Throughout my life, I have had an unusual relationship with the Karate Kid franchise. The first ever Karate Kid film that I ever saw was The Next Karate Kid, which was certainly an unusual one to be my entry into this world. Throughout the years, I have caught the other films from time to time through tv airings and a variety of home viewings. Due to this, I wasn’t too excited about the idea of another Karate Kid until I saw the trailer. Something about it made me think that this could be a rather interesting new chapter in the Karate Kid world. Is it worth a trip to the cinema? Let’s find out.

For those who don’t know, Karate Kid: Legends is the sixth film in the Karate Kid series. In this film, we are introduced to Li Fong, a young Kung Fu student who is forced to move to New York City with his mother after the death of his older brother. Forbidden to fight by his mother, Li starts training the local pizzeria owner on how to incorporate boxing with Kung Fu. Part of this is in order to curtail the restrictions of his mother, and the other is to get closer to the pizzeria owner’s daughter, Mia.

After an unfortunate accident happens and a visit from his former master, Li is set on a path to compete in the local Karate competition. While Master Han believes that Li has potential, he knows that he needs a master of Karate and recruits the original Karate Kid Daniel LaRusso to assist in training. 

The overall story of Karate Kid: Legends is extremely lean in its approach. Despite the fact that my description sounds like a very long film, this is not the case. Everything is introduced with more show than tell, which allows for the pace to be a little faster. Regardless, there are a few things that don’t get as much development as they should. The first thing that falls to the wayside is Li’s Mother, played by Ming-Na Wen. While she is rather steadfast in her lack of support for fighting, things eventually change for some reason that is not well explained. Considering that she is important in a few other parts of the story, it seems odd that this major change just happens. This makes her feel like she is more of a plot device than a character, which is a shame given how talented Ming-Na Wen is.

Another problem that the movie never digs too much into is the rivalry between Li Fong and Conor Day. Conor Day, played by Aramis Knight, is your run-of-the-mill bad guy who just happens to be the ex-boyfriend of Li’s love interest. While Conor Day is a proper jerk when he is on screen, there is so little development or conflict that happens between him and Li to really drive home this rivalry. Speaking of rivalry, the one person whom Li seems to fight with the most is himself. He is a character who struggles with what he should do, especially during pivotal moments. The film does a good job of showing that he is still suffering from the death of his brother. 

The fast pace of the plot means that there are a lot of unique sets that we spend very little time in. From Han’s Training Academy, to the Arena in the Sky, to the private Wrestling Ring, there are so many places that feel like they weren’t used to their full potential. Yet these settings were at least used for the bare minimum that the story needed to work. Some places get a whole lot of love, and we get to connect with them a lot more. The key place is the pizzeria that is owned by Mia’s father. It serves as a central point for the characters to meet up and a major plot point for the majority of the film. Another major set that is well used is New York City itself. While a good chunk of the film was recorded in Montreal instead of the Big Apple itself, the film does a good job, of giving the environment a New York sense of style. 

Overall, I believe that Karate Kid: Legends is a decent film to see this summer, especially for families. I do not believe that it is the best Karate Kid film due to some problems, but this outing does seem to prove that there can be new life breathed into this series should Sony desire it. The timing of this film seems a bit unfortunate given that Lilo & Stitch is still killing it at the box office, but I do not doubt that this movie will stand the test of time and be a beloved addition to the tale of Karate Kid. I hope that the next film will continue the story of Li and perhaps touch upon the lives of the two other Karate Kids who didn’t show up in this outing. If you are looking for other summer blockbusters for the whole family, check out my review of Lilo & Stitch.

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Karate Kid: Legends

7.5

Score

7.5/10

Pros

• Lean Story
• Good Action
• Doesn't Require Watching The Previous Films

Cons

• Some Characters Lack Development