In Karate Kid: Legends, charismatic characters and a lighthearted story kung fu* fight cheap filmmaking. No one would have blinked if this one would have gone straight to a streaming channel, but the latest in this resurgent franchise (looking at you, “Cobra Kai”) is a charming little action-comedy-drama worth a few flying kicks.
For those wondering, Jackie Chan has a surprisingly small role—or better said, the biggest name in the movie doesn’t dominate the story. Rather, director Jonathan Entwistle wisely puts young-ish Ben Wang front and center, introducing the world to a charismatic actor who endears the audience to his character Li Fong in the film’s opening moments. Wang is a star through and through, delivering a mix of humor, charm, levity—and yes, plenty of action.
The cast is what sells Karate Kid: Legends. Wang aside, the actress who plays his romantic interest, Sadie Stanley, has a constant glow about her. The chemistry between the two is outstanding for a movie that otherwise has a rent-a-script feel to it. The same could be said for Joshua Jackson, who also jives with Wang incredibly well. Chan brings his signature goofy humor to the mix, and Ralph Macchio, returning as original Karate Kid legend Daniel, fits in more than he serves as a distraction.
Everything else is so-so, just good enough to warrant a matinee showing (you could easily wait to see this one at home too). It’s harmless if uninspiring filmmaking, with action scenes that range from decent (if over the top) to pretty bad (the one scene where fighting legend Chan actually gets to fight, it looks like Entwistle went on a bender and just staggered through the scene, swinging the camera around like a wild person). The music that overlays each fight scene is also laughably bad, as if the studio went onto Instagram to see what kind of background music they could apply for no royalties.
The less you think about the specifics the better. Li enters a karate competition called The 5 Burroughs, which has a pretty hefty payout despite small crowds and no obvious sponsors. The fact that the mean antagonist just happens to be Li’s fledgling girlfriend’s ex is pretty convenient. There are many other shortcuts throughout.
Karate Kid: Legends’ bigger sin is that while overall it feels like the right length (about 100 minutes), certain things feel rushed. Daniel’s addition to the movie is inspired but underutilized; he feels shoehorned into the plot and a side bit at best. And Entwistle oddly skims through several of the sudden death karate matches; a montage is to be expected but the lead up to the climactic fight goes too fast. And then everything wraps up in a nice tidy hachimaki at the end.
Karate Kid: Legends won’t win any awards, nor is it a must-see, but Wang and the rest of the cast make it a crowd pleaser nonetheless.
*For the record, yes, I realize karate and kung fu are not the same thing—but with Jackie Chan in play, the movie actually addresses that issue.
Review by Erik Samdahl.