I’ll admit, I did burst out laughing when I saw the trailer for Karate Kid: Legends. After multiple films, 1 movie reboot, and 6 years of a TV reboot that finished less than year ago, even I thought ANOTHER movie reboot was egregious and silly. I think the creative team behind the movie sensed this too, and made great efforts to keep this thing short and “sweet”. Well, sweet as reheated donuts I guess, if that’s even a thing.
After a hamfisted attempt to tie the events of 1980s Karate Kid movies to the 2010 reboot, we’re dropped in present day China. Li Fong (Ben Wang) is in emotional turmoil, trying to refind his personal balance under the tutelage of kung fu master Mr. Han (Jackie Chan). Just as Li thinks he’s making progress, his mom (Ming-Na Wen) tells Li that she’s accepted a job in New York City, and they’ll have to move ASAP. Initially, the move is a fresh start for both, as Li meets the adorable tough Mia Lipani (Sadie Stanley) and her tougher former boxer dad Victor (Joshua Jackson). But ghosts of the past in the form of karate, soon to be Andrew Tate acolyte Conor Day (Aramis Knight) decides it’s time to pick a fight with the new kid. Desperate to help his student, Mr. Han brings in a karate ringer, the other side of the bonsai tree, Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) from Los Angeles.
In martial arts, there’s the concept of no wasted movements. That’s what Karate Kid: Legends is in movie form. There’s no time for things like character development, plot rationalizing, or general story coherency. We have to get Li Fong ready for his street fight with Conor Day in 90 minutes: pure ruthless, plot efficiency. Why does Mr. Han fly across the planet without telling anyone? What kind of weird relationship does he have with Dr. Fong, you know, his NIECE? Did they run out of days for Joshua Jackson to shoot? Why is Conor a sociopath? Why is Ralph Macchio in this movie besides what was probably a hefty paycheck? None of this stuff is really important to the filmmakers, who see this as “padding” when instead they can give the audience what they think we want: innovative ways to use karate in the modern world, incredible montages getting battle ready, and epic showdowns on rooftops in “New York City” that looks a lot like Montreal Canada. And when those montages rock and the fighting is good? Heck yeah that’s what I want?
At least they cast the lead right. It’s the first, overdue time our Karate Kid is of Asian Descent and the good guy. Ben Wang is totally winning and lovable as our hero. He’s not given much to play besides “immigrant with a haunted past”, but being an immigrant himself, he finds just enough in there, plus a cute (but not at all believable) rapport with even more adorable Sadie Stanley and the other kid sports movie legend Joshua Jackson. Wang’s also completely awesome in the montages and action setpieces. One in a back alley rocks as he flies all over the place, and in general he’s more aerial in his martial arts work making the movie in a small part earn that big skyscraper showdown because he clearly worked hard for it. And just cause you’re wondering, Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio get one sequence to show off their skills; for the most part they’re in “sensei” roles here.
So if you want to turn off your thinking brain and just zone out and watch talented martial artists fly through the air in a macho ballet, Karate Kid: Legends is for you. You’ll also be surprised how much Joshua Jackson is in this movie. I really hoped he would talk about his upbringing in Minnesota, and his hockey background. Emilio Estevez, I hear you have a script for a Mighty Ducks movie? If they’ll shamelessly tap Karate Kid IP, I’m sure they’ll give Mighty Ducks another shot sometime soon. Ducks fly together! Two branches of the same kids movies tree!