Karate Kid: Legends is a story about using strength and purpose to release guilt and pain. Li Fong (Ben Wang) is an exceptional Kung Fu student. He studies under Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) in Beijing, an arrangement his mother (Ming-Na Wen) disapproves of. She worries that any form of fighting, even training, will lead Li to tragedy. Desperate to start a new life, Li’s mother moves the two of them to New York City. Once there, Li struggles to fit into his new high school. He does make few friends however, Mia (Sadie Stanley) and her father Victor (Joshua Jackson). The dad-daughter duo runs a pizza shop together now that Victor has retired from boxing. Unfortunately, Victor owes some bad people money: O’Shea (Tim Rozon), a loan shark who runs a vicious karate dojo. As Li becomes embroiled in the situation, he realizes he must face his fears to obtain peace with himself.
What works in Karate Kid: Legends is the emotional balance. Wang does amazing work as Li—a teenager with a huge heart, struggling with inner turmoil. He’s affable and easy to root for, given his empathy and charisma. At the same time, first-time director Jonathan Entwistle gives ample time also to Li’s emotional journey. He makes Li relatable and sympathetic, which allows the audience to engage with the character on a personal level. Entwistle takes a similar approach to the overall tone of the movie. Some moments of Karate Kid: Legends are genuinely laugh-out-loud funny, especially when Chan turns on his playfulness. Other moments are appropriately dramatic, but never in a way that feels undeserved. And finally, the stunt choreography is fantastic showcasing some of the best martial arts sequences seen on screen in quite some time. All in all, Karate Kid: Legends is perfectly blended for your entertainment.
RELATED: New Karate Kid: Legends Trailer Brings Two Generations Together
Audiences who have grown tired of the “sports movie formula” may not connect as well with Karate Kid: Legends. Going a step further, it’s incredibly easy to correlate the plot points and character arcs of Legends to 1984’s Karate Kid. The parallels are numerous and it may feel like too much of a rehash for those who remember the original well. As such, Li’s arc is very easy to predict. On the other hand, those unfamiliar with the Karate Kid franchise up to this point may not get the same nostalgic high as others. While Legends is a complete stand-alone entry in the franchise, knowledge of the prior movies will undoubtably increases engagement as characters reference previous films. It’s tough to say how much this new material will resonate with first-timers.
Karate Kid: Legends is a ton of fun, especially for fans of the series thus far. It’s not that Legends does anything particularly new or novel; it’s just that it executes on the formula really, really well delivering lots of joy. Highly recommended.
Recommended if you enjoyed: Gran Turismo, Hustle, The Sandlot
Karate Kid: Legends is now available to rent or purchase on most digital platforms.
