Karate Kid: Legends features a multigenerational cast from the previous installments as well as the Cobra Kai series for a new entry that will no doubt please its unassuming fans.
It has the trappings this series is famous for: Bits of humor, fortune cookie sentiments and of course lots of martial arts action. I wasn’t necessarily bored so to speak, but I also couldn’t help but think it’s a “been there, done that” approach all the way through.
This new chapter centers on a kid named Li Fong (Ben Wang) who lives in Beijing with his mother (Ming-Na Wen). That is until the mom gets a job working in a hospital in New York, so of course, the two of them have to uproot. This means Li has to leave behind his friends and his martial arts teacher, Jackie Chan’s Mr. Han.
It’s a rocky start for Li, but he soon becomes friends with the owner of a pizza parlor (Joshua Jackson) and his daughter (Sadie Stanley). Li has his hands full due to having a meet-cute with the daughter and training the father for a comeback in an upcoming fight. Li earns the nickname “Stuffed Crust” due to the type of pizza he likes.
Li eventually encounters the daughter’s ex-boyfriend Conor Day (Aramis Knight), who is jealous of Li’s relationship with his ex, and this, of course, leads to a challenge that will culminate in the big tournament saved for the climax.
Needing help, Chan’s Han comes to assist, and he enlists Ralph Macchio’s Daniel LaRusso to help train. Like so many franchises, Legends doesn’t shy away from giving fan service, especially during the training montages.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with Karate Kid: Legends. It has some impressive martial arts scenes, such as when a group of men try to ambush Li and Jackson’s characters, and they outfight them with some astonishing moves featuring what looks like interactions with the actors themselves. It also features some tender moments between Li, his mother, and Han that do a decent job of trying to give these characters some development.
So if I’m saying there’s nothing inherently wrong with the movie, why am I not more glowing toward it? Well, I felt indifferent when I discovered how predictable the movie was. It seems more content on recycling elements of the past than on building upon them.
A move called the Dragon Kick is stressed excessively throughout, and by the time we get to the inevitable confrontation between Li and Conor, we know that maneuver will come into play. It’s things like this that detract from any kind of genuine interest.
Karate Kid: Legends isn’t a cynical exercise, but it might make some wonder if the franchise has any kick left.