Karate Kid: Legends

If you are not from Generation X you are not going to appreciate this movie. This movie pays homage to Mr Miyagi the original Pat Morita. Definitely not a woke remake.

"Olives on… olives off" 😄

“Karate Kid: Legends” tries to balance tradition and fresh ideas within a familiar formula, but instead of building a solid narrative, it settles for an inconsistent, episodic structure that flips between moments of charm and total narrative drift. The result is a curious cinematic experience—entertaining in parts thanks to its cast and the appeal of martial arts training—but it stumbles by never really knowing what story it wants to tell… or when to actually start telling it.

The protagonist, Li Fong (Ben Wang), is easily the film’s strongest element. Wang has a natural charisma—he moves smoothly between his character’s insecurity and growing confidence, and he carries much of the movie with ease. His move to New York kicks off the main conflict, and his dynamic with Mia (Sadie Stanley) works well within the film’s light, teen-oriented vibe. The issue is that, even though the first half hints at something a bit more grounded—including a twist involving Mia’s dad and a fight over money—the script quickly drops that subplot and shifts back to a predictable journey of tournaments, bullies, and personal growth. But that more classic arc comes in way too late to have the emotional punch it’s clearly aiming for.

The late arrival of key characters like Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) and Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) only adds to the structural imbalance. Both are major selling points in the marketing and central to the hype around the movie, but they take so long to show up—especially Macchio, who doesn’t appear until after the first hour—that they feel more like special guest cameos than integrated parts of the story. When they finally do share scenes, there’s undeniable charm: the humor is light, and the chemistry surprisingly solid. But those moments make up a tiny portion of the runtime, and it’s just not enough to make up for the film’s earlier aimlessness.

Visually, “Karate Kid: Legends” is polished and competent. The direction is steady, though not particularly bold or innovative. The fight scenes—though there aren’t that many—are shot with enough clarity and energy to keep things exciting. The soundtrack adds to the laid-back, youthful tone of the film, dropping in upbeat tracks to highlight motivational beats, though none of the music really sticks. The pacing, however, suffers from the script’s structural confusion. The first half feels like one kind of movie, the second half like another, and the transition between them is too clunky to make the whole thing feel like a cohesive journey.

The final arc—Li facing off against the antagonist in a tournament—isn’t necessarily a problem on its own, especially since the film does try to go for emotion and personal triumph. But what’s missing is real tension, clearer stakes, and most of all, stronger character development. The villain is one-note, the tournament feels rushed, and while Li’s journey is likable, it lacks depth. Everything unfolds in such a formulaic, by-the-numbers way that it’s hard to really feel the characters’ struggles or victories.

Overall, “Karate Kid: Legends” is a film that entertains more because of its likable cast than the strength of its story. There’s nothing especially fresh or deep here, but there’s also nothing downright bad or offensive either. It’s light, teen-friendly, and easygoing—flirting with different narrative paths but ultimately settling for just doing the basics reasonably well. If you’re just looking for something simple, with martial arts, a moral lesson, and a charming lead, it might do the trick. But if you were hoping for a major milestone or a bold new chapter in the franchise, the whole “Legends” title ends up feeling more like an unfulfilled promise.

So much info for a 90mins movie. They wasted Jackie and Macchio.

There's only one karate kid and its Johnny Lawrence. No mercy.

Since this move is something that I'd call a reboot-sequel that's retcon, then I'm so very sure that it'll be flushed down the 🚽.

They are milking the shit out of something that should have stayed in the 80s. Cobra Kai started mid but ended very bad with so many unnecassery extra seasons

this is one of those movies we don't need...doesn't have any of the cobra Kai characters ..and do you really want to reboot this