“Karate Kid: Legends” tells the tale of Li Fong (Wang) who moves with his mother (Ming Na-Wen) from Beijing to New York City after a family tragedy. Fong, just before the move, is seen training secretly at Han’s Martial Arts School. Mrs. Fong takes a dim view to fighting based on said family tragedy, which is, of course, explained later. Once in New York, Li Fong goes through the trials and tribulations right out of the “Karate Kid” handbook: he meets a girl named Mia (Sadie Stanley) and immediately makes an enemy with the nearly psychotic Conor Day (Aramis Knight), a former flame of Mia’s and the current reiging martial arts champion of the “5 Borroughs.” Li also makes friends with pizzaria owner (and Mia’s father) Victor, a former boxer who’s in deep with the loan sharks. Li agrees to train Victor to be faster for one last fight to get him out from under. When that goes predictably south, Li calls on the services of Mr. Han to help him train for the 5 Borroughs tournament to win enough money to get Victor and Mia back on their feet. Along the way they will enlist the help of one Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) whose connection to the late Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita) mirrors Han’s connection with Li.
There’s a lot to unpack here in terms of plot, but “Karate Kid: Legends” feels like a very slight film. It clocks in at well under two hours and it feels like director Jonathan Entwistle is more interested in getting to the climactic fight rather than exploring these characters on more than a rudimentary level. Rob Leiber’s script also does the movie no favors, creating a caricature out of the villainous Conor rather than giving him any depth. Conor is just a snarling psycho, making Johnny Lawrence seem like a well adjusted guy. Also, the reason for Daniel’s arriving to help Li train, while intriguing, isn’t given enough room to breath. The differences between Han’s kung fu and LaRusso’s karate are often played for laughs rather than a merging of the two different martial arts. It’s a shame because the opening prolgue recreating the origin of Miyagi-do Karate in “The Karate Kid Part II” is cleverly changed to include the Han family and their form of kung fu. As Han (and everyone else) says, “two branches, one tree.” I would have really liked the film to take more time with this and really build up the characters so I actually gave a fig about their fates.
That said, “Karate Kid: Legends” is not a complete disaster. The cast does an entertaining job with the slight script, with Wang being a very compelling hero as Li. His style of martial arts and his athleticism make for a more dynamic fighter than Daniel on his best day. Chan brings his trademark energy to the role of Han and has some of the films funnier lines. Joshua Jackson (I can’t believe he’s playing a dad. . .boy do I feel old) is really good as Victor and Stanley has some legit chemistry with Wang as Mia. You want to see those two get together by the end of the film. Wyatt Oleff (“IT”) has some good lines as Li’s SAT tutor, and Ming-Na Wen, though underused, is always welcome as she demonstrates Dr. Fong’s fierce love for her son.
The fight choreography in “Karate Kid: Legends” is quite dynamic, almost too much so, with Wang flying all over the place like Jet Li in the 90s. It’s a stylistic switch from the more rudimentary martial arts found in the previous films and in “Cobra Kai.” If you remember, the big move for Daniel in the first film was a one-legged Crane Kick. In “Legends” Li has to perform this double-flip whirling dervish movie called the Dragon Tail. My how things have changed. Remember how every kid was practicing the Crane kick back in 1984? I couldn’t do this Dragon Tail thing if you dropped me out of an airplane and provided me with a soft, cushiony landing. Overall, “Karate Kid: Legends” is a diverting film, but I think with a little more care and patience, it could have been so much better! 3 Out Of 5 On Kendog’s Barkometer! So Sayeth The Kendog!
