'Karate Kid: Legends' Review: A Spiffy Legacy Sequel That Respects The Original & Even Expands Upon It
Everyone, in one way, shape, or form, has seen or heard of the legendary 80s film 'The Karate Kid'. It was a pivotal film that not only introduced the titular martial art to the western world, but also became the cornerstone of subsequent films like it, be they direct sequels or otherwise. With a bit of hindsight, the film also serves as a sort of time capsule, capturing the essence of popular culture as well as the 80s in general.
Now, after almost 40 years since the original, the franchise has crane kicked its way into cinemas with 'Karate Kid: Legends' and is set to once again embed the love of the sport into the next generation with the help of new and old actors alike.
The movie wastes no time and plunges us deep into present-day Beijing, where we follow our protagonist Li Fong (played by Ben Wang), a practitioner of kung fu and student of Mr Han (played by Jackie Chan). However, Li's mother (played by Ming-Na Wen) is against the martial arts and fighting as a whole following a family tragedy. In order to distance her son from kung fu, she brings Li to New York, where they can start anew.
Unfortunately for her, this does not work, as Li uses his skills to not only defend himself, but also those he cares for. What follows is a series of training montages that not only see Li and a new friend develop their fighting prowess, but also help them develop their characters.
When you peel back the layers and look deep into the heart of this movie, you'll notice that 'Karate Kid: Legends' shares almost all the same plot points as the original movie that kicked off the entire franchise, with a few key changes that help avoid it being labelled as a true carbon copy. A kid from a different state or country goes to a specific place in the United States. There, the protagonist befriend a girl, and they develop the hots for each other, but the girl's jealous ex-boyfriend steps in and bullies the hero, often leaving him beaten and bruised after the first bout.
That is but a brief observation of the first act of 'Karate Kid: Legends'. Though the second act differs with a few key changes, rest assured that a large portion of the third act remains relatively the same as the OG. However, this isn't necessarily a bad thing, as it is the only safe way of introducing the story to a new generation while still pleasing original fans. Though it is nothing new and leans heavily on fan service, 'Karate Kid: Legends' is a unique legacy sequel that not only respects the original story but also builds upon it with a lovely entry to the franchise.
The writing and comedy of the film are neat and on point; not one gag felt out of place, largely due to its great execution. Not only that, the supporting cast of the film is highly enjoyable. Each character, no matter how small, adds the much-needed heart to the movie that not only prevents this entry from being nothing but a full-blown action movie, but also helps it retain that grounded, human aspect that made the original so iconic.
However, 'Karate Kid: Legends' is not without its flaws. One thing we really dislike about the film is its pacing. Due to the fast-paced editing that relies heavily on a lot of jump cuts and flashy imagery, we can't help but feel that the movie just goes by without rhyme or reason, and the story suffers for it.
Much like the original, 'Karate Kid: Legends' also features a deep story of loss, this time for the main protagonist. Had the movie decided to slow down and explore this key detail, we might have had a more gut-wrenching film that sends us on an emotional rollercoaster. This problem is compounded when you notice that it has a meagre 1 hour and 34 minute runtime.
If the film had an extra 30 or so minutes that were solely used to develop the characters with less jarring editing, we would have had a slam dunk of a movie that could easily rival the original. Furthermore, when you watch the trailer after the movie, you'd notice that so many details were cut, so much so that the tone and emotional weight of the film are totally different. Hopefully, one way or another, an extended version of the film might see the light of day for us to enjoy in the future, correcting all that is wrong about this movie.
Overall, 'Karate Kid: Legends' is an enjoyable legacy sequel that plunges us into the shared world of kung fu and karate. Packed with a loveable ensemble with a lot of heart in it, the film not only honours the original movie in every possible way, it expands upon it in many wonderful directions. However, its short runtime and overuse of jump cuts ruin the film's pacing, which could have been used to deliver an emotional ending that the film sorely needed.
'Karate Kid: Legends' Will Be In Cinemas 5th June, 2025.
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