Karate Kid: Legends Review: Jackie Chan & Ralph Macchio Deliver Entertaining Action
This classic story is a formula that's stood the test of time. Daniel LaRusso went through this journey in 1984, Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) finished it fifteen years ago, and now Li Fong takes the stage as our next karate kid (disclaimer: Hilary Swank didn't follow the formula the others did). Karate Kid: Legends knows the formula we're used to, plays into some of it, and changes things up a bit. The film starts with a flashback to The Karate Kid Part II, incorrectly labeled as being set in 1986 because it only takes place a few months after the first movie. We then catch up with Mr. Han, who has moved up from maintenance man to a revered shifu teaching at a kung fu school. We have our references to 'jacket on, jacket off,' and we find out one of his students is Li.
Li's mother (played by the superb Ming-Na Wen) doesn't want Li fighting, and she moves them to New York City. Eagle-eyed New Yorkers like me may notice that while the film uses NYC b-roll, the majority of the film is definitely not filmed in the Big Apple. As he's a fish out of water in this new city, the movie leans into that formula, but also brings in the series's first Asian lead. It's a smart choice because it's a franchise that's always leaned into Asian martial arts, so seeing him as the new kid allows a new perspective, while also painting a new protagonist who already has a background in kung fu.
But knowing kung fu isn't enough because he soon meets a girl named Mia (Sadie Stanley) and her psycho martial artist ex-boyfriend Connor (Aramis Knight). Connor is our new Johnny, and as he gets jealous of Li and Mia hanging out, he picks a fight that doesn't end well for Li. Like all the movies in this series, it showcases how strong our villain is compared to our hero, and we have to root for the hero to learn more and become better in order to eventually face off against the villain and (hopefully) win.
Wang gives quite a good performance here. He's not overdoing anything, and he genuinely feels like a kid who means well. He forms a genuine relationship with Mia with the potential of romance, and he's funny, while also being an incredible physical performer. Many of the martial arts stunts in this movie are performed by him, and you really get the sense that he could be the next Jackie Chan if he picks his projects right. He's already lined up for another high-profile supporting role in the next Hunger Games movie, and I'm excited to see what he does next. His work here is wonderful and the script allows him the chance to shine.
The film also makes him a bit more layered than the previous Karate Kids. Daniel and Dre were mainly upset as they moved into unfamiliar territory where they got bullied, so it was easy to pity them. Julie was acting out because her parents died, and even though Swank did a good job of portraying it, the script didn't give her enough there. Here, Li is grieving the death of his older brother, who was killed after a martial arts match. He feels guilty for freezing and being unable to help him. He's an interesting character who's been traumatized by the incident, and when he's put in a similar situation again, he makes the same mistake. Unfortunately, the script never really gives him a chance to fix his error.
The first hour subverts everything in an interesting way by having Li train Mia's father Victor (Joshua Jackson) in kung fu so that Victor can go back to fighting matches and pay off some debts. While this is a fun subversion and it's never boring, it feels so different from the rest of the movie, which is what was advertised. The main story here surrounds Li needing to get kung fu training from Mr. Han and karate training from Daniel LaRusso to fight Connor. But the film spends so much time on this subplot with training Victor, which ultimately leads nowhere and is so distant from the rest of the film.
It's strange to have Victor be such a prominent character during the first hour, and then once the real story kicks in with Li, Han, and Daniel, he's barely in the film at all anymore. It's also funny to see Ralph Macchio billed so prominently here. While he's just coming off of his lead role in Cobra Kai, Daniel doesn't show up until about an hour into the movie. The last half hour is where Karate Kid: Legends picks up quite a bit. We have a lot of fights, and director Jonathan Entwistle throws in some style we haven't seen before from this series, with slow-mo, freeze-frames, and comic book-style graphics. It was a fun style that won't work for everyone, but I enjoyed it.
As far as legacy sequels go, Karate Kid: Legends is no Top Gun: Maverick. The tournament idea is less interesting this time around and feels like it's thrown in there because Karate Kid movies almost always have one. Chan's performance in the 2010 Karate Kid movie had some of his best dramatic work he's ever put to celluloid, and while it's always fun to see him on the big screen, he's leaning more comfortably into his persona here. Macchio is just as good as Daniel as he always is. Stanley provides a wonderful amount of humanity to her role. Knight does a good job as the villain. He doesn't have too much screen time, but he gets us to root against him. Wyatt Olef plays Li's tutor, who's written to be a humorous fan favorite, but his performance hits a double instead of a home run.
Overall, this movie may not be as good as the original Karate Kid from 1984 or its 2010 remake, but it is certainly the best Karate Kid sequel ever made. You'll have a good time, especially if you're a sucker for those feel-good underdog stories where a kid moves to a new place and becomes the best around.
As ComingSoon's review policy explains, a score of 7 equates to 'Good.' A successful piece of entertainment that is worth checking out, but it may not appeal to everyone.
Disclosure: ComingSoon attended a press screening for our Karate Kid: Legends review. It is out in US theaters on Friday.
The post Karate Kid: Legends Review: Jackie Chan & Ralph Macchio Deliver Entertaining Action appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Epoch Times
11 minutes ago
- Epoch Times
Why I Believe in America's Story
My wife and I visited our daughter's home in an affluent Fresno, California, neighborhood not long ago. We strolled out back, and from the second-story veranda, she and her husband hung a large American flag, visible to everyone on the golf course below. Surprised to see it, I felt tears well up. This sudden outpouring of emotion seemed silly to me. My son-in-law noticed and expressed surprise. Choked up, all I could muster was, 'Well, I was born on the Fourth of July, after all.' My patriotism may have originated with my birthday, but of course it's so much more than that. Heroism, compassion, and altruism often move me to tears, and the United States of America encompasses all of these qualities. I don't claim to be a historian, but surely the history of the United States has more than its share of evocative tales. Briefly study any era of America's short history, and an inspiring story of hope, or courage, or selflessness, or community, will surely emerge. I was a schoolteacher for 30 years. While teaching American literature to my high school students, I focused on stories that elucidate those themes. In September, I would tell the story of my neighbor David McDonald. His company had an office in New York City that looked out onto the World Trade Center towers. He took the events of 9/11 personally, and a month or so afterward, he chartered an airliner for first responders. 'You folks have had a tough few weeks. You need a break. Any first responder that wants to come to California for a few days will be my guest, all expenses paid.' Regardless of where the crowd went in our little agricultural and cattle community of Clovis, California, New Yorkers' money was not accepted. The following year, the New York Police Department and the New York Fire Department asked Dave to be their grand marshal at the St. Patrick's Day Parade. Years later, at Dave's funeral, one of those firefighters came to say goodbye to Dave and said that trip literally saved his life from suicide. I would also find a chance to tell my students the story of Jerry Parr. There's an unobtrusive, often overlooked poster in the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library just a few hours south of where I live. It's for a movie called 'Code of the Secret Service' that starred Ronald Reagan. As a child, Jerry Parr saw the movie several times and decided to set his sights on becoming a Secret Service agent. He succeeded. Not only did he become a Secret Service agent, his detail ended up serving none other than Reagan himself who had become president! Amazing, but that's not all. He was on duty the day of the assassination attempt on Reagan, and it was he who made the decision to go straight to the hospital rather than to the White House, thus saving the president's life. Who would have thought? In the spring, I would teach my students that, at a minimum, a cursory knowledge of World War II is essential to understanding our world today. It is certainly the most cataclysmic event of the past hundred years, probably of the past one thousand, and possibly in the history of mankind. Stories of courage, heroism, and self-sacrifice are too numerous to tell. Yet those virtues are the summation of America's war involvement. 'There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends.' (John 15:13) All of America struggled for four years, and nearly half a million military members made the ultimate sacrifice to save our neighbors overseas from despotism and hatred. An overview of World War II was a precursor to teaching John Knowles' masterpiece novel, 'A Separate Peace.' It's set at a prestigious boys' school in New Hampshire, where the students would presumably be insulated from the unfolding horrors of the war. But soon, their sports and classical studies are replaced with training exercises preparing them for the battlefield—which had become their destiny. Told in retrospect with beautiful prose, the novel is written from the main character's perspective, and he comes to realize how much fear saturated those days. He learns that 'wars are caused by something ignorant in the human heart.' He is chagrined to learn that that includes his heart, or at least it did, until his best friend purified it with unconditional, sacrificial love. ' I was ready for the war, now that I no longer had any hatred to contribute to it .' It's a marvelous, poignant story of self-discovery, coming of age, and redemption—an American story. I carry these and so many other epic stories deep within. They comprise my psyche, my soul, and my being. It's no wonder I find genuine symbols of patriotism so touching. They indicate that others also deeply appreciate our America. This article was originally published in American Essence magazine.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
AJ McLean has 'constant reminder' of Liam Payne
AJ McLean has a "constant reminder" of Liam Payne on his phone. The Backstreet Boys singer grew close to the late One Direction star - who died in October aged 31 after falling from his hotel balcony - when shooting Netflix series Building the Band, and he has kept a recording of their final conversation because he felt the chat perfectly reflected the kind and funny person he knew Liam to be. AJ - who hosts Building the Band - told People magazine: "I've not deleted it. I've kept it on my phone as a constant reminder of who he was. He was a very positive, uplifting person. "He had a real quick wit about him. I don't know if it was the British humour or just him as a person. I think that was one of the things that him and I really, really gelled immediately with. "Both of us were sarcastic and fun and funny, and always making jokes and pranks and just having fun with everybody on set. "But also as an artist, he was extremely talented. Not only as a singer-performer, but as a songwriter-producer, and he truly did light up the room when he'd walk on set." AJ, 47, had known Liam for a long time but they got particularly close while the Strip That Down singer was filming his stint as a guest judge on Building the Band. AJ said: "We've known each other over the years since One D started, but this was probably the most lengthy time that we've ever really been in the same room talking about everything from music to sobriety to life." The I'll Never Break Your Heart singer got the chance to hear Liam's final music, and he hopes the record gets released one day because he thinks fans will love it. He said: "He hit me up when we had a few days off from shooting and sent me what would've been his most recent solo album, just to ask my opinion on the music... And I thought it was an insane body of work. It was so good. I hope somewhere down the road, somehow people get to hear it, especially all the One D fans."
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
AJ McLean Kept a Recording of His Final Conversation with Liam Payne on His Phone as a 'Constant Reminder' (Exclusive)
AJ McLean revealed to PEOPLE he has a recording of his final conversation with the late Liam Payne McLean says Payne was always "making jokes and pranks" while filming the Netflix show Building the Band Payne tragically died in October at age 31, a few months after filming for Building the Band wrappedAJ McLean will always have something personal to remember Liam Payne by. Speaking with PEOPLE ahead of the Netflix premiere of Building the Band, where McLean served as host and Payne as guest judge, the Backstreet Boys member revealed he kept a recording of their last conversation. "I've not deleted it. I've kept it on my phone as a constant reminder of who he was. He was a very positive, uplifting person," McLean, 47, tells PEOPLE. "He had a real quick wit about him. I don't know if it was the British humor or just him as a person. I think that was one of the things that him and I really, really gelled immediately with. Both of us were sarcastic and fun and funny, and always making jokes and pranks and just having fun with everybody on set." He continues, "But also as an artist, he was extremely talented. Not only as a singer-performer, but as a songwriter-producer, and he truly did light up the room when he'd walk on set." Building the Band was first announced in August 2024 and filming kicked off that summer. "The singers are in complete control as they seek to form their very own bands in individual 'booths' without ever seeing each other. All they have to go on is musical compatibility, connection, chemistry and merit," a synopsis for the show reads. "What will happen when the bands finally meet, and looks, choreography, and style come into play? With incredible performances, compelling drama, and one big goal — to find the next great music band — the stage is set for an unforgettable experience." However, a few months after filming wrapped, Payne tragically died in Buenos Aires, Argentina after he fell from his hotel balcony in October at age 31. Though McLean had known Payne for years, the pair developed a close friendship over the course of filming. "We've known each other over the years since One D started, but this was probably the most lengthy time that we've ever really been in the same room talking about everything from music to sobriety to life," McLean says. He adds, "He hit me up when we had a few days off from shooting and sent me what would've been his most recent solo album, just to ask my opinion on the music... And I thought it was an insane body of work. It was so good. I hope somewhere down the road, somehow people get to hear it, especially all the One D fans." Episodes 1-4 of Building the Band are available now on Netflix. Read the original article on People
