Panda Plan Review
Jackie Chan needs no introduction. He transcended Hong Kong cinema to become an icon of global cinema, even with the widespread falsehood that he performs all his stunts. Drawing from what he learned under Master Yuen Woo-ping while working on Drunken Master and Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow, Chan developed a unique style that he implemented in his directorial efforts, such as Police Story and Project A. Even when collaborating with other filmmakers like Sammo Hung, he adapted seamlessly to their styles, producing some of his best action scenes, as seen in Wheels on Meals and Dragons Forever.
I mention this because Panda Plan is being billed as Jackie Chanโs final action comedy. In a career filled with incredible films, Panda Plan might not be the perfect finale, but it feels like the right send-off for where Jackie Chan is in this late stage of his career.
Panda Plan follows Jackie Chan (playing a version of himself) as he wraps up an action scene in his latest film and heads to a zoo resort with plans to adopt a rare baby panda named HuHu. However, a group of hired guns arrives with the intent to kidnap the panda, forcing Jackie to rely on his action-film skill set to protect both himself and the panda.
The film is light on story, as the focus is on the silly hijinks Jackie and the panda get up to. So, letโs address the elephantโor rather, the pandaโin the room. The panda in the film is entirely CGI, and while itโs not terrible, there are a few shots where itโs obvious that the actors arenโt interacting with a real object. That said, when the panda is meant to look cute, it works.
As mentioned, Jackie Chan essentially plays himself, with mixed results. One of the first fight scenes captures what weโve come to expect from a Jackie Chan action sequence: Jackie lures the henchmen onto a unique structure, turning the environment into a part of the fight. The henchmen seem to relish this, as fighting Jackieโeven in the world of the filmโfeels like fulfilling a dream. Watching him use this to his advantage while trying to escape is genuinely funny.
In some ways, I wish the film leaned further into the meta humor of villains fighting โold man Jackie.โ Apart from the moment I described, that level of self-aware comedy is largely absent, which feels like a missed opportunity.
The narrative takes a bizarre turn near the finale, seemingly coming out of left field. While it does lead to a sweet moment, the foundations for this reveal were never properly established earlier in the film. To be nitpicky, thereโs also a line where Jackie says heโs never fired a real gun, which isnโt technically true, as his older films would have used blanks on set.
Nitpicks aside, the film is simply fun. It never takes itself too seriously and delivers consistent laughs throughout. Unlike many other Jackie Chan films, the comedy and action are kept quite separate. While this isnโt necessarily bad, it did make me long for the bygone era of his films where the two were seamlessly intertwined. That said, this is more of a personal preference. Jackie Chan is 70 years old; the era of him performing death-defying stunts is over. While that reality is bittersweet, itโs a relief that we still get more Jackie.
Panda Plan could have been much more, but what we got is an enjoyable experience. Itโs not deep or life-changing, but if youโre looking for a good laugh, you canโt go wrong with Panda Plan.
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In UK Cinemas from 17 January 2025 / Jackie Chan,ย Wei Xiang,ย Han Yanbo,ย Shi Ce,ย Andy Friend / Dir: Zhang Luan / CineAsia / 15
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