Karate Kid: Legends

They not only combined two different fighting styles...

they also combined two different movies into one.

Here's the thing: was it entertaining? Yes. Was it good? Ehh. I like both ideas of the plot they tried to fit into one, but you just cannot make it happen in one hour and thirty minutes. "Underdeveloped" was the theme.

Let's start with the story the synopsis describes, the ultimate fan service. The second half is THE Karate Kid movie you are expecting to see. Li Fong being trained by Mr. Han and Daniel LaRusso in a painful, but entertaining fashion. All to get him ready so he can defeat "the bully". The core of the franchise is to never give up, always get back up and use that secret move you've been training during montages to give the final blow.

First half thought? Way more refreshing, more interesting and I wish it was used as a completely separate movie (also, it's weird how it was completely hidden from the marketing). It gives a nice twist to the known formula and now the kid becomes the master. Personally I had way more fun watching that part of the plot.

As a whole movie it's not the greatest, but it does have some great moments. Back alley fight behind the pizzeria? Probably my favorite fighting scene - it had that comedy Jackie Chan style to it. Existence of Alan, the most random character in any Karate Kid movie? Perfect. The number of times Li Fong gets his ass kicked by Mr. Han and Daniel LaRusso? Pure chaos and fun. The boxing match and training (yes, there is boxing in it) - awesome.

But then we also have the bad. Conor Day was just painfully poorly written. The actual tournament? Barely existed - they fast forwarded all the fights, we saw close to nothing. Ming Na Wen practically being just a guest role was sad - her character could have delivered some good external conflict. Than we have the trauma that was less than a background.

Somehow, because nothing was truly developed I did not feel the grand victorious feeling when the movie ended. You know how Karate Kid movies make you want to learn martial arts? This one just made me want to rewatch previous movies in the franchise. It just did not have that kick to it.

The casting was great. The cast was criminally underused, but still great. Jackie Chan at 71 still has it. Probably on his worst day he is still better than 99.9% of people on their best. Surprisingly Ben Wang delivered probably my favorite version of "Karate Kid" as the leading character. Good personality with real flaws and fears.

Overall, it was fun. I'm kind of sad they did not make it into two great movies, and instead settled on delivering not that well blended mix.

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"If life knocks you down, get back up"

Karate Kid: Legends was the sixth addition to the franchise that began in 1984. Full of nostalgia by calling back old familiar characters and tropes, KKL didn't exactly pave a new cinematic experience but as a popcorn movie it delivered some fun moments for fans.

Li Fong is training under sifu Han in Beijing, China. He’s working to overcome his feelings of guilt about the death of his brother who had been attacked and killed. His mother doesn’t want him to practice kung fu, fearing she’ll lose a second son. When she lands a job in New York City, she makes Li promise no more kung fu. When attempting to order a stuffed crust pizza at a local pizzeria (sacrilege in NYC!) he meets Mia and her dad who owns the place. The two hit it off, something her ex-boyfriend and brutal MMA fighter, Conor, is none too pleased about. In order to help Mia’s family and himself, Li may have to break his promise to his mother.

KKL’s poster prominently features Jackie Chan/Mr. Han and Ralph Macchio (Daniel LaRusso). The two don’t really show up until nearly an hour into the film. The first hour sets the stage for Li’s motivation to fight in the Five Burroughs Tournament. The second half is mostly training montages with the two mentors flipping poor Li Fong all over Fetterman’s garden roof.

Mr. Miyagi’s family was retrofitted to have a connection with the Hans-“Two branches, one tree.” I wasn’t disappointed that the two teachers weren’t more prominently featured, this was Li Fong’s story. Plus, Jackie is getting older and Ralph is an actor, not an accomplished martial artist. The elders provided humor for the film and gave Li the support he needed to heal and compete. I thought Ben Wang as Li Fong was utterly charming and his authentic martial arts skills helped to sell the fights. Sadie Stanley was one of the better girlfriends and better actresses in the franchise. Wen Ming Na (Disney’s first Mulan and Agents of Shield) didn’t have nearly enough to do. I always enjoy her presence in films and television shows. Joshua Jackson (Dawson’s Creek and Fringe) added another fight style as a retired boxer who was in debt to loan sharks.

The plot followed much of the original’s framework---a fish out of water with a single mother who had to deal with a violent opponent and ex-boyfriend to the girl he had a crush on. The evil gym “We don’t fight for points, we fight to kill!” was badly underdeveloped. Aside from one run-in with Conor and his Demolition posse, Li didn’t suffer much as the new kid in a strange land. He had a supportive mother, girlfriend, girlfriend’s father, and not one, but two mentors! Thankfully, the infamous and totally useless Crane Kick was not used. The equally useless Dragon Kick was but at least they figured out how to make it workable. I loved that Daniel-san made the comment that you can’t teach someone karate in a week. Say it ain’t so---“Wax on, wax off!”

At ninety minutes, the story flew leaving precious little room for character or story development. This was a stream-lined film that often used the familiar characters and plot points to take shortcuts that weren’t completely satisfying. The original Karate Kid was a 1980’s cheese fest with a heart of gold. 2025’s Karate/Kung Fu Kid lacked the original’s heartwarming moments like Daniel had with Mr. Miyagi (d*mn to the depths WWII internment camps!). Just like we probably didn’t need multiple Rocky or Jurassic Park films, we probably didn’t need another addition to the KK family. However, if you enjoy the Karate Kid paradigm, Legends would be one to add to your watch list. It might not have been memorable or groundbreaking but it was 90 minutes of mindless entertainment that kept the fists, kicks, and gentle humor flowing.

30 September 2025

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