Despite a charismatic performance by Ben Wang, Karate Kid: Legends proves to be a lacklustre expansion of the Karate Kid universe with a lack of stakes to its story and scattershot focus to its filmmaking.
It’s hard to think of a better comeback story than the Karate Kid franchise. After fading into obscurity in the 1990s and a spirited soft reboot in 2010, it would be streaming series Cobra Kai that brought the once powerful film franchise back to relevance with its blend of 80s nostalgia and well-written characters.
It was only natural that the film-world would come calling again, yet Karate Kid: Legends proves to be a disappointing experience that exemplifies what is wrong with the studio film industry today, with too much emphasis on “world building” and all the odious shortcuts that comes with it.
Karate Kid: Legends focuses on the story of Li Fong (Ben Wang), a teenager from Beijing who moves to New York City with his mother (Ming-Na Wen). Although possessing kung-fu skills and creating a connection with local girl Mia (Sadie Stanley), Li finds himself at the mercy of Mia’s ex-boyfriend and local martial arts champion Conor (Aramis Knight). Seeking to stand up to Conor in a competitive bout, Li enlists the help of his kung-fu teacher Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) and legendary karate champion Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio.)
As the latest actor to take on the title of “Karate Kid”, the burgeoning Ben Wang proves to be a charismatic presence who delivers the right blend of physical confidence and emotional vulnerability to a character whose perceived strengths as a martial artist is given a hard reality check in the “urban jungle” of New York City.
Where Karate Kid: Legends director Jonathan Entwistle (I Am Not Okay with This) and screenwriter Rob Lieber (Peter Rabbit) drop the ball is in their failure to create the necessary stakes to a traditionally underdog story that lacks a true underdog, with Li Fang the most capable fighters in the roster of Karate Kid’s yet. A lack of focus in the storytelling – with too many sub-plots and too little character development – results in a movie that never seems to settle and breathe, which is ironic considering to “focus and breathe” is the films’ main mantra.
While it is fun to watch Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio trade barbs and martial-arts moves, the convoluted way their respective characters are brought together in Karate Kid: Legends reeks of studio greed at its worst; an example of “shared-universe” exploitation complete with AI trickery to tweak the Mr. Miyagi (archive footage of Pat Morita is used) backstory as one shared with Han.
The result is less an exciting new chapter in the Karate Kid story and more a retrofitted bastardisation of the classic films that made the Karate Kid story so memorable.
