After a reboot and a hit TV series, The Karate Kid franchise is finally bridging the gap between them and the original films with Karate Kid: Legends, a crowd-pleasing, fun, and high-energy film.
Karate Kid Legends Review
In the 80s, The Karate Kid and The Karate Kid Part 2, starring Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita, were and remain beloved films. They told the story of a true underdog and these coming-of-age dramedies have influenced the genre ever since. But after The Next Karate Kid flopped, no one really would have thought the universe would be revisited, let alone expanded. Hollywood will Hollywood. Sure enough in 2010 a new The Karate Kid, this time starring Jackie Chan (Mr. Han) and Jaden Smith (Dre Parker), retold the original story but on the opposite side of the world. It was mostly a miss rather than a hit. Then came Cobra Kai on Netflix. The television series, which sounds like something that was developed from a debate between two super geeks, became a hit as it gave purpose and meaning to various Karate Kid heroes and villains. Now, with Karate Kid: Legends, all the various branches of the Karate Kid family tree are finally connecting to one another.
Karate Kid: Legends is a crowd-pleasing, fun, and high-energy film that fits in nicely with the rest of the Miyagi-Verse. Despite coming in at a little over 90 minutes, the shortest in the franchise, it manages to introduce new characters and give enough of a story to endear them to you, all before bringing in the ultimate fan-service everyone is excited to see. The breezy pacing does have its downsides, mainly the lack of time spent in the earlier tournament rounds. But I would also say it doesn't do the bad guy any favors here either, as the bully is nothing more than a one dimensional foe. Still, the Karate Kid formula works and because it moves quickly, you don't have a ton of time to be bothered by its shortcomings.
Legends follows Li Fong (Ben Wang), a teenager who moves from China with his mother (Ming-Na Wen) to New York a year after the death of his older brother. He is sad to leave behind his great Uncle, Mr. Han (Chan) and his training at Han's dojo, although his mother does not approve of his fighting. Once in NYC, he meets Mia (Sadie Stanley) and her dad Victor (Joshua Jackson). Victor is an ex-boxer who owes money to the ruthless sensei O’Shea (Tim Rozon). His dojo happens to be the training ground of Mia's ex, Conor (Aramis Knight), who might be a good fighter but has a massive chip on his shoulder. Of course Li has a run in with Conor which leads Li to signing up to fight him in the Five Boroughs Tournament.
Although it does retread familiar ground and story structure, Legends initially switches things up by placing Li in the mentor role to Mia's father Victor. He agrees to help Victor train for his first boxing match in years, one he hopes to win in order to pay back O'Shea and save his restaurant. Naturally, bad things happen and soon Han shows up to help Li train for the Five Boroughs tournament. Li wants to win not only to show up Conor but to get the prize money to help Victor. This is where Daniel LaRusso (Macchio) comes in, as Han asks him to also help train Li in the ways of Miyagi Karate. The two elders ham it up as they show off their own fighting styles and occasionally, painfully demonstrate them on Li during his training. His hip really has to hurt after all that!
The story might be predictable and the dialogue cheesy at times, but it's sincere where it counts, retaining that underdog spirit we all love about the original film. It also features some well-choreographed fight scenes that not only show off Wang's skills but Chan's signature style of entertainment as well. The only disappointment in these moments is found during the tournament fights which fall victim to questionable editing and Spider-Verse/Street Fighter style graphics. Not that the graphics were all that terrible per se it's just they were discarded during the final climatic fight, making them seem pointless in retrospect. The editing and pacing also meant that the majority of the tournament fights were reduced to one-hit or kick that barely landed in terms of gaining a reaction from the audience.
Surprisingly enough, even though the film was marketed with Chan and Macchio heavily featured to drive home the crossover point, Legends doesn't rely on them as much as you might expect. The story, written by Rob Lieber, focuses on Wang's character, letting Chan play the mentor while never overshadowing his young protégé. Macchio, meanwhile, doesn't show up until the one-hour mark to offer his own tips and tricks for the upcoming fight. Together, Chan and Macchio steal the show with their comedy and playful bantering. But since they are used sparingly, it never takes away from Wang or the emotional drama of Li's story.
Wang is a talented young actor who is able to convey Li's hesitation, earnestness, and charm as he grows throughout the story. He doesn't come across as a “new” Daniel or Dre, he is wholly his own with a fresh set of issues and teenage drama to overcome. His chemistry with Chan, Wen, Stanley, and Jackson is solid and really highlights the good heart Li has in the film. Wen is always great to see in anything but I really wish she had a moment to kick a bully in the gut. You have the Mulan (Fennec Shand/Melinda May) in your movie and you only let her scowl about fighting? Come on! Equally left without a lot to do is Knight as the villain. He never hits the Johnny Lawerence-level of rivalry or threat. He simply comes across as a generic bully with a man bun. Overall though, the cast is strong and plays well off of each other, adding levity, grit, and heart at the right moments.
Verdict
Karate Kid: Legends is a family-friendly outing that is entertaining, charming, and accessible for newcomers, although longtime fans will get the most mileage out of the fan service. It's a crowd-pleasing, fun, and high-energy film that fits in nicely with the rest of the Miyagi-Verse, delivering what we have loved about this franchise all along while also carving its own path to prove why it deserves to exist within it. The cast has wonderful chemistry and keeps things floating even when the story lacks depth or darts around in odd ways. Sure it has its shortcomings, but there is a solid foundation here that they could build upon for future installments. Ultimately, Legends is a good time and worth seeing on the big screen.
Karate Kid: Legends is in theaters on May 30. It is rated PG-13 for martial arts violence and some language with a runtime of 94 minutes.
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