1
0
Walking out of the theater today, I couldn’t help but wonder why this movie was made and specifically so close to the finale of Cobra Kai. The Karate Kid franchise has always been one of my absolute favorites and ever since seeing all the originals and subsequent spin-offs and reboots on the big screen like this one, I feel that it’s best to lay this one to rest for a while. It’s not the worse film I’ve seen but it is just OK and the cast is solid with a star making performance by martial arts prodigy and blossoming young actor Ben Wang, but his first big film is an entry in an iconic franchise that is sadly filled with tired tropes and forced fan service. The movie will most assuredly please some out there but just not this long-time fan.
Karate Kid: Legends kicks its way into theaters today and even with martial arts icon Jackie Chan and franchise mainstay Ralph Maachio leading the way, this one is KO’d from the start. I’m going to go into some spoilers here so if you haven’t seen the movie then stop reading now. Really though, these aren’t spoilers because we’ve seen the same thing over and over again. This installment is essentially a direct retread of the Jaden Smith film except that we go from Asia to America this time and not the other way around. Wang is definitely likable and radiates a little charisma and there’s no denying that he possesses great skill when it comes to the martial arts wizardry which is actually downright refreshing. If anything, the outcome is more believable because even before he starts training with our two favorite masters, he still probably could’ve beat who they got to play the Johnny Lawrence of this outing.
The plot is, well, the plot and it is without a doubt, the same as in all the movies with Wang’s Li Fong having to move to America when his mom, played by the always dependable Ming-Na Wen, relocates because of work. They travel from their home of China to the streets of New York City and before you can say wax on, wax off, Li meets and falls in love with the resident high school sweetie Mia played by Sadie Stanley and (Spoiler Alert) pisses off her former boyfriend Connor (Aramis Knight) who just happens to train heavily in Karate and also has a jerk for a Sensei who really never amounts to much. Connor commits to bullying Li because this is all unacceptable and beats him in a fight when they first tussle. Seriously, stop me if you heard this one before.
Fong has been training for years with Mr. Han (Chan) so he does have a little of what it takes but he’s going to need more than just Han (I think in real life he would be enough, but I digress) so Maachio shows up in the last third of the film to help train Li for a huge organized street fight that takes place on the streets of New York. Daniel’s presence is forced at best, and he really never has anything to do but stand around and give some advice on Myagi-Do to our protagonist and proceed with some playful banter with Chan’s Han. Maachio’s involvement is clearly a marketing one here as Netflix’s Cobra Kai spin-off was a rousing success. It is stated that this film takes place a few years after those events, but nothing is ever mentioned, and we really have no idea what Danielsan has been doing since except for hanging out at Miyagi’s old house.
Jackie Chan is always welcome on screen and here, he employs all his usual charms and a little of that old slapstick magic and swagger as he travels abroad to train Li for the big contest. I would have been fine with just having Chan do his thing, but we get Daniel for roughly a half an hour or so to satisfy audiences and remind viewers that Cobra Kai just ended its run. Even though this is shameless fan service, it still is kind of cool to see both Chan and Maachio team up for a little to make sure that Li has all the tools that he needs to win the day. Of course, he wins the day. Was there any doubt?
There are some side plots to be had with the best one involving Mia’s dad Victor played by Joshua Jackson who is a former boxing champ looking to redeem himself. Li bonds with his future father-in-law as he is sort of a father substitute and Li trains him to be more fluid on his feet when he centers the ring after a long hiatus. You know, float like a butterfly and all that. It’s refreshing that Victor accepts Li where in most cases he would have dismissed him as well as gave him crap for going after his daughter. These scenes I did enjoy, and they are the most original in the film that is bogged down by cliches that ultimately drag this one down.
The best part of Legends is Ben Wang himself like I stated, and he is more than ready for his big moment in the spotlight. He is a much better protagonist this time around than Jaden Smith was in the reboot and having an actor finally know martial arts was fantastic as he does bring some energy and fierce action design to the film’s many fisticuffs fueled sequences. There is one exceptional scene where Li saves Victor from thugs that just radiates old school Jackie Chan and I couldn’t help but feel that this was a nice little homage to the movie’s iconic co-star. The finale, however, is weak in design and could have been a tad longer but I’m sure that there are many out there that will eat this all up. I was bored with the usual routine even if the fights had a more professional and polished sheen to them.
Ming-Na Wen is always a sight for sore eyes but here she is relegated to being the stern mother who disapproves of her son’s training only to see the light of it all in the eleventh hour. She does the best she can with what her character is given but I enjoyed her so much more on The Mandalorian and hopefully she latches on to another solid project worthy of her talents soon. Aramis Knight is a walking, talking redundancy here as the villainous Connor and all he has to do is look smug, act like a douche and get his ass kicked in the end to the delight of the audience who will want to see him get what’s coming. He’s no Johnny and that is for damn sure but he does an admirable enough job to make you hate him so you can enjoy seeing him get knocked down by this entry’s version of the Crane Technique in the heroic ending.
I will tell you to stay after the initial ending logo before the end credits as there is a stinger scene that was enjoyable. the only problem is that when I saw who showed up, I immediately had wished that that particular character was more involved more here. I won’t spoil it for anyone who hasn’t seen it yet but I’m sure you can make an educated guess on who it is.
Overall, in terms of timing, this was a weird one as Cobra Kai was such a solid standout even if it did overstay its welcome a little. This movie is more of an afterthought and one that I will probably not venture in viewing again unless it’s free on a streaming platform. That series was on nostalgia overload, and it went off the rails a little here and there, but it certainly did things better than this latest addition. Legends is a pale continuation that was unnecessary to say the least. Jackie Chan is Jackie Chan and Ralph Maachio is around to make us smile but Wang is the true star here and he deserves a better vehicle than this one.
It is fun to see Maachio and Chan together on the big screen and those looking for more of the past will eat it up but, in my eyes, this one was made on the fly. I can definitely see Ben Wang segueing into more adult martial arts action fare and this film should catapult him there if it is successful enough. If I had to say anything more positive about Legends is that it is by leaps and bounds a better installment then the Jaden Smith version or The Next Karate Kid for that matter. I only ask that if we get more of these films in the future, please come up with some fresher ideas but this is Hollywood we are talking about so I will not hold my breath.
VERDICT: 2 Out of 5 Stars
Karate Kid: Legends is in no way a horrible movie, but it could have been so much more than the tired tropes and forced fan service we got in the end.
