I recommend Karate Kid: Legends, but it’s a far cry from the Karate Kid of my youth. Speaking as an old man shaking my fist at clouds, the reason the first Karate Kid is a classic in every sense of the word is the fact that the character of Daniel LaRusso was us. He was a kid with no special skills or superpowers, but he learned karate in much the same way we as kids learn karate or kung fu—someone taught us. Daniel performed chores around Mr. Miyagi’s home as a way of learning karate. In Karate Kid: Legends, Li is already accomplished in kung fu. For most viewers, who haven’t dedicated years to training, Li’s skill level is unattainable.
If anything, Karate Kid: Legends is a film for the younger generation, specifically Gen Z. Li is of that age. He listens to hip-hop (which is popular among Asian teens). The fighting is at the level of Hong Kong Kung Fu (no wires), and bursts of video game-style graphics are strewn throughout the competitions. The only thing that you don’t find in teen films is an actual love story, or a New York City with little traffic and thriving local businesses in every storefront.
“The retelling of Karate Kid 2, with, I assume, an AI-generated Mr. Miyagi…”
I appreciate the attempt to blend Mr. Han and Mr. Miyagi’s style of fighting. I could nitpick it to death, but in the end, this is a young teen’s movie and should be taken seriously as such. The retelling of Karate Kid 2, with, I assume, an AI-generated Mr. Miyagi, is just something I won’t get used to. You just have to accept these things or you’re going to be pouting throughout the film, and that’s no fun.
Ben Wang is fantastic Jonathan Entwistleas our film’s hero. He fights well and gives a good emotional performance—even the romance with Sadie Stanley as Mia is heartwarming. Joshua Jackson can start taking George Clooney roles. Ming-Na Wen is always a delight on screen, and here she gets enough screen time to make the journey worth it. I’ll just say that many of the film’s subplots wrap themselves up too quickly and too neatly. But this is for young teens.
Jonathan Entwistle’s Karate Kid: Legends may not be the Karate Kid story we grew up with, but it offers a new generation their own martial arts hero in Li Fong. While longtime fans might miss the grounded realism of Daniel LaRusso’s humble beginnings, this new installment modernizes the franchise with high-energy fight sequences, a Gen Z lens, and a fusion of kung fu and karate. Ultimately, it’s a heartfelt coming-of-age tale that honors the past while forging a path forward.
"…it’s a far cry from the Karate Kid of my youth."
