Karate Kid Legends (United States, 2025)

Karate Kid: Legends feels like glorified fan fiction. It has all the earmarks of something made by a fan primarily for fans. The overstuffed 94-minute feature aggressively strip-mines the previous five films (plus the series Cobra Kai) in an attempt to give Karate Kid lovers another dose of the universe they have come to love. That’s the Karate Kid M.O. and has been since the first film (which wasn’t even original in its own right) but this time it feels rushed and unfinished with storylines that are compressed and ultimately left feeling only half-finished.

The film opens with a retcon that attempts to explain how Jackie Chan’s Mr. Han (who headlined the 2010 remake) could be in the same universe as Karate Kid mainstay Daniel LaRusso (played by now-63-year-old Ralph Macchio). It’s a creaky conceit that ultimately feels as gratuitous as Daniel’s appearance. Macchio mostly stands around looking bewildered, perhaps wondering along with the rest of us what he’s doing in the film. The answer is simple: fans want to see Macchio. Attempts to put him into the Sylvester Stallone competitor-turned-mentor role in Creed are complicated by the presence of Chan, who previously established himself in the post-Pat Morita Mr. Miyagi role. There’s a sense that the movie would have been better with one or the other, although that would have deprived us of some amusing interplay as the two argue about whose style is better. (That scene is the one instance when this movie strikes gold.)

This is not the first time I have seriously wondered about the involvement of AI in the screenwriting process because there’s an artificial quality to the way the story has been constructed, relying so assuredly on elements from earlier installments. There one legitimately original aspect (the kid mentoring an over-the-hill boxer) is hurried on its way to open things up for the inclusion of Chan and Macchio. Here’s the checklist: boy (in this case, Li Fong, played by Ben Wang) relocates from a faraway place (Bejing to New York); boy falls for a local girl (in this case, Mia Lipani, played by Sadie Stanley); boy is bullied by girl’s ex-boyfriend, who also happens to be a karate champion (in this case, Conor Day, played by Aramis Knight); boy trains with a no-nonsense sensei (in this case, the duo of Chan and Macchio); boy defeats nemesis in the Big Karate Tournament. Throw in a disapproving mother (Ming-Na Wen) and a villainous sensei for the opposition (Tim Rozon) and all the tropes are in place. The movie is so by-the-book that I don’t even view it as a much of a spoiler to talk about the ending.

The casting of relative unknown Ben Wang (this isn’t his debut but his previous resume consists of TV shows and minor parts in movies) is a coup for the filmmakers. Wang brings energy, physicality, and charm to the role. However, despite being the titular character and the one with the most fully developed arc, Li’s story feels frustratingly rushed, especially after the first half hour. This limits the film’s ability to use Wang to his fullest. Chan and Macchio do what they’re expected to do; they’re icons, not characters. Some of the supporting performers, especially Sadie Stanley and Ming-Na Wen, gain recognition through force of personality not because their parts are beefy or especially well-written.

Karate Kid: Legends should play well for fans of the franchise. There are probably more of those than one might suspect – Cobra Kai never would have run for more than a season or two if that wasn’t the case. But the movie might have trouble attracting “outside” viewers – there’s no real hook to intrigue the uninitiated. The overall production is bland and overcooked and the reliance on nostalgia and regurgitation often renders things dull and routine. Been-there-done-that loses its appeal when one realizes those earlier instances were better and this one is riding their coattails, hoping no one will notice how little it brings to the party.

Karate Kid Legends (United States, 2025)