The amount you enjoy this movie will probably rely on how deep you are into the lore of this world, and I’ve only seen the original film. 

Karate Kid: Legends does one thing very well, and that’s combine the characters from all of its sources and make them interact in charming ways. Whether or not you think they get the time or purpose they deserve, could be wavering. Li Fong ,played by Ben Wang, is our new pupil at the front of this movie and his relationships with the rest of the cast is a real highlight. Jackie Chan is delightful back in a mentor role and everyone else is serviceable, except maybe the Disneyfied bullies. 

Thrown into the world of NYC, it adds an interesting backdrop that at times makes this feel like an origin story for Spiderman. That might be the beginning of the semi-problems with the story as it constantly feels like two separate movies while also being a carbon copy of Warrior mixed with Tokyo Drift. There’s nothing really new within the story so it has this generic film stuck to the screen at all times. Knowing exactly where this story is going makes it a struggle to have any emotional connection to anyone beyond the surface level. 

Could I go on and on and say it’s totally confusing, anti-dramatic, and most of the fighting is the worst part in a movie about fighting?Sure. But, I’ll move on to a few more things I enjoyed. 

It’s pretty funny! Wang and Sadie Stanley (Mila) have great chemistry and are the stand out of the many many story points. There’s a twist on the training montage that’s smartly crafted into the plot. I’ll say again, seeing Jackie Chan back in a movie was just a lot of fun and him playing off of Ralph Macchio will satisfy so many generations of movie fans. There’s also some great uses of on screen captions and a short recap flashback that actually works (looking at you The Final Reckoning). 

You’ll get exactly what you expect out of a safe movie like this, which can be fine for most audiences. The newest Karate Kid fits right into the world it has created, that I find just a little too cheesy. 

6.1/10