- KARATE KID: LEGENDS
- Starring: Jackie Chan, Ben Wang and Ralph Macchio
- Directed by: Jonathan Entwistle
- Rated: PG 13
- Running time: 1 hr 34 mins
- SONY/Columbia Pictures
Our score: 3 out of 5
A young boy becomes a fish out of water when he and his mother move to a new city. There he is bullied and only being trained in martial arts can help him. Sound familiar? That’s the plot of the original “Karate Kid,” released in 1884. It’s also the plot of the new “Karate Kid: Legends,” which plays like a cross between the familiar “Karate Kid” themed films mixed with a little “Best of the Best.” The film is entertaining, but it’s very formulaic.
The film opens with a scene from “Karate Kid Part II,” with the wise Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita) explain the secrets of his family’s karate to his student, Daniel Larusso (Macchio). The scene is expanded to inform the audience that Miyagi-go karate is also based in kung-fu.
China. Enter Mr. Han (Chan), the featured teacher in the 2010 version of “The Karate Kid” starring Jaden Smith. These days Mr. Han runs a kung-fu academy and his prize student is Li (Wang). Li’s mother, (Ming-Na Wen) is not happy that Li is doing, having lost a son in a fight years ago. When Li and his mother move to New York City, mom believes LI’s fighting days are over. As Sam Kinison used to ask, “Is she RIGHT?”
Familiar, with lots of foreshadowing, “Karate Kid: Legends” obviously hopes to ride the tails of the recently ended Netflix series “Cobra Kai.” And while the story is easy to figure out, I can’t deny that the film is entertaining. Li meets Mia (Sadie Stanley), a local girl who works in her father’s pizzeria. He immediately pisses off Mia’s ex-boyfriend, who just happens to be the karate champion of the city. And so on and so on.
What makes the film enjoyable is the cast. Wang is both a skilled fighter and endearing young man. When he’s referred to as the “Chinese Peter Parker,” you can imagine him in the part, bringing the same youthful feel to the role that Tom Holland has. The supporting cast is strong as well. Ms. Stanley plays Mia as tough but tender and Joshua Jackson, who plays Mia’s father, has certainly come a long way from “The Mighty Ducks.” As the television commercials inform you, Ralph Macchio returns as Daniel Larusso though his role is just a little larger then a cameo.
The martial arts scenes are spectacularly done, with some amazing choreography. Chan is 71 – Macchio is 63 – but they both move like they are in their prime.
Overall, the nostalgia of the previous films is a big drawing point for the film and it’s with those fond memories in the back of your head that “Karate Kid: Legends” excels. Another plus, you don’t have to be familiar with the “Cobra Kai series to enjoy this film but if you are you’ll be rewarded for having done so.
While my 8-year-old grandson, Hudson, told me to write it’s “the greatest movie ever made,” on a scale of zero to five I’m giving “Karate Kid: Legends” ★★★