Karate Kid: Legends review – Reboot lacks the soul and heft of previous outings
The new film can't match TV spin-off Cobra Kai in terms of its treatment of legacy characters.
It is just over 40 years since the first Karate Kid film was released in 1984 to box office success. A sleeper hit, it spawned three sequels, a reboot in 2010 (starring Jackie Chan as kung fu teacher Mr Han) and hit TV series Cobra Kai, which finished after six seasons earlier this year.
Credit should go to John G Avildsen, who won the 1976 best director Oscar for Rocky and transferred that film’s "underdog overcoming the odds" formula to the coming-of-age story of teenager Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) taking on his bullies by learning karate from genial teacher/mentor-cum-surrogate father Mr Miyagi (played by an Oscar-nominated Pat Morita).
The character of Miyagi has now passed away (Morita died in 2005), but his link to Karate Kid: Legends is established from the outset by a flashback from The Karate Kid Part II (1986), in which Mr Miyagi reveals the connection between karate and kung fu in his style of martial arts.
"Two branches, one tree" is his mantra, and that becomes the motif of this sadly underwhelming next chapter in the franchise.
Save up to 30% on the latest releases at Vue in 2025
Are you a movie lover who always wants to be up to date with the latest releases? Then you're in luck, as RadioTimes.com readers can enjoy new films at Vue Cinemas for less.
Customers will receive up to 30% off films with Vue Pass, as long as they have a RadioTimes.com account.
It's a great time for new releases, with films such as Wicked, Nosferatu, The Brutalist and Moana 2 taking UK cinemas by storm.
Head to your nearest Vue to catch these movies and more for up to 30% less if you're signed up as a RadioTimes.com member.
The feature debut of director Jonathan Entwhistle (best known for Netflix show The End of the F***ing World) begins in Beijing, where teenager Li Fong (Ben Wang), the star pupil of Mr Han’s kung fu school, is reluctantly about to leave for New York with his doctor mother (Ming-Na Wen). She has a hospital job to take up and has forbidden Li from fighting after a family tragedy.
Of course, that does not last for long after Li is befriended by Victor (Joshua Jackson), an affable ex-boxer-turned-pizzeria owner, and his daughter, Mia (Sadie Stanley).
Victor is in hock to the owner of a local dojo, whose champion fighter Conor (Aramis Knight) - a bad boy with a man bun - is also Mia’s ex, so no surprise when he brutally puts Li in his place.
Li then takes on the role of trainer to Victor (recalling those rousing DIY training sessions from the Rocky films), so he can earn money to pay off his debt. However, it soon becomes clear Li is going to have to face Conor at the annual Five Boroughs tournament.
Cue the arrival of Mr Han to help him train, who then scoots over to California to enlist the aid of Miyagi’s heir, Daniel LaRusso, so their combined knowledge and skills can turn young Li into the city’s champion.
Read more:
- The Phoenician Scheme review: Wes Anderson's latest is a quaint tale of industrial espionage
- Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning review: Closing chapter is clunky but eventually exhilarating
All the familiar beats are present but this yarn moves at such a lick, even at a mere 90 minutes, that the formula is diluted to the barebones, and lacks the soul and emotional heft of previous outings.
Indeed, a scene of sensei double-act Han and LaRusso demonstrating their martial arts chops is reduced to briefly neutralising a few thugs after one of Li’s bouts.
Admittedly, six seasons of the Cobra Kai series set the bar high for its treatment of legacy characters. However, with iconic cast members like Chan and Macchio on board, hopes were high for a more meaningful match-up.
Even Ming-Na, who played formidable fighter Melinda May in the Agents of SHIELD TV show and has made multiple appearances in the Disney+ Star Wars franchise, is left merely looking either stern or fretful throughout.
Of course, there is a suitably crowd-pleasing if tension-free climax, although the best moment arrives post-credits, when a familiar face from the franchise puts in a hilarious cameo appearance that is worth its weight in gold.
Pity the previous 90 minutes could not match it.
Karate Kid: Legends is released in UK cinemas on Friday 30th May 2025.
Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
