Review: New 'Karate Kid' Ben Wang gives 'Legends' some needed kick
Since the 1980s, a comfort-food formula has worked well for the “Karate Kid” films: one martial-arts youngster, one wise old master, at least one villainous bully (a whole evil dojo is preferred), one bad-guy sensei and a karate tournament involving a cool kick.
“Karate Kid: Legends” (★★½ out of four; rated PG-13; in theaters May 30) dares to mess with these sports movie tropes in an effort to bring together the disparate components of the Miyagi-verse. Namely, this one’s got two wizened veterans in OG karate kid Ralph Macchio and kung fu guru Jackie Chan (from the 2010 "Karate Kid" reboot). It’s an all-star swing that doesn’t totally connect, and is not even the most interesting variation on a theme here. Fortunately, the movie’s fresh-faced protagonist is likable enough to forgive its bumps and bruises.
Like Macchio in 1984’s first “Karate Kid,” Ben Wang is ripe for "next big thing" status playing Li Fong, a teen who moves from Beijing to Brooklyn for a fresh start with his mom (Ming-Na Wen) after the death of his brother. Unlike Daniel LaRusso, however, Li knows his stuff: He’s trained in kung fu by his longtime shifu and great-uncle, Mr. Han (Chan), but his mother is dead set against her boy fighting.
This is a “Karate Kid” movie, so that’s inevitably going to happen. Struggling to fit in, Li meets and befriends classmate Mia (Sadie Stanley), which angers Mia’s aggressive karate-champ ex, Conor (Aramis Knight). Conor beats Li down a couple times, Han comes to visit, and Li enters the Five Boroughs tournament (where of course a fight against Conor is destined to happen).
Han then takes a trip to Southern California to recruit sensei Daniel to teach Li karate. But not just any karate – karate from Mr. Miyagi, Han’s old friend and Daniel's beloved teacher.
Do you need to watch 'Cobra Kai' before 'Karate Kid: Legends'?
What old-school “Karate Kid” lovers and newer “Cobra Kai” fans probably should know is that “Legends,” directed by Jonathan Entwistle (“I Am Not Okay With This”), is more of a quasi-sequel to Chan's "Karate Kid" movie than a throwback to the franchise's early days. It definitely carries over the “Everything is kung fu” vibe, especially with Li and Han, and Daniel doesn’t even show up until well into the latter half of the movie.
Macchio and Chan do have a fun rapport in the training scenes, when their characters get Li into fighting shape but also playfully knock him around a bit. Wang is an excellent straight man for those two, and the young actor exudes an electric, everyman appeal – there’s no way you’re not rooting for this kid to kick Conor right in his stupid face.
Like William Zabka back in the day, Knight nicely inhabits the unstoppable karate villain role, though the movie begs to spend a little more time with him. One of the most memorable aspects of the original “Karate Kid” is that Cobra Kai was this fearsome collective goliath against underdog Daniel, and that just doesn’t happen with Conor’s somewhat generic Demolition dojo.
The flip of the script that really works is the relationship between Li and Mia’s dad, Victor (Joshua Jackson). A former boxer who runs a pizza joint, Victor sees Li’s speedy moves and wants the kid to teach him kung fu for an upcoming fight to raise some dough and get out from under the loan shark who’s also Conor’s sensei (Tim Rozon).
To a degree, that’s the movie, and the other “Karate Kid” ephemera seems to surround it without ever making as much of an emotional mark. “Legends” mostly ignores the winning campiness of the original flicks and the over-the-top quality that made “Cobra Kai” a hit. It's a well-cast installment made to be an entry point for this generation, with Li’s fights all being streamed by phone-wielding peers, though it lacks the timeless, rousing punch of previous outings.
How to watch 'Karate Kid: Legends'
"Karate Kid: Legends," the sixth "Karate Kid" film and the latest installment of the Miyagi-verse, is in theaters nationwide May 30. Directed by Jonathan Entwistle, the martial arts drama stars Ben Wang, Jackie Chan, Ralph Macchio, Sadie Stanley and Joshua Jackson. It's rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association "for martial arts violence and some language."