The Karate Kid is a beloved franchise that has spanned many forms of media. The sixth entry in this four-decades-long franchise acts as a legacy sequel to the original trilogy and the 2010 remake.
Li Fong (Ben Wang) is a martial arts prodigy and Mr. Han’s (Jackie Chan) nephew. Li is forced to move to New York with his mother (Ming-Na Wen). She makes Li promise that he will give up kung-fu. In New York, Li makes new friends and enemies, and the draw of martial arts becomes too strong if it means it could save his friends’ livelihood.
The original The Karate Kid was a milestone movie. It emerged just as there was a rising interest in Japanese culture in the West. Even people who haven’t seen the film know some of the famous scenes like ‘wax on, wax off,’ Daniel’s karate pose, and the crane kick. It has been parodied countless times, such as in The Simpsons, Saved by the Bell, American Dad, and How I Met Your Mother. All the subsequent films and expanded media weren’t able to match The Karate Kid’s heights.
Karate Kid: Legends has been marketed as a merger of two versions of the series by bringing back Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan, similar to what Jurassic World: Dominion did with the Jurassic Park/Jurassic World series. The film started with a retcon where Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita) told Daniel (Macchio) how one of his ancestors learned kung fu from the Han family in China, and Mr. Han stated he was friends with Mr. Miyagi.
In reality, Karate Kid: Legends was a remake of the original film. It was like Star Wars: The Force Awakens: same story, different characters. Li was in the role of Daniel and Dre since he was a boy who moved to a new city, befriended a nice girl, became a target of her martial artist ex-boyfriend, and had to prove himself in a martial arts tournament. Karate Kid: Legends shared plot points with the original, like a romantic misunderstanding, and like in every Karate Kid film, there was a cruel rival sensei. Li was the reverse of Dre since he moved from Beijing to New York, whilst Dre went from Detroit to Beijing.
Karate Kid: Legends did have some differences. Li was already an accomplished martial artist, and during the first half of the film, Li was teaching Victor (Joshua Jackson) kung fu techniques so the older man could incorporate them in his boxing. Throughout the film, there was a theme of blending different martial arts techniques. Mr. Miyagi did it with his karate, and Li needed to learn karate so he could fight in the underground tournament. Han brought in Daniel so Mr. Miyagi’s student could teach his nephew, although it felt like two men teaming up to beat up a teenager. The tournament format was different since they were underground street fights, with time between matches, which meant Li and his team could devise strategies.
Karate Kid: Legends acted as Jonathan Entwistle’s feature film director. Entwistle had been an experienced TV director and producer, known for the teen-centric shows The End of the F***ing World and I Am Not Okay With This. Entwistle and his team gave this Karate Kid entry a sense of style and flash. There were graphics and comic book-style panels that made Karate Kid: Legends visually distinct. Karate Kid: Legends had some of the best fight scenes in the series, helped by Wang being proficient with martial arts. The fights were fast, fluid, and well done for the most part.
Karate Kid: Legends was a film based on nostalgia and fan goodwill. This entry was a perfectly functional and adequate film, but it offered nothing new to the series or the coming-of-age genre.
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Summary
Serviceable but lacked originality
