Karate Kid: Legends – A Nostalgic Yet Flawed Addition to a Beloved Franchise
The Karate Kid franchise, spanning over four decades, has long been a touchstone for fans of underdog stories, martial arts, and heartfelt mentorship. From the iconic 1984 original to the Netflix series Cobra Kai, the series has evolved while staying true to its core: a young hero overcoming adversity through discipline and guidance. Karate Kid: Legends (2025), directed by Jonathan Entwistle, attempts to bridge the worlds of the original films and the 2010 reboot, uniting Ralph Macchio’s Daniel LaRusso and Jackie Chan’s Mr. Han to mentor a new protagonist, Li Fong (Ben Wang). While the film delivers moments of charm, action, and nostalgia, it struggles to find its rhythm, resulting in a mixed bag that entertains but falls short of its predecessors’ emotional depth.
Plot and Premise: A Familiar Formula with a Twist
Karate Kid: Legends follows a familiar blueprint: a young martial artist, Li Fong, relocates from Beijing to New York City with his mother (Ming-Na Wen) after the tragic death of his brother, a kung fu champion. Li, already skilled in kung fu under the tutelage of Mr. Han, faces the classic Karate Kid challenges—adjusting to a new city, navigating high school dynamics, and confronting a bully, Connor (Aramis Knight), who’s trained by a menacing sensei with a loan-sharking side hustle (Tim Rozon). Li also forms a budding romance with Mia (Sadie Stanley), whose father, Victor (Joshua Jackson), is a former boxer in debt to Connor’s sensei. The story builds toward the Five Boroughs karate tournament, a gritty, street-based competition where Li must merge kung fu and karate to triumph.
What sets Legends apart is a novel twist: for much of the first half, Li becomes the mentor, teaching kung fu to Victor to help him win a boxing match to clear his debts. This reversal of the traditional student-teacher dynamic is refreshing, offering a new angle on the franchise’s formula. However, the film’s ambition to juggle multiple storylines—Li’s trauma, his romance with Mia, Victor’s comeback, and the eventual arrival of Daniel LaRusso—leads to a rushed and cluttered narrative.
Performances: A Star-Making Turn and Wasted Potential
Ben Wang shines as Li Fong, bringing a captivating blend of physical prowess and emotional vulnerability. At 25, Wang convincingly plays a teenager, evoking an “adolescent Bruce Lee” with his lithe movements and earnest demeanor. His performance anchors the film, making Li a relatable hero whose grief and determination resonate. Wang’s chemistry with Sadie Stanley’s Mia is sweet and authentic, grounding the film’s coming-of-age elements. Joshua Jackson also stands out as Victor, delivering a warm, likable performance that steals scenes in the first half. His role as a down-on-his-luck father adds a layer of pathos, though the script underutilizes him in the final act.
Unfortunately, the film wastes its biggest assets: Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio. Despite their prominence in marketing, Mr. Han and Daniel LaRusso are sidelined for much of the runtime, appearing sparingly until the final third. When they do share the screen, their chemistry is a highlight, blending Chan’s comedic martial artistry with Macchio’s sincere gravitas. However, their limited screen time and the contrived way they’re integrated into the story—Han’s murky reasons for arriving in New York and Daniel’s even less explained involvement—feel like missed opportunities. The film leans heavily on nostalgia, with callbacks to The Karate Kid Part II and Cobra Kai, but these feel more like fan service than meaningful additions.
Action and Direction: Energetic but Overzealous
Director Jonathan Entwistle infuses Legends with a vibrant, kinetic energy, using creative flourishes like animated sequences and neon-colored graphics to appeal to younger audiences. The fight choreography, blending kung fu and karate, is a standout, particularly Li’s “dragon kick,” a balletic move captured with rapid cuts and slow-motion. However, the film’s relentless pace and overuse of uptempo music during training and fight scenes can feel distracting, undermining emotional moments. Critics have noted the “Scott Pilgrim-esque” video game graphics in early fights as an attempt to feel youthful, but these are mercifully dropped for the climactic rooftop showdown, which is visually striking and well-executed.
The film’s 94-minute runtime is a double-edged sword. It’s refreshingly concise compared to the bloated 2010 remake, but the brevity exacerbates the narrative’s lack of focus. Subplots, like Li’s friendship with his SAT tutor Alan (Wyatt Oleff), who provides comic relief, are underdeveloped, and the villain, Connor, is a one-dimensional archetype lacking the nuance of Cobra Kai’s Johnny Lawrence. The script, penned by Rob Lieber, feels like it’s checking boxes rather than weaving a cohesive story, resulting in a film that’s “more ambition than execution.”
Themes and Emotional Impact: Missing the Miyagi Magic
At its core, Karate Kid has always been about more than fighting—it’s about mentorship, self-discovery, and overcoming adversity. Legends tries to capture this spirit, with themes of blending martial arts traditions (“two branches, one tree”) and Li’s journey to overcome his brother’s death. However, the film lacks the emotional depth of the original or early Cobra Kai seasons, which balanced action with character-driven storytelling. Mr. Miyagi’s philosophy of mercy and balance is referenced but not deeply explored, making the film feel spiritually hollow despite its sincerity.
The film’s attempt to appeal to both nostalgic fans and a TikTok-era audience results in a tonal mismatch. While it’s heartwarming and crowd-pleasing, it’s also criticized for being “cheesy-sincere” and overly formulaic, lacking the subversive edge that made the 1984 film resonate. The absence of a compelling villain or meaningful character arcs for supporting players like Ming-Na Wen’s mother further dilutes the stakes.
Reception and Legacy: A Mixed Bag
Critics have been divided on Legends. With a 56% Rotten Tomatoes score and a 55/100 on Metacritic, it ranks below Cobra Kai (94%) and the original film (81%) but above the weaker sequels. Reviewers praise Wang’s star-making performance and the Chan-Macchio chemistry but lament the rushed pacing, thin characters, and lack of originality. Some call it a “breezy, feel-good” crowd-pleaser, while others label it a “missed opportunity” that pales against the franchise’s best entries. Social media reactions echo this split, with fans enjoying the nostalgia but decrying the “soulless” execution.
Final Verdict: Worth a Watch, but Not Legendary
Karate Kid: Legends is a likable, energetic addition to the franchise that succeeds in moments but struggles to live up to its title. Ben Wang’s breakout performance and the fleeting Chan-Macchio team-up deliver enough charm to make it watchable, but the cluttered narrative and lack of emotional depth prevent it from reaching the heights of the 1984 original or Cobra Kai’s early seasons. For fans, it’s a nostalgic trip worth taking, but newcomers may find it a pleasant but forgettable diversion. Stream it for the action and heart, but don’t expect the Miyagi magic.
Rating: 6.5/10