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Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Karate Kid: Legends Review: SOOOOO Many Cliches
HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) – Karate Kid: Legends is the sixth Karate Kid film, not counting the spinoff series Cobra Kai, and it is so riddled with cliches that there is almost nothing new, special, or interesting about this rehashed, remixed, clone-of-a-clone-of-a-clone-of-a-clone of a movie. Jonathan Entwistle directs Karate Kid: Legends, which stars Ben Wang as Li Fong, this film's titular Karate Kid – who actually practices Kung Fu. Jackie Chan returns from the remake made in 2010, Ralph Macchio returns from the original three films from the 1980s, and Ming-Na Wen plays Wang's character's mother, who initially disapproves of Li fighting. The story is familiar to anyone who has seen a Karate Kid movie: Li must fight in a city karate tournament to save his girlfriend's father's pizzeria from loan sharks. Friendship review Karate Kid: Legends is entirely composed of cliches. It is easy to know exactly what fights he's going to win, what fights he's going to lose, and where these characters are going to go at every single turn. If the mother character begins by disapproving her son's karate, what do you think is going to happen by the end? If there is a fight at the midpoint that would solve all of the characters' problems, do you think the protagonists are going to win? If Li needs to train to be successful, do you think there's going to be a montage? That question I can answer without fearing spoilers: yes, in fact, there are going to be several montages. Even if you're going to Karate Kid: Legends for the martial arts action, you will be disappointed. The martial arts action is cut to ribbons; the editing makes it almost impossible to figure out what is going on in these fights. Like most modern action films, the frenetic cutting makes it feel like stuff is going on, but any clarity of motion or geography gets lost in all the cuts. Most deceptive is the film's use of the two great stars of the franchise, Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio. These two actors are given almost nothing to do in Karate Kid: Legends. The plot bends itself into a pretzel to include them, and yet it still gives them nothing to do. Neither character has an arc, and both characters don't show up on screen for any extended amount of time until the film is half-over. Heavily featured in the training montages, they exist to spout cliché dialogue and block a few punches in sparring sequences. For fans of the franchise or Cobra Kai, Karate Kid: Legends wastes the franchise's main draws. Most of the film's heavy lifting relies on Ben Wang, and he is the one good thing about Karate Kid: Legends. He is almost charming enough to save it, and it is through sheer force of will that he is able to make the movie halfway watchable. But with hackneyed 80s villains, bad action sequences, and a plot that regurgitates cliches, not even Wang's strong performance can save Karate Kid: Legends. Eyewitness News. Everywhere you are. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
‘Karate Kid: Legends' to close out May with a box-office boost, but ‘Lilo & Stitch' stays on top
After a record-breaking Memorial Day at the box office, the month of May closes with one final boost as Sony's Karate Kid: Legends hits theaters as the top new release for the weekend spanning May 30–June 1. The sixth installment of the nostalgic franchise introduces Ben Wang as Li Fong, a young kung fu prodigy and the great-nephew of Mr. Han (Jackie Chan). After moving to New York City with his mother, Li finds himself unwittingly pulled into a dangerous world of underground fighters and thugs. With the intervention of his great-uncle Mr. Han — and legendary ally Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) — Li is inspired to enter the highly anticipated Five Boroughs Tournament. More from GoldDerby Taylor Swift gets her music back, Ariana Grande will 'Meet the Parents,' 'King of the Hill' gets premiere date, and more of today's top stories 'Every beat is meticulously crafted': 6 'Purpose' Tony nominees offer an oral history of the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama 'Severance,' 'Sinners,' '28 Years Later' scare up major wins at the 2025 Golden Trailer Awards Karate Kid: Legends is projected to debut with $25 million to $30 million at the box office. However, that won't to be enough to overtake last weekend's champions: Disney's Lilo & Stitch and Paramount's Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning, which are expected to bring in $60 million and $30 million, respectively, over the upcoming weekend. The top-earning movie in the franchise remains 2010's The Karate Kid reboot starring Jaden Smith, which opened with an impressive $55 million and went on to gross $359 million worldwide. Other newcomers this weekend include A24's Bring Her Back, an Australian horror thriller expected to debut with around $6 million, and Wes Anderson's latest star-studded comedy, The Phoenician Scheme, which will open in limited theaters. Gold Derby readers predict that Lilo & Stitch will win the May 30-June 1 weekend with between $50 million and $75 million domestically. Mission Impossible — The Final Reckoning is the runner-up selection of our oddsmakers. NEW RELEASES Director: Jonathan Entwistle Distributor: Sony Pictures After kung fu prodigy Li Fong relocates to New York City, he attracts unwanted attention from a local karate champion and embarks on a journey to enter the ultimate karate competition with the help of Mr. Han and Daniel LaRusso. The family-friendly action movie, starring Ralph Macchio, Jackie Chan, and Ben Wang, has a running time of one hour, 34 minutes, and is rated PG-13. Karate Kid: Legends is certified "rotten" with a 55 percent score per the aggregated critic reviews at Rotten Tomatoes; "mixed" reviews compiled by Metacritic resulted in an overall score of 53 percent. Director: Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou Distributor: A24 A brother and sister uncover a terrifying ritual at the secluded home of their new foster mother. The horror flick, starring Billy Barratt, Sally Hawkins, and Sora Wong, has a running time of one hour, 44 minutes, and is rated R. Bring Her Back is certified "fresh" with a 88 percent score per the aggregated critic reviews at Rotten Tomatoes; "generally favorable" reviews compiled by Metacritic resulted in an overall score of 75 percent. The Phoenician Scheme Director: Wes Anderson Distributor: Focus Features Wealthy businessman Zsa-zsa Korda appoints his only daughter, a nun, as sole heir to his estate. As Korda embarks on a new enterprise, they soon become the target of scheming tycoons, foreign terrorists, and determined assassins. The action-comedy, starring Benicio del Toro, Mia Threapleton, and Michael Cera, has a running time of one hour, 41 minutes, and is rated PG-13. The Phoenician Scheme is certified "fresh" with a 77 percent score per the aggregated critic reviews at Rotten Tomatoes; "generally favorable" reviews compiled by Metacritic resulted in an overall score of 71 percent. BOX-OFFICE PREDICTIONS Despite steep declines following last weekend's record-breaking surge, Lilo & Stitch and Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning are expected to retain the top two spots at the box office, with Karate Kid: Legends landing comfortably in third. In fourth place, Final Destination Bloodlines is likely to capitalize on its holdover appeal, earning around $10 million in its third weekend. Meanwhile, newcomer Bring Her Back will compete with two of the summer's biggest hits — Sinners and Thunderbolts — for fifth place. Initially projected to earn $6 million, many forecasters now believe Bring Her Back could surpass expectations, fueled by glowing reviews and the enduring popularity of the horror genre. Here are Gold Derby's predictions box-office rankings for the top five: 1. Lilo & Stitch 2. Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning 3. Karate Kid: Legends 4. Final Destination Bloodlines 5. Bring Her Back Do you agree or disagree with those rankings? Make your predictions right now — it's fun and easy! Join the box-office discussion in our forums. Best of GoldDerby Marilyn Monroe movies: 15 greatest films ranked worst to best Clint Eastwood movies: 20 greatest films ranked worst to best Morgan Freeman movies: 15 greatest films ranked worst to best Click here to read the full article.
New York Post
a day ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
How ‘Karate Kid: Legends' filmed climactic fight on NYC skyscraper: director
Wax on, wax off. The latest movie in the 'Karate Kid' franchise, 'Karate Kid: Legends,' ended with a dramatic fight — that included hundreds of background actors. 'We had 650 extras in there on the [sound] stage for that sequence, to really sell it,' director Jonathan Entwistle exclusively told The Post. Advertisement 11 Ben Wang as Li in 'Karate Kid: Legends.' ©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection 11 Ming-Na Wen, Wyatt Oleff, Ralph Macchio, Ben Wang, Joshua Jackson, Jackie Chan, Sadie Stanley in 'Karate Kid: Legends.' ©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection 11 Li (Ben Wang) and Connor (Aramis Knight) fighting on top of a skyscraper in 'Karate Kid: Legends.' Columbia Pictures Advertisement 'Karate Kid: Legends' follows a new character, Li (Ben Wang), who has trained in Kung Fu with martial arts master Mr. Han (Jackie Chan), who was friends with the late Mr. Miyagi (Nariyoshi Miyagi). When his mom moves him from China to New York, Li befriends local Pizzeria owner Victor (Joshua Jackson) and crushes on Victor's teen daughter, Mia (Sadie Stanley). Eventually, Li finds himself in a karate tournament, facing off against Mia's aggressive ex-boyfriend, Connor (Aramis Knight). Mr. Han comes to help Li train, since he knows Kung Fu but not karate, and also entreats original 'Karate Kid' Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) to help train Li. 11 Ralph Macchio, Jackie Chan and Ben Wang attend the 'Karate Kid: Legends' Photocall at Trafalgar Square on May 20, 2025. Getty Images for Sony Pictures Advertisement 11 Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio in 'Karate Kid: Legends.' ©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection 11 Ralph Macchio in 1984's 'Karate Kid.' Li and Connor's climatic fight takes place on top of a fake New York City skyscraper — filmed on a soundstage. 'We filmed using the volume technology,' he explained, referring to the visual effects technology that's also been used on shows like 'The Mandalorian' and 'House of the Dragon.' Advertisement 'The whole skyscraper building with the elevator and all of those things – we built it for real on a stage. And then we built big 40-foot screens all the way around this set.' 11 Ben Wang on top of an NYC skyscraper for the final climactic fight in 'Karate Kid: Legends.' Columbia Pictures 11 Director Jonathan Entwistle talking to The Post for 'Karate Kid: Legends.' Page Six 11 Li (Ben Wang) during the fight on top of an NYC skyscraper. ©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection He said production then went to New York City, 'and we found the exact pinpoint position in Manhattan where we could take the camera and the drones all the way up – to get the exact skyline that we wanted at the exact same time of day.' Once they captured the New York City skyline footage they wanted, they filmed for over 24 hours to 'get all the sky versions.' Once they got the footage, 'we tweaked the sunset to get a most perfect sunset with the most perfect New York skyline to be able to work with that. Because it's very important for me that the movie felt like it was in New York.' 11 Ralph Macchio, Ben Wang and Jackie Chan in 'Karate Kid: Legends.' ©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection Advertisement 11 Ben Wang (L) and Ralph Macchio promote the upcoming film 'Karate Kid: Legends' at the Sony Pictures Entertainment presentation during CinemaCon, the official convention of Cinema United, at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on March 31, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Getty Images 'By New York, I mean Manhattan – kind of Flatiron [building] adjacent. That's New York for the vast majority of people in the world,' he explained to The Post. 'I was, like, 'let's make it feel like we were right in the middle there.'' The epic fight sequence took about two weeks to film. And because they were on a soundstage with 40 foot screens displaying their Manhattan skyline footage, production 'had a perpetual sunset.' 'Karate Kid: Legends' is in theaters now.
CBC
a day ago
- Entertainment
- CBC
Karate Kid: Legends is about the fights, not the storytelling
Social Sharing Karate Kid: Legends is the sixth Karate Kid movie — and it shows. The film isn't afraid to fall into the formula you might expect for a late-franchise sequel. It delivers on some spectacular action sequences, and even brings back the original karate kid Ralph Macchio and martial arts legend Jackie Chan for some short, memorable scenes. But at the same time, the movie doesn't seem to concern itself too much with the plot that connects all these moments together. Today on Commotion, Vulture's Alison Willmore, Inverse's Hoai-Tran Bui and Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival's Aram Siu Wai Collier join host Elamin Abdelmahmoud to discuss Karate Kid: Legends, and what they are most excited to see in theatres this summer. We've included some highlights below, edited for length and clarity. For the full discussion, listen and follow Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud on your favourite podcast player. WATCH | Today's episode on YouTube: Elamin: Hoai-Tran, talk to me about Karate Kid: Legends. What is this new movie about? Hoai-Tran: Karate Kid: Legends follows Ben Wang's Li Fong, who moves from Beijing to New York City with his mom. He has given up kung fu because of a past traumatic incident involving his brother, who passed after a tournament. And it goes in a direction that you wouldn't expect, because the karate doesn't take place until maybe the last 20 minutes of this movie. Actually, it's mostly about boxing, kind of. When he moves to New York, he of course meets a cute girl next door … and her Dad is a former boxer played by Joshua Jackson. And to avoid some loan sharks, Joshua Jackson's character asks Li Fong to help him learn kung fu.… That then switches to another different movie about 45 minutes in, and you're like, "Oh this is the movie that was actually advertised." So there's a little bit of false advertising going in this trailer specifically because Jackie Chan is great, but spends most of his screen time behind a phone.… It's a bit of a strange, awkward marriage of two movies that don't really connect together, and honestly are not really that good. Elamin: Alison, Ben Wang is the star of this movie, making him the first Asian American karate kid. How do you feel about his performance in this role? Alison: I hadn't seen him in his other work before.… I think he's very charming. I think he obviously knows how to do martial arts, which is a huge ask here. And I really liked that, in a kind of gesture towards Jackie Chan's long legendary cinematic history, he inserts some physical comedy into the martial arts sequences…. I appreciated the nod towards that. I do feel like I would agree. I think that this movie is kind of bifurcated in an odd way. It's funny that the movies, they're like, "The formula is, it has to be an Asian character teaching a non-Asian character martial arts." So he has to be the teacher, even though he's a teenager for a while. It is a little odd. But it does get to the good stuff we want: training montages, fighting in a random martial arts tournament that happens on rooftops and streets around New York City for no reason at all. It just feels a little hurried. I wanted a bit more time spent with his character. That said, I think that he's a really promising actor, and I would like to see more of him. Elamin: Aram, as you think about this movie … does it in any way hold up against the original movies? Aram: I mean, just like Alison said, it really sticks to the formula. Which, in the martial arts tradition, I think that fulfills the assignment right? It's kind of like having a really good can of soup. There's no surprises … and it's not always wrong or bad to know where you're going. So I found it actually comforting.
News18
a day ago
- Entertainment
- News18
Fans Say Jackie Chan's Karate Kid: Legends Is ‘Fun' And Packed With Action
Last Updated: Karate Kid: Legends has been directed by Jonathan Entwistle. The action drama sees the legendary Jackie Chan return as Mr Han after 15 years. The newest chapter in the Karate Kid franchise, Karate Kid: Legends, has officially landed in theaters on Friday, May 30, and fans are already loving it. Directed by Jonathan Entwistle, the action drama sees the legendary Jackie Chan return as Mr Han after 15 years. Ben Wang and Ralph Macchio also feature in the movie. With such a big legacy to follow, expectations were sky-high. So, did it deliver? According to fans, absolutely yes. People are calling it fun and a worthy addition to the Karate Kid world. Many were excited to see Jackie Chan reprise his role as Mr Han. As a big fan of this franchise, I really enjoyed #KarateKidLegends even with it's flaws. Ben Wang is going to be a HUGE star in the next 5 years as he is fantastic and has so much charisma! This needed to be 120 minutes instead of 90 as it moves way to fast. Still had fun though! — Josh Titan (@joshbecker659) May 28, 2025 Another added, '#KarateKidLegends is a good time. As a fan of the original and Cobra Kai, this film was simply fun easy watching. I really like the setting and stylistic choices. Ben Wang is brilliant. The legends are good fun as well, still enjoy seeing LaRusso. Fight scenes go hard. Solid fun," they added. #KarateKidLegends is a good time. As a fan of the original and Cobra Kai, this film was simply fun easy watching. I really like the setting and stylistic choices. Ben Wang is brilliant. The legends are good fun as well, still enjoy seeing LaRusso. Fight scenes go hard. Solid fun. — Matt (@Matt_2266) May 28, 2025 One account called it 'one of the best Karate Kid films by a landslide." 'Brilliant story and character moments. This is made with love. It setups up for BIG things to come in the most exciting way I seen since 2010. Bring your tissues but not because it's a sad movie," they added. #KarateKidLegends is one of the best karate kid films by a landslide. Brilliant story and character moments. This is made with love. It setups up for BIG things to come in the most exciting way I seen since 2010. Bring your tissues but not because it's a sad movie. — Another fan loved the action-packed feel, writing, '#KarateKidLegends is a fun & action-packed addition to the Karate Kid universe. Ben Wang is very likable as Li Fong & he's got an interesting backstory. For those worried about whether this would erase what happened in Cobra Kai, it doesn't. Also, a nice surprise ending!" #KarateKidLegends is a fun & action-packed addition to the Karate Kid universe. Ben Wang is very likable as Li Fong & he's got an interesting backstory. For those worried about whether this would erase what happened in Cobra Kai, it doesn't. Also, a nice surprise ending! — John Nguyen (@JohnSpartan300) May 28, 2025 For one individual, the film was 'predictable and very fast." But even with those issues, they still had a great time and shared, 'It's got a lot of heart. Bringing in fantastic new & legacy characters, it's a nice entry to the KK legacy. Ben Wang is great as lead Li Fong. Loved seeing Macchio & Chan together." #KarateKidLegends is a good time. Although, predictable & very fast. I still had a lot of fun — it's got a lot of heart. Bringing in fantastic new & legacy characters, it's a nice entry to the KK legacy. Ben Wang is great as lead Li Fong. Loved seeing Macchio & Chan together. — Jack (@JackkDoylee) May 28, 2025 Another review read, '#KarateKidLegends is an innocent & at times wholesome entry in the franchise. Ben Wang is a great likeable lead. Jackie Chan is always a fun treat. Ralph Macchio is sadly underused & the story is very predictable. Honestly die-hard fans will be lukewarm on it, the rest will love it." #KarateKidLegends is an innocent & at times wholesome entry in the franchise. Ben Wang is a great likeable lead. Jackie Chan is always a fun Macchio is sadly underused & the story is very die hard fans will be lukewarm on it, the rest will love it — Cris Parker (@3CFilmss) May 28, 2025 A person wrote, '#KarateKidLegends kicks a**! My biggest takeaway is the US has been severely deprived of Jackie Chan. Anyway, Ben Wang and Aramis Knight are bonafide action stars. There is some cheesiness, but it's hella fun, unites the franchises, and hyped me up for whatever comes next." #KarateKidLegends kicks ass! My biggest takeaway is the US has been severely deprived of Jackie Chan. Anyway, Ben Wang and Aramis Knight are bonafide action stars. There is some cheesiness, but it's hella fun, unites the franchises, and hyped me up for whatever comes next — K.E.V.I.N. Fenix (@FenixNests) May 28, 2025 Karate Kid: Legends follows Li Fong (Ben Wang), a skilled young kung fu fighter who moves to New York City. What starts off as a simple new beginning becomes something much bigger when he gets the attention of a local karate champion. With guidance from the legendary Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) and the iconic Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), Li steps into the dojo to prove that he has got the spirit of a true martial artist. First Published:
