Karate Kid: Legends (2025) - Film Review

      Karate Kid: Legends, 2025.

      Directed by Jonathan Entwistle.

      Featuring Ben Wang, Jackie Chan, Ralph Macchio, Joshua Jackson, Sadie Stanley, Ming-Na Wen, Aramis Knight, Wyatt Oleff, Shaunette Renée Wilson, David Robitaille, Tim Rozon, William Zabka, and Pat Morita.

      SYNOPSIS:

      After kung fu talent Li Fong moves to New York City, he draws unwanted attention from a local karate champion and sets off on a quest to compete in the ultimate karate tournament, aided by Mr. Han and Daniel LaRusso.

      The first indication that director Jonathan Entwistle’s Karate Kid: Legends (with a screenplay by Rob Lieber, based on characters created by Robert Mark Kamen) is narratively disjointed appears early on during a meet-cute between Beijing newcomer Li Fong (Ben Wang) and New Yorker Mia (Sadie Stanley) at her father Victor’s (Joshua Jackson) struggling pizza business. There’s a mix of fish-out-of-water humor and evident attraction between the teens (which includes Mia calming her father after a humorous reaction to the request for deep dish pizza), but the scene abruptly shifts to the next morning before Li can even receive his order. This jarring sequence, marked by disorienting editing from Dana E. Glauberman and Colby Parker Jr., continually hinders engagement with the film, whether through a heavily chopped narrative or chaotic cuts during tournament fights that are more montage than actual scenes, on top of the already excessive training montages.

      The stark reality is that this legacy sequel shows little regard for its characters, which is disappointing since they could be likable and worth rooting for if the filmmakers had given them that chance (the young actors are not at fault here, and are the film's sole redeeming aspect). Moreover, it seems this film wasn’t originally intended to be a legacy sequel, given the abrupt plot transitions that introduce Jackie Chan (returning as Mr. Han from the Jaden Smith-led sequel) and original karate kid Daniel LaRusso, culminating in a glorified 10-minute cameo by Ralph Macchio, where he trains Li, merging karate with kung fu. Both characters held significant importance to the late Mr. Miyagi, portrayed iconically by Pat Morita, who is briefly shown in an archival scene intended to set up the car crash connecting these films.

      Li’s story begins with him defying his mother’s (a nameless role played by Ming-Na Wen, which reflects the lack of thought put into her character) wishes to avoid all fighting after their move to New York. He leverages his kung fu training from Mr. Han to help Victor prepare for a boxing match, which has a cash prize substantial enough to save his pizza shop—a refreshing twist on the typical narrative. However, this character development is rushed in favor of fan service. Li’s backstory of losing his brother in a disturbingly ridiculous manner, which somehow made it into the script, is equally startling; even more so is the expectation that audiences will be emotionally invested.

      As anticipated, Mia has a bad-boy ex who might complicate her budding relationship with Li. Her ex-boyfriend, Conor (Aramis Knight), is also skilled in karate and is competing in a tournament called “The Five Burroughs,” which conveniently offers a prize that could save the pizza place if Li has the bravery to enter. Additionally, Victor has borrowed money from Conor’s father to start the pizza shop, creating a situation where his henchmen are always prepared to confront him.

      Karate Kid: Legends runs for approximately 82 minutes, excluding the end credits and epilogue sequence. Each act could have been developed into its own film. Instead, we are left with this cumbersome disappointment that fails to deliver exhilarating battles. The fight scenes are interrupted by video game-like graphics, such as +1 points, and typically last around 20 seconds, devoid of urgency or emotion. More focus is placed on training montages. There is, however, an ironic amusement in how a film filled with wise mentorship lines, like “don’t be like a rock, be more like flowing water,” flows as smoothly as falling flat while attempting a dragon kick.

      Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★

      Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association, Critics Choice Association, and Online Film Critics Society. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews and follow my BlueSky or Letterboxd.