‘Karate Kid: Legends’ Reunites Old Favorites With a New Fighter for a Kinetically Silly Time 

Alci Rengifo

Jonathan Entwistle’s “Karate Kid: Legends” is a combination of two sides to the 41-year-old franchise. One half borrows from the usual plot beats of the 1984 original “The Karate Kid,” the other combines that with the outright silliness of the “Cobra Kai” spinoff. “Legends” is essentially attempting to service fans with the best of both worlds. Both cannot truly cohabit so the result is an uneven movie that can be entertaining, baffling, heartfelt, and a dose of pure absurdity, all at once. It is almost primed to become one of those movies made for the age of memes, where individual moments can be plucked for internet slapstick.

Every “Karate Kid” reboot begins with the concept of a lonely teenager. Li Fong (Ben Wang) is just fine studying kung fu in Beijing under the tutelage of Mr. Han (Jackie Chan, reprising his role from 2010’s “The Karate Kid”). Alas, Li’s single mom, Dr. Fong (Ming-Na Wen) has taken a new job in New York, meaning they have to move. She also forbids him to fight. At first all seems adjustable as Dr. Fong can afford quite the nice Brooklyn apartment and Li meets Mia (Sadie Stanley), the pretty and friendly daughter of pizzeria owner Victor (Joshua Jackson). Nothing is ever that easy and we soon learn that Victor owes money to the ruthless O’Shea (Tim Rozon), who is the owner of a local mixed martial arts gym. Even worse, O’Shea happens to train Conor (Aramis Knight), Mia’s brutish ex. 

With about 15 years having passed since the last “Karate Kid” movie, you would think director Jonathan Entwistle (creator of Netflix’s “The End of the F***ing World”) and writer Rob Lieber would simply update the premise for 2025. It is not a hard gamble considering you just need to throw a new teen into a new city with bullies then introduce the mentor to teach martial arts. This worked well in the 2010 remake, which boasted some memorable visuals and a heartfelt performance from Jackie Chan. The first act of “Legends” almost seems as if it’s going for an original route by introducing a storyline where Li helps Victor, a former boxer, get back into shape to step into the ring. That whole premise suddenly turns into a “Rocky IV” homage where Victor is nearly punched to death. Li is then saddled with having to enter the 5 Boroughs tournament, funded by who knows what benefactor, to help Victor pay his debts and apparently save New York City from evil martial arts instructors.

Here is where the story enters pure “Cobra Kai” frenzy without the show’s lean plotting or melodrama. Because Li already knows kung fu there is not much for him to learn. Yet, Mr. Han still flies out to New York to help, since he is Dr. Fong’s uncle. But it takes a lot to prep for the 5 Boroughs, so a quick stop by Mr. Han to render homage to the late Mr. Miyagi in California inspires the original Karate Kid himself, Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), to fly out to NYC and help train Li. Many training montages follow which is fun to watch solely to see the old pro Chan do his colorful, comedic stunts. Daniel and Han bicker at first over how to go about teaching Li to face a “tiger” like Conor. Somehow Li has no classes to attend at any high school. The original “Karate Kid” was really about the anxiety of being a teenager adapting to a new place. “Legends” has some pleasant moments where Li and Mia check out bodegas, the young actors giving off genuine chemistry. The chemistry just isn’t allowed to last.

The pacing of “Legends” gets so frantic that Chan and Macchio are barely given time to steal any scenes. Like “Cobra Kai,” you find yourself asking funny questions during the overcooked fight scenes. Why is the 5 Boroughs competition mostly outdoors and so shabbily produced when the winnings are something in the zone of $50,000? Where did the big crowd waiting for the final showdown atop a skyscraper’s helipad come from? How is a pizza later delivered from New York to California without being packaged? Such moments are big screen equivalents of all those memorably goofy, yet entertaining “Cobra Kai” moments involving epic battles in a high school with no adults present or the unexplained need to control the Valley. Alert for fans, there is a bonus end credits scene that is purely made for you with much cheerful nostalgia.

New Yorkers might also be left baffled with how much of “Legends” never feels as if it’s taking place in the actual city, either because the sets feel suspiciously too artificial or quite a few outdoor shots seem polished with CGI. Mostly, the movie is just missing a story that makes us genuinely care for Li’s journey or the stakes at play. Who borrows dangerous amounts of money from a martial arts teacher anyway? Victor apparently would have had better chances at a payment plan with what’s left of the local mob. Ban Wang comes out the winner, proving he has a likeable screen presence. Jackie Chan is always entertaining on his own because he is Jackie Chan. Everything else feels like a kick being thrown but ultimately missing the mark.

“Karate Kid: Legends” releases May 30 in theaters nationwide.