Karate Kid: Legends Review – A Charming Legacy Sequel That Pulls Punches

by

In “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” t Legends,” which transitions into a sequel in its final moments, I found myself noticing that the events in the Miyagi-verse also seem to follow a consistent pattern, perhaps because our new hero is compared to a “Chinese Spider-Man” at one point.

No matter where or when the hand-to-hand combat scenes unfold, each main character finds themselves in a new city, encountering bullies connected to their fresh love interest and unwillingly drawn into a martial arts competition. If we assume that every version of this franchise takes place within the same timeline instead of various universes, it’s much like discovering that all “A Star is Born” films share the same universe – while it’s theoretically possible, one might wonder how such specific similarities keep recurring without any characters acknowledging them.

Why couldn’t this just be a reboot?

If “Karate Kid: Legends” were a self-contained story, there wouldn’t be any issues. For about an hour at the start, the movie works well, offering a refreshing spin on a classic theme as young Li Fong (Ben Wang), who has moved from Beijing, adapts to life in New York while learning martial arts under Jackie Chan’s character, Mr. Han. However, instead of being a student, Li Fong takes on the role of a mentor to the father (Joshua Jackson) of his crush Mia (Sadie Stanley), who is trying to earn enough money by fighting in the ring to save his pizzeria and get rid of loan sharks. For reasons that are hard to understand, this reversal of roles and the strong performances of the main characters weren’t deemed sufficient to carry the plot, and at the 45-minute mark, Mr. Han suddenly arrives in New York, contrary to earlier indications that he would only provide occasional phone mentorship during moments of doubt.

At first glance, it seems like an excusable oversight; a leftover plot point from a previous script that was a direct sequel to the 2010 remake, adapted to fit into a new character relationship. However, soon after arriving in New York City, Mr. Han announces his intention to travel to Los Angeles to meet Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), someone he’s never encountered before but believes will be an excellent mentor for Li. This decision seems odd given that they’ve never met, yet Mr. Han expects Daniel to teach Li a unique blend of karate, as taught by Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita), and kung fu. If this explanation for the plot appears weak at best, it becomes even more puzzling when executed. We later learn that, between the events of “The Karate Kid” and “The Karate Kid: Part II,” Mr. Han visited Miyagi in Los Angeles, frequently discussing his admiration for his young protégé. Forty years later, he returns to Miyagi’s old home and insists that Daniel travels across the country to mentor the boy who holds a similar significance to him as Daniel did to his teacher. If this storyline seems confusing even on the eve of a new tournament where our hero must fight, it becomes even more perplexing in its execution.

The screenplay seems excessively convoluted, as if Rob Lieber is struggling to untangle it, having been forced to convert a reboot into a follow-up at the last second by a studio executive. The inclusion of Macchio doesn’t contribute anything significant, despite an opening flashback to “Part II” that awkwardly tries to suggest his role in this story marks a full circle moment; however, due to his minimal appearance (with only about 30 minutes remaining), it’s unlikely his presence will evoke nostalgia.

Less than legendary

If you aren’t a “Cobra Kai” fan, but I assume that devotees of this popular Netflix sequel series might feel even more disappointed; instead of experiencing it as a self-contained adventure because of the weak narrative connections to the show, it feels like an unusual and intrusive elephant in the room when we meet Daniel in L.A. This disregard for events in the TV timeline is something that Marvel should take note of, as I never felt the need to catch up on multiple seasons to understand what was happening – but this is a follow-up sequel directly after its finale, one of the rare instances where continuity is beneficial rather than burdensome. If the movie won’t stick to being a reboot for a new generation, which it effectively did for about an hour, then its indifference towards acknowledging the franchise’s history makes for a peculiar, deeply unsatisfying production on both fronts.

In contrast to the original “Karate Kid” and its 2010 remake, which both had runtimes over two hours, the shorter length of “Karate Kid: Legends” is advantageous, keeping a fast pace despite its familiar storyline. First-time director Jonathan Entwhistle, known for his work on Netflix’s “The End Of The Fg World,” opts to emphasize family-friendly action over the character study approach of earlier installments. The fight scenes are some of the best in the series, showcasing various martial arts disciplines. These intense moments offer an introduction to martial arts cinema for young viewers while still incorporating a unique style not seen in previous films.

For instance, the Five Boroughs tournament is presented as a city-traversing montage, with the fights themselves having retro video game graphics that indicate the points scored by each punch or kick in real time. This method is more engaging for younger viewers, teaching the rules through action instead of slowing down for explanations.

In this third act, the action sequences seem to prioritize speed over character development, making the grandiose universe connections feel unnecessary and out of place within the storyline. I believe that the reappearance of past characters is so insignificant that their inclusion feels like a last-minute decision by a Sony executive to turn this film into a karate-centric “Spider-Man: No Way Home”. It’s disappointing because when “The Karate Kid: Legends” focuses on its own narrative, it’s as endearing as the 1984 original.

“Karate Kid: Legends” releases in theaters on May 30.

Read More

2025-05-28 22:00