Legends of Awesomeness – Five is Enough

  • Title: Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness – Five is Enough
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“We need to be supportive of Shifu’s apparent mid-life crisis.”

Legends of Awesomeness - Five is Enough

While hosting a Kung Fu tournament between the Furious Five and Po (Mick Wingert) and the warriors of the Onyx Temple, Shifu (Fred Tatasciore) becomes increasingly paranoid that Po and the visiting Master Chao (James Sie) are planning to replace him as the master of the Jade Palace. Shifu decides to enter the contest to prove he still has what it takes, meanwhile the real threat to the village comes in the form of the dangerous Kung Fu master Pai Mei (Clancy Brown) who arrives in the Valley of Peace just after all the masters except Chao have embarked on their competition.

Shifu’s attempt to act young and fresh leads to a variety of unfortunate phrases, each more painful than the last to his students (and the audience). Only after realizing his mistake does Shifu stop acting like a fool, but by that time Pai Mei has caught up with the Kung Fu master who bested him and sent Pai Mei away in exile years ago. Po and the Five arrive in time to try and save their master from Pai Mei, only to fall to his mastery of the dreaded blast punch. Only Shifu’s last-second feint giving Shifu the time necessary to analyze Pai Mei’s moves and find a way to counter them and save the day.

Although there is plenty of action, and threats both real and imagined, “Five is Enough” is at times painful to watch because of Shifu’s behavior and awkward attempts to come off far younger than his years. Although he gets far less screentime, Pai Mei makes for a far more effective villain than the Three’s Company-style misunderstanding.