Director: Jonathan Entwistle Starring: Jackie Chan, Ben Wang, Joshua Jackson, Sadie Stanley, Ming-Na Wen Running Time: 94 minutes
I’ll be honest, I was skeptical when I heard that the Karate Kid franchise was getting yet another revival. At this stage, we all know the dance. There’s a certain exhaustion that creeps in every time a legacy series announces a comeback- especially in this era of cinema seemingly marked by reboots and remakes that feel like photocopies of photocopies, each one a little more faded than the last. Half the time, they forget the soul of what they’re trying to revive. So the thought of paying full cinema prices for déjà vu? In this economy? Please be serious.
Enter Karate Kid: Legends. We’ve got the usual setup: single parent- always the mom (I’m still waiting for a real explanation for the Great Cinematic Dad Erasure™️), a reluctant teen in a new city, a meet-cute with a girl, and the inevitable scuffle with her aggressive ex or some vaguely territorial admirer. One thing leads to another and suddenly we’re in a dusty gym or back-alley dojo that smells like sweat and unfinished business. A tale as old as time- or at least as old as 1984. But Legends tweaks the formula just enough to make you sit up and actually care again.
The film opens at a Martial Arts School in Beijing, where Jackie Chan returning as Mr. Han leads his students with a combination of focus and fun. He is in his element, in the oasis that he has carved out in the hustle and bustle of Beijing. There is something deeply satisfying about seeing Mr Han again, and Jackie Chan returns to the role with ease, bringing a natural warmth to the movie that is ushered in by a wave of nostalgia. We’re not just picking up from nowhere; we’re threading through a legacy. It’s a reminder that this isn’t a hard reboot, but a continuation- a story still in motion.
In some ways this film sticks to the formula, but they do it well. When Li and his mom move to a new city, he must start a new school and be subject to a new social pecking order. There are definitely some similarities to the 2010 Karate Kid; a kid carrying a quiet grief, dropped into unfamiliar territory- except instead of Beijing, this time the foreign setting is New York. Loud, relentless and just as disorientating.
Then comes the love interest in the package of Sadie Stanley’s Mia Lipani. She’s introduced early in the film and their meet cute is marked by an NYC pizzeria faux pas, stuffed crust. From their first scene together, the connection is clear- playful and unforced. No drawn out tension, or will-they-won’t-they. Just two teenagers noticing each other and liking what they see- half curious, half cautious, fully cute!
The first act tows the line between comforting familiarity and predictability. A Karate Kid film cannot be complete without fight scenes (duh) so it’s no surprises when the unreasonably aggressive antagonist, Conor Day, makes his appearance. And he is so textbook; training at the gym notoriously full of brutes, coached by a violent, shady man who only knows the gospel of pain and really should not be speaking to kids the way he does. Li and Conor have multiple tense encounters that culminate in a schoolyard showdown and a challenge to face off in the “Five Boroughs Karate Tournament”. It seems like we’re heading towards the same old final act showdown. Cue the montage, right?
Wrong! Instead of barreling towards the assumed endpoint, the film takes a step back and switches the spotlight to a subplot that had been quietly unfolding in the background. Instead of being the young grasshopper in training for his big fight, Li steps into the position of teacher and his student? Down on his luck ex-boxer, Victor Lipani played by Joshua Jackson (yes of Dawson’s Creek fame), who is coincidentally the owner of the aforementioned pizzeria and the father of Li’s tentative love interest.
Li’s approach to training Victor is a clear nod to Mr. Hans methods from the 2010 film. Just as Mr. Han had Dre repeatedly take off and pick up his jacket to develop muscle memory and instill discipline, Li integrates Victors daily routines into his martial arts training. Victor’s work at his pizzeria becomes a training ground- kneading dough, pouring sauce, learning how to pack a punch so powerful it sends a gallon of oil clean across the counter. All mundane, daily activities repurposed to enhance his strength, coordination and focus. Everything is kung fu again. Even a ride in the NYC subway is a surprisingly nonjudgmental setting to get a workout in. The methods reinforce the idea that kung fu is not just about combat but finding harmony and purpose in everyday actions.
Just when you think the film is settling into a familiar rhythm, it throws a curve ball. Victor steps into the ring and, against your better judgement, you’re rooting for him. After all, everyone loves an underdog. The fight that ensues is gritty, emotional and ultimately heartbreaking. The outcome leaves our protagonist, Li, grappling with feelings of guilt and unfinished business. This pivotal moment shift the narrative focus back to Li, and places him in a position where despite his trauma and reluctance, he must once again enter the arena as a contender in a karate tournament.
The third act isn’t just a climax, it’s a culmination. It reminds us that legacy isn’t just a backdrop here; it’s a living breathing thing. The film doesn’t waste its biggest trick. Just when it has rooted you in the present, it folds time back on itself. Seeing Mr. Han and Daniel LaRusso share the screen was one of the greatest highlights in this film to me, it didn’t feel like fan service. It felt earned. Two masters, two legacies, one student bridging the gap. Two branches, one tree. They don’t steal the spotlight, instead they root the film in something deeper that what we can see onscreen. The training montage that follows is a blend of kung fu and Miyagi-Do karate, symbolizing the union of two iconic legacies, and the visual merging of two martial arts lineages that have shaped this franchise across continents and decades.
Li’s final match in the karate tournament is set atop a New York City skyscraper, a visually stunning backdrop that underscores the high stakes of the match. I got the sense that it wasn’t just about the pomp and circumstance of the final showdown, but also about the choices that came before the fight. Li’s growth as a character doesn’t come from the applause of the crowd or winning the day, but from his choice to stay, and show up, and keep breathing through the moment even when he just wants to run or give up. The final fight is entertaining and intense, but when Li finally executes the adapted flying kick, it’s not just a physical triumph but an emotional catharsis. The sum total of everything he had to experience and overcome to get to this moment.
To me, Karate Kid: Legends wasn’t about who wins the fight. It’s about who is still standing when the dust settles- who grows, who heals and who cares to try again. In my opinion, the director, Jonathan Entwistle didn’t just reheat the old plot, he actually cooked. In a cinematic landscape saturated with live action remakes and reboots, Karate Kid: Legends emerges as a thoughtful continuation to a beloved franchise. This film bridges the gap between the original Karate Kid series, the 2010 reboot, and the Cobra Kai series, creating a unified universe that honors its predecessors while introducing new narratives.
(4 / 5)