Joshua Jackson (left) and Ben Wang (right) star in “Karate Kid: Legends” (Photo Credit: Sony Pictures).
1/2
(“Karate Kid: Legends” trailer courtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment)
Everything in the 1980s was better than today.
The grass was greener, and the sky was bluer.
And Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita) was still giving Daniel (Ralph Macchio) “game” in “The Karate Kid.”
But, fast forward 40 years, and all people have is the memory and wisdom of Mr. Miyagi.
But the good thing about wisdom is that it never gets old or dies.
If it was true back then, it is still good today.
While “Karate Kid: Legends” is nothing special, it does try to recapture that 1980s magic with a younger 21st-century twist.
“Karate Kid: Legends” has a bit of a “Stomp the Yard” feel.
While that might sound strange to some, check out the comparison.
In “Stomp The Yard,” Duron (Chris Brown) dreamed of becoming a great street dancer and then a successful college student.
When he dies prematurely, his brother DJ (Columbus Short) must decide whether to honor his brother’s legacy by continuing his dream or simply avoid that life altogether.
In “Karate Kid: Legends,” Li Fong (Ben Wang) finds himself in a similar predicament.
He has all the kung fu gifts in the world.
Li studies under the masterful teachings of Mr. Han (Jackie Chan).
Even with his gifts, Li is not as talented as his older brother.
Due to the tragedy that struck the family during Li’s brother’s last fight, his mother, Dr. Fong (Ming-Na Wen), desperately wants Li to stay away from fighting.
But when something is in a person’s blood, nothing can stop them from going after it, even if it puts the person’s life in danger.
And when a man has a special lady in his life, she can provide the motivation that he needs to achieve greatness.
All those attributes are in “Karate Kid: Legends” and 2007’s “Stomp the Yard.”
In “Karate Kid: Legends” like “Stomp the Yard,” the protagonist relocates from his home for better opportunities elsewhere.
When Dr. Fong gets a new job at a New York hospital, Li must make the trek from Beijing all the way to the “Big Apple.”
Despite the cultural differences between China and New York, Li’s assimilation into big city American culture is as seamless as possible because he attended an English-speaking school back in the day.
But even someone abreast of American culture can seem like a foreigner when their idea of American cuisine comes from big chain fast-food restaurants.
When Li stumbles into Victor Lipani’s (Joshua Jackson) pizzeria and asks for stuffed-crust pizza, he is immediately mocked by the store employees, except for Victor’s daughter Mia (Sadie Stanley).
The two teenagers immediately connect.
And when they begin randomly running into each other on the “Gotham City” streets, a friendship quickly develops.
But it is obvious from early on that there is an attraction between Mia and Li.
With young infatuation comes a couple of near guarantees, side-eyes from parents and anger from exes.
While a jealous ex is normal, a jealous ex who is a martial arts assassin like Conor (Aramis Knight) is something totally different.
Combine that with the fact that Conor trains under some gangsters who are upset that Victor has not made good on his loans for his pizzeria, and a combustible situation is bound to occur.
While Dr. Fong does not want Li fighting anymore, she said nothing about training fighters.
Therefore, Li channels his inner Mr. Han and inner Mr. Miyagi, and begins training the much older Victor to defend himself from the gangsters intent on causing him bodily harm.
Victor is bewildered by Li’s fighting skills, having single-handedly defeated several goons to protect Victor from danger in the alley behind his restaurant.
The angle of having a youngster train an old head to fight is a nice twist for “Karate Kid: Legends.”
The movie from the iconic “The Karate Kid” franchise has some cool fighting scenes, as one would expect.
But some of the graphics are not all that.
For instance, a scene with Mia and Li on a motorbike looks too fake.
Despite the fake-looking motorbike scene involving Mia and Li, fake cannot describe the charisma of Wang and Stanley.
The two stars definitely shine in “Karate Kid: Legends,” even when going toe-to-toe with legends like Chan and Macchio.
The latter still manages his youthful charm, even as an elder statesman.
Knight is equally as magnetic as Wang and Stanley.
He plays the villain role so well that Conor becomes annoying early in “Karate Kid: Legends.”
As people on social media would say, Conor has a punchable face, and moviegoers will eagerly anticipate someone punching him dead in his grill.
Additionally, anything with Chan is just the bomb, whether it is him singing Edwin Starr’s song “War” or California Girls” by The Beach Boys with Chris Tucker in the “Rush Hour” franchise or visiting Sheneneh Jenkins (Martin Lawrence) on the sitcom, “Martin.”
And as expected, he delivers like only he can in this martial arts movie.
“Karate Kid: Legends” also benefits because audiences do not have to go back and watch previous installments to enjoy.
The movie does a great job of inserting old footage with history lessons to get fans and newcomers up to speed.
But “Karate Kid: Legends” does suffer from a formulaic and predictable storyline.
The lack of originality is not something that plagued its predecessors from the 1980s.
REGAL RATINGS
FOUR CROWNS=EXCELLENT
THREE CROWNS=GOOD
TWO CROWNS=AVERAGE
ONE CROWN=POOR
- Movie Review: ‘731’ Another Film That is a Warning - September 26, 2025
