Karate Kid: Legends

Rating 4/10

Say hello to yet another recycled chapter in a tired franchise—a story so stridently lazy in its ambitions that it’s merely a checklist of fan service, utterly lacking in originality. Li Fong (Ben Wang) is a troubled teen who moves to a new city, falls for a girl (Sadie Stanley), runs afoul of her violent ex (Aramis Knight), and turns to martial arts—against the wishes of his mother (Ming-Na Wen)—to overcome his personal demons. Under the guidance of returning mentors Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) and Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), Li trains in a convenient fusion of kung fu and Miyagi-Do karate, enters a high-stakes tournament, and predictably triumphs over his rival while earning newfound respect. Along the way, there’s a romantic reconciliation, a dramatic hospital visit, and even a training montage on a rooftop garden. This is the sixth entry in The Karate Kid series—and the most monetarily driven effort.

What passes for a screenplay here only exists to mimic the plot beats of earlier, better entries while inserting recognizable faces. Jackie Chan returns as Mr. Han from the successful 2010 reboot of sorts that also dared to call itself The Karate Kid. Ralph Macchio appears as Daniel LaRusso, having last been seen theatrically in Part III (1989) and more recently reborn in the TV series Cobra Kai (2018–2025). There’s a cameo from William Zabka’s Johnny Lawrence, and the late Pat Morita is posthumously resurrected from the dead via archival footage. He passed away in 2005, but his spirit is revived to conjure up some emotional resonance. These callbacks only cheapen the narrative, functioning as a reminder of the truly great 1984 classic.

Ironically, the best part is a plot development that the screenplay seems to forget about halfway through. Actor Ben Wang brings sincerity and spark to the role of Li Fong, a Chinese teenager taken under the wing of his great-uncle, Mr. Han.  His romance with Mia (Sadie Stanley) and his relationship with her father, Victor (Joshua Jackson), has so much charm. Victor is a down-on-his-luck former boxer trying to save his pizzeria from aggressive debt collectors. There’s a nice twist when young Li trains the older fighter to return to the ring. But this surprisingly engaging subplot is jettisoned once the film shifts gears into full franchise autopilot, building toward (what else?) a pivotal karate tournament where Li must fight his bully Conor—even though he has trained in kung fu.

Karate Kid Legends attempts to merge two distinct martial arts—Chinese kung fu and Japanese karate—into a single, interchangeable field of study. For those knowledagble with the traditions and philosophies behind these separate disciplines, this shallow cultural fusion is borderline insulting. But to be fair, the screenplay isn’t written for viewers inclined to question those distinctions. Director Jonathan Entwistle and screenwriter Rob Lieber are delivering broad strokes over nuance—they’re dishing out fast-food nostalgia for a crowd eager to revisit familiar beats. Ben Wang, however, is a true standout: a charismatic young actor whose talent suggests a far brighter future. It’s just a shame he’s stuck in a retread so stale you’ll want to dragon-kick this movie in the face.*

06-03-25

* Spoiler Alert * They do that in the climactic tournament… for like the hundredth time.

06-03-25