had watching the Dragon Warrior commit to his self-proclaimed awesomeness.

• Punch Drunk Critics: Kung Fu Panda 4 feels like it started life as a season of television, not as the fourth movie in a billion-dollar big-screen franchise.

• Polygon: Kung Fu Panda 4 has enough solid scenes to make it an acceptable fourth entry in a franchise, but the plot doesn’t come together in a way that would elevate it to the franchise's earlier heights.

• Empire Magazine: A step back from the last film in terms of ambition, this nevertheless continues the series' chirpy, amiable mood. Nothing to be po-faced about here.