appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

James Marsh

3/5 stars
It has been just over a year since Jackie Chan unleashed upon us the execrable ordeal that was Panda Plan, an abysmal family-focused caper centring on his efforts to save a shoddily rendered CGI panda from a gang of incompetent terrorists.
Since then, the 71-year-old action star has stumbled into a surprisingly rich vein of form, with Karate Kid: Legends, The Shadow’s Edge and Unexpected Family all outshining much of his recent output.
Continuing this unexpected trend, Panda Plan: The Magical Tribe defies all expectations as a marked improvement on its predecessor in almost every conceivable way.


It jettisons much of the baggage that bogged down the first film in favour of a fanciful jungle adventure that plays to the actor’s enduring strengths as a physical comedian.
Once again, Chan plays himself, but “Jackie” spends almost the entire runtime of this second outing surrounded by primitive tribespeople who have no idea who he is.
En route to a secluded sanctuary, where his adopted panda cub Hu Hu is to see out the rest of her days, Jackie’s car is hit by a “meteorological anomaly” that causes his driver and assistant to vanish into thin air.
Jackie and Hu Hu are then captured by a tribe of hunters and taken back to their village, where Hu Hu is mistaken for a mythical ursine deity.

According to their chief (Ma Li), the panda must select a “messenger” to help it reach the top of an insurmountable peak, where only the bear can placate the gods and prevent an imminent apocalypse.
The chieftain’s plucky daughter, Shanyi (Wang Yinglu), and dim-witted son, Tulu (Yu Yang), compete for the title, but inevitably Jackie is chosen.
After much squabbling, duelling, dancing and village-based shenanigans, they head for the mountain, with a defiant Tulu in pursuit, determined to prove his worth to his cold-hearted mother once and for all.
Many of Chan’s recent roles have seen him play flawed father figures who are given a chance at redemption.

This time out, Jackie preaches the importance of compassion and encouragement as powerful parenting tools to an entire village that previously believed that a lack of intimacy nurtured strength and independence. More surprising is how effectively these simple life lessons land with the audience.
Panda Plan: The Magical Tribe ditches the previous film’s obsession with the panda symbolising China’s sovereignty, Chan’s persistent interactions with fans and the endless fart jokes, while having the good sense to keep Hu Hu mostly off screen.
By doing so, incoming director Derek Hui Wang-yu (This Is Not What I Expected) strikes a far more wholesome and genuinely entertaining groove that elevates Panda Plan: The Magical Tribe to the previously inconceivable heights of perfectly passable family fun.
Want more articles like this? Follow SCMP Film on Facebook


How 91-year-old Helena Law Lan became Hong Kong cinema’s grand dame of horror

Loved Heart of the Beast? 10 of the best dog movies where the canine takes the lead

Wing Shya: photographer to Wong Kar-wai on working with the great and good of Hong Kong cinema

What Hong Kong cinema can take away from a popular Chinese war film

Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Panda Plan: The Magical Tribe movie review – Jackie Chan delivers wholesome family fun

Jackie Chan in a still from Panda Plan: The Magical Tribe (category IIA, Mandarin), directed by Derek Hui. Ma Li co-stars. 

Ma Li plays a village chief in Panda Plan: The Magical Tribe.

Jackie Chan in a still from Panda Plan: The Magical Tribe.

The Snowball on a Sunny Day movie review: family comedy doubles as a love letter to cinema

Chung Suet-ying (left) and Edan Lui in a still from The Snowball on a Sunny Day.

(From left) Jiro Lee, Chung Suet-ying and Harriet Yeung in a still from The Snowball on a Sunny Day (category: IIB, Cantonese), directed by Philip Yung.


Elaine Jin as Mui the grandmother in a still from The Snowball on a Sunny Day.

(From left) Edan Lui, Harriet Yeung, Marek Li, Jiro Lee, Chung Suet-ying and Elaine Jin in a still from The Snowball on a Sunny Day.

Gezhi Town movie review: Chinese war drama with Xiao Zhan dares to entertain

Xiao Zhan in a still from Gezhi Town (category IIB, Mandarin), co-starring Peng Yuchang and Zhou Yiran, and directed by Kong Sheng.

Peng Yuchang, who plays a young platoon leader in charge of a Swiss-made anti-aircraft gun, in a still from Gezhi Town.

Yang Xinming in a still from Gezhi Town.

Unexpected Family movie review: Jackie Chan trades kicks for tears in sentimental drama

Jackie Chan (right) and Peng Yuchang in a still from Unexpected Family (category I, Mandarin), directed by  Li Taiyan.

(From left) Karlina Zhang, Jackie Chan and Li Ping in a still from Unexpected Family.

(From left) Li Ping, Jackie Chan and Peng Yuchang in a still from Unexpected Family.

Cecilia Cheung: Hong Kong actress, sex scandal victim and Chinese social media star

Cecilia Cheung at the 23rd Hong Kong Film Awards in 2004. The actress’ personal life garnered a lot of attention in the 2000s, with tabloids covering scandals and her high-profile romantic life. Photo: SCMP

Cheung in 1999. Photo: Oliver Tsang

Cheung speaks after receiving the award for best new performer, as veteran actors Liza Wang and Danny Lee look on, at the 19th Hong Kong Film Awards in 2000. Photo: Martin Chan

Cheung and Nicholas Tse in 2001. Photo: Reuters

Cheung in a still from Lost in Time (2003), for which she won best actress at the 23rd Hong Kong Film Awards. Photo: China Star Entertainment Group

Cheung and Tse at the 30th Hong Kong Film Awards in 2011, the year they filed for divorce. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

Cheung and Stephen Chow in a still from King of Comedy (1999). Her feature-film debut remains one of her most memorable roles. Photo: The Star Overseas

Cheung and her three sons. Photo: Weibo

Cheung in a photo she posted on her Weibo account in 2023. Photo: Weibo

Lifestyle

Entertainment

Culture

Film & TV

Panda Plan: The Magical Tribe manages to overcome its previous instalment’s failings to become a fun, wholesome family adventure


Panda Plan: The Magical Tribe manages to overcome its previous instalment’s failings to become a fun, wholesome family adventure.


Chinese language cinema

Asian cinema

Film reviews

Hong Kong cinema

Asian cinema: Chinese films

Cinema

Fame and celebrity

Hong Kong celebrities and icons

Jackie Chan

Pandas

What to do in Hong Kong

An assessment or critique of a service, product or creative endeavour.  Film reviews, restaurant reviews, reviews of art exhibitions. (Eg. Crazy Rich Asians: an important film, yes, but a good one?)


Review

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Panda Plan: The Magical Tribe manages to overcome its previous instalment’s failings to become a fun, wholesome family adventure

Panda Plan: The Magical Tribe manages to overcome its previous instalment’s failings to become a fun, wholesome family adventure