I do not hold the Karate Kid series in high regard as others do. I remember going to see the remake of The Karate Kid starring Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan with my dad, and the most memorable aspect of it was Justin Bieber’s theme song, “Never Say Never”. Then I watched one season of Cobra Kai and called it a day.
Karate Kid: Legends was written to connect the original series to the remake that no one cared about, and it does… by the midpoint of a much more interesting movie than was advertised. Funny how a Sony movie — 22 Jump Street — made fun of the kind of movie Sony would eventually make 10 years later with Karate Kid IP. What fun.
MPA Rating: PG13 (Some language and martial arts violence.)
Runtime: 1 Hour and 34 Minutes
Production Companies: Columbia Pictures, Sunswept Entertainment
Distributor: Sony Pictures Releasing
Director: Jonathan Entwistle
Writer: Rob Lieber
Cast: Jackie Chan, Ben Wang, Joshua Jackson, Sadie Stanley, Ming-Na Wen, Wyatt Oleff, Aramis Knight, Ralph Macchio
Release Date: May 30, 2025
Li Fong (Ben Wang) trains under his uncle Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) in Beijing, China, much to the dismay of his mother (Ming-Na Wen), who forbids him from fighting after the death of his kung-fu prodigy older brother. Li’s mom upends their lives and moves them to NYC. There he befriends Mia Lipani (Sadie Stanley) and her father, Victor (Joshua Jackson), the owner of a nearby pizzeria. While Li and Mia begin to develop a romantic relationship, Li is harassed and attacked by Mia’s violent ex-boyfriend, Connor Day (Aramis Knight). Day is the star of a local dojo and a longtime champion of the Five Boroughs Karate tournament. Li soon learns that Victor has some unpaid debt to some loan sharks led by O’Shea (Tim Rozon), who owns the local dojo Connor trains at. Eventually, Li takes it upon himself to train for the Five Boroughs, in order to help Victor pay his debts and get through his own trauma around his brother’s passing. Mr. Han comes over from China and immediately enlists himself and his old pal Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) to help train Li for the competition.
Karate Kid: Legends‘ tagline, “Two branches, one tree”, and the entire marketing campaign, are meant to highlight how this movie bridges the gap between the first and fifth installments, but that element is nonexistent for much of Legend‘s first and second act. In reality, Legends flips the script on the Karate Kid premise. For the better.
Even though Li has his ass handed to him by the insane Connor at school, he is still a badass in his own right, moving like an action star straight out of a Gareth Evans flick. Shortly after, he rescues Victor from loan sharks, who is so impressed he asks Li to teach him karate so he can resume underground boxing to pay off his debts. Think Karate Kid mixed with Rocky. I was completely taken in by the bait-and-switch, which the film sets up naturally and passably.
Wang and Jackson’s acting prowess and onscreen chemistry really pull it all together. Ben Wang, a breakthrough delight in American-Born Chinese, has matured into a star who exudes charm and charisma, leading the film with emotional gravitas and sheer-willed confidence. Furthermore, I enjoyed how Victor was written; sure, he’s an Italian New Yorker stereotype, but Jackson’s endearing tone really sold it to me. It is a far cry from the film that was advertised, but its inspired shift of formula has a ton going for it.
Despite frustratingly hitting the obvious formulaic beats of the original, whenever the cartoonishly evil Connor is on-screen, you sense the potential for a truly great Karate Kid reboot. That’s until you can hear Sony execs screaming in writer Rob Lieber’s ear going, “Bitch, what do you think you’re doing? You’re writing a Karate Kid movie without Jackie and Ralph?! SHOEHORN THEM IN!”
I already mentioned Gareth Evans, and man, I wish he or someone else of his caliber had directed this because Jonathan Entwistle (I Am Not Okay with This) just doesn’t have the juice. I can begin by stating that a television director who lacks experience in action filmmaking directing a martial arts movie as his feature debut is doomed to fail. But, to be honest, Entwistle captures my biggest complaint about modern western-produced studio action films: the director is over reliant on shaky handheld cameras and quick cuts for sequences, lessening the impact of the careful blocking and choreography to appeal to the nearest iPad kid. It’s the same as every other studio flick you see these days, from The Amateur to the most recent Captain America. The martial arts scenes had potential to be fun, too, yet the choreography and combat ranged from grounded and brutal to near Street Fighter levels of absurdity. It doesn’t pick a consistent lane, and it’s so bizarre.
Whatever potential Legends had in its first half is absolutely squandered by its midpoint, as it plays as another movie once Mr. Han enters NYC. It’s not necessarily because of Jackie Chan’s inclusion, nor Ralph Macchio’s for that matter. They are such a delight to watch together, especially when they’re bickering like an old married couple trying to train their grandson. Rather, it speeds along at such a pace it gives the impression that the budget is rapidly running out. Legends’ fast-paced energy is excessively reliant on montages and poor music supervision, which serve less as a narrative device and more as a shortcut to a 94-minute runtime. Then the film doubles down on copying the Karate Kid formula in a lesser, sloppier fashion. It’s a shame because Legends could’ve afforded to be longer; there was so much story and character potential, but it did not have time to properly develop as it did in its first half. Wang, who has all the makings of a fantastic Karate Kid main character, deserved better than to be stuck in a movie that is so unclear of its own identity outside of its IP.
Wax off: Karate Kid: Legends provides a momentarily fresh, captivating twist on the formula, anchored by a star-making Ben Wang performance. Wax on: it is ultimately another ho-hum legacy sequel that is so preoccupied with fan service it loses its kick.
Our dedicated support team is available around the clock to assist you with setup, troubleshooting, and any questions you might have. We’re here to make sure you get the best experience with IPTV Resellers
© 2025 IPTV Resellers, All right reserved.
