Directed by: Jonathan Entwistle
Starring: Ben Wang, Jackie Chan, Ralph Macchio, Jonathan Jackson, Ming-Na Wen, Sadie Stanley, Aramis Knight
Karate Kid: Legends may seem on its surface like a money grab to capitalize on the success of Cobra Kai, but in its taut 94 minutes (including a ending credits sequence), it's engaging and fun. The movie follows the formula of The Karate Kid (both the 1984 and 2010 versions) with the hero moving with his single mom far away (this time from China to New York) and being bullied by the former boyfriend of his new girlfriend. He is then trained by not only Mr. Han (Chan-reprising his 2010 role), but Daniel LaRusso (Macchio) in preparation for a huge "5 Boroughs" tournament in which the finale takes place inexplicably atop a Manhattan skyscraper.
No points for guessing that Li Fong (Wang) and the baddie Connor Day (Knight) will meet in the finals, with Li having been beat up by Connor once before at school. Karate Kid: Legends does throw in an interesting curveball by having Li train his girlfriend Mia's (Stanley) father Victor (Jackson) for a boxing comeback match. Victor also happens to owe Connor's trainer a lot of money, and nearest I can recall, this story arc was never fully resolved.
Nonetheless, Wang is an engaging presence and the characters are likable. Even Ming-Na Wen, as Li's mother who forbids him from fighting as both process the beating death of Li's brother after a tournament back home, is sympathetic if underdeveloped. She stays out of the way as Li figures out, with Mr. Han and Daniel training him, how to defeat Connor in the upcoming tournament. Karate Kid: Legends isn't deep entertainment, but it works on its intended level without belaboring its points.
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