‘Karate Kid: Legends' Review: Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio Return for a Messy and Uninspired Addition to the Franchise
Take a dose of the original Karate Kid tetralogy, add some elements from the 2010 remake, finish it off with a soupçon of the Netflix series Cobra Kai, and you have the Frankenstein's monster of a franchise continuation that is Karate Kid: Legends. While no one could begrudge the seemingly ageless Ralph Macchio and beloved action star Jackie Chan the opportunity to reprise their roles of Daniel LaRusso and Mr. Han, respectively, this latest addition to an apparently unkillable franchise adds nothing original to the formula. It's a formula that works, to be sure, making for a pleasant enough time filler. But that's about it.
With Daniel and Mr. Han relegated to the outskirts of the story for long stretches before the final act, the Jonathan Entwistle-directed film mainly revolves around Li Fong (a very appealing Ben Wang, American Born Chinese), a young kung fu prodigy still traumatized by seeing his beloved older brother murdered right in front of him. His mother (Ming-Na Wen), a doctor, doesn't approve of his continuing to study martial arts under the guidance of his teacher Mr. Han. When she suddenly decides to move with Li to New York City for a new job, she gives him one rule: 'No fighting.'
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It's not hard to guess that rule is going to be broken quickly. Shortly after arriving in town, Li strikes up a budding romance with Mia (Sadie Stanley), the daughter of the owner of a pizza shop around the corner. This doesn't sit well with Mia's very jealous ex-boyfriend Connor (Aramis Knight, oozing villainy as if to the Karate Kid manor born), who gives Li a black eye with a vicious sucker punch.
But that's not the only thing forcing Li to break his mother's decree. Mia's father Victor (Joshua Jackson, coming off like he prepared for his role by watching old Bowery Boys movies), a former championship boxer, is in serious hock to the sensei at the martial arts academy where Connor trains. When a trio of thugs show up to violently collect, Li reveals his skills by fighting them off. This impresses Victor so much that he decides the only way he can pay off his debt is to return to the ring, with Li as his unlikely trainer.
Yes, the karate kid is now the teacher, at least for a while — cuing the inevitable quirky training montage with Li putting Victor through his paces in what are apparently the least crowded subway cars in all of New York City.
When Victor's opponent cheats and nearly kills him in the ring (it's a given that all of the opponents in this series are dastardly), Li decides that the only way he can help him pay off his debt is to enter a citywide tournament with a $50,000 cash prize. This is when Mr. Han shows up out of the blue to train Li. Except that since his specialty is kung fu, not karate, he takes a detour to California and recruits Daniel to help, using their mutual friendship with the late Mr. Miyagi as inducement. Cue the second quirky training montage, much of it taking place on a rooftop garden with a view of the Chrysler Building, with the two Karate Kid veterans putting Li through such exercises as (in a nod to the 1984 original) 'jacket on, jacket off.'
It's a lot for a movie coming in at 94 minutes, including credits. And the plot is just awful, crammed with so many cliches that you're barely done chuckling at one before another kicks you in the head. By the time the film reaches its climactic bout in yet another open-air rooftop with an even more impressive skyline view (thankfully, it never rains in New York City), the goodwill generated by the performers has long since worn off.
True to its title, Karate Kid: Legends dutifully pays homage to its predecessors, even starting off with a clip from 1986's The Karate Kid Part II featuring a young Macchio and Pat Morita. There are numerous callbacks to past installments, and the end credits feature a cameo by one more franchise veteran. At one point, Daniel comments of his late mentor, 'Every time I have a chance to pass on a piece of his legacy, it's never the wrong choice.' The studio executives who greenlit this project would certainly agree.
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