Cinematic universes colliding has seemed like a concept reserved for superhero and sci-fi films. But, Karate Kid Legends prerogative isn’t just to have the kung-fu underdog story return to the big screen (and perhaps to stand aside from the culturally significant and popular streaming series Cobra Kai), but for worlds to collide in an epic team up style. And in this case, it’s the original Karate Kid, Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), the 2010 reboot’s sensei, Mr. Han (Jackie Chan), and a new Karate Kid in Li Fong (Ben Wang) unite for a movie that has a lot of charm and exciting action that the whole family can enjoy.
Training under Mr. Han, a teenage kung fu prodigy named Li Fong has his life in Beijing uprooted when his mother takes a job in New York City. The move isn’t easy for Li, as he tries to assimilate to a new culture, school, and lifestyle – one without kung fu due to his mother’s forbiddance of violence after a tragic incident with Li’s older brother only a year prior.
Things begin to look up for Li as he meets Mia (Sadie Stanley), a girl from school who works with her ex-boxer father, Victor (Joshua Jackson), at the local pizza store. As Li and Mia become closer, it catches the eye of Mia’s previous fling, and local kung-fu trained bully, Connor (Aramis Knight), who begins to make Li’s life hell, leading to Li’s only option to confront Connor – a kung fu tournament.
” a lot of charm and exciting action for the whole family“
At 95 minutes in length, Karate Kid Legends moves along a break neck speed. With a script that trims a lot of fat and doesn’t explore it’s themes with too much depth, the formulaic presentation of the underdog story is the epitome of “don’t fix what’s not broken”. It’s a simple three-act structure – Li is pulled into a new world, Li faces a problem, Li tries to solve the problem… with kung fu. You won’t walk away from Karate Kid Legends moved or changed by its surface level exploration of cross-culturalism, young love, bullying, and facing the trauma of the past.
However, you may get swept up in the energetic charm of the film, which features charismatic performances showcasing cute chemistry between Li and Mia (or more accurately, Wang and Stanley, respectively), plus a great every-day-guy outing from Jackson, whose side story comprising of dealing with loan shark gangsters, feels inconsequential, but fills the runtime with some entertaining moments. It’s impossible not to be swept up in the youthful vibe and exuberance of Li, who balances being a genuine person with someone who is dealing with an unspoken hurt inside.
But, the most important element of this film is the fact that it’s not a Karate Kid movie without the karate, and director Jonathan Entwistle creates some dynamic fight scenes that utilises hand-held, immersive camera work with some stylistically choreography that makes each action set-piece feel like it’s an entertaining part of the movie, rather than a gritty moment of violence. The final tournament fight and an exciting alleyway brawl are standout scenes.
One of Karate Kid Legends most glaring flaws though is the fact that the marketing pushes the eventual sensei team up between Ralph Macchio’s LaRusso and Jackie Chan’ Han. The nostalgic manipulation could be forgiven if each character was utilised more, however both are severely underutilised. Chan gets a little bit more meatiness to his role – and a fun, but fleeting moment of action where the iconic manoeuvres of Chan are on display – but it’s still not enough to warrant the return of the character in such grand fashion. It’s even more sinful with Macchio, who you could argue is more of an extended cameo/comedic relief. And that is disappointing considering his recent involvement with Cobra Kai.
Karate Kid Legends is far from the best film in the series, but it manages to showcase some exciting martial arts set pieces and capture such a charming and youthful energy that will undoubtedly bring smiles to faces by the time the credits roll.
Karate Kid: Legends is in cinemas June 5.
