One would think that the TV series Cobra Kai was enough of a lega-sequelizing for the Karate Kid franchise. From what I know that show already followed up on all of the still-living major characters from the 1984 classic and whatever plot threads were left from the initial run of films. But of course Columbia Pictures had yet to reach the peak of brand consolidation open for them by the fact of the existence of the 2010 Karate Kid remake that had not been folded into the series’ wider continuity (though it is certainly arguable it still hasn’t been). And so fifteen years after a Karate Kid movie has hit theatres, Karate Kid: Legends comes sold on bridging that gap with a premise wherein a new kid is taught martial arts by both Jackie Chan’s Mr. Han of the remake and of course the original Karate Kid Daniel LaRusso, played once again by a now middle-aged Ralph Macchio.
But what is there for the movie to be beyond that gimmick? Not much as it happens. It sticks fairly close to the established series formula of a kid moving with his mother to a far-off place, struggling to fit in as he immediately meets both a sweet girl he crushes on and her martial arts-savvy bully of an ex-boyfriend. Ultimately he is entered into a tournament against the bully and is taught to fight in roundabout psychological ways by a wise though humble mentor -in this case maybe without the humble part. The kid here is Li Fong (Ben Wang), a boy from Beijing who is Mr. Han’s great-nephew, an avid trainee at his kung fu school, who moves to New York with his mother, played by Ming-Na Wen. The girl is pizza counter worker Mia (Sadie Stanley) while the bully is the intense local karate champion Conor (Aramis Knight).
There is some slight diversion from trope here -particularly in how Li’s training with a master gets pushed well into the second act -Mr. Han is late in coming to New York to mentor him, and its even longer before Daniel enters the picture. And in the mean-time, whilst adjusting to the new environment, getting close to Mia, and evading Conor, Li becomes a coach in his own right to of all people Mia’s father Victor (Joshua Jackson) -a former boxing champion persuaded to get back into the ring after being attacked by the goons of his creditor -who also happens to be this movie’s iteration of the psychotic karate instructor. And it is a bit of a nifty subversion where for a time the Kid is the master to an adult re-learning how to fight. Victor in fact goes through much of the conventional Karate Kid arc by the mid-point, until the premise is required to start over again with Li. But neither of these characters are especially engaging and don’t have that personal chemistry that was at the crux of both the original film and the remake. It is simply going through the motions, which we are made to see again when Li more fully commits himself.
A mild point of dramatic tension added here is the trauma Li deals with over martial arts due to the tragic death of his brother at the hands of a violent opponent. And this backstory is articulated well enough through snapshot flashbacks, visual cues, and match cuts, but it is a very dull way of contriving inner conflict and giving Li’s fight some personal stakes. It’s not a beat the movie feels especially indebted to either as it only ever impedes his confidence in similar moments of violence.
As is customary in most movies he is a part of, Jackie Chan is a highlight -even if he’s not giving it quite the sum of his energy. This might be his first movie sidling into a grandfatherly role, though in training sequences he still does a few of his own stunts to show he’s still got it. He acts as an encouraging, open figure towards Li and it is cute and charming. But it also has almost nothing to do with the Mr. Han character he played in 2010, who was more stoic and haunted -honestly amounting to one of Chan’s best dramatic performances. Yet beyond the jacket exercise introduced in that film as a modern spin on “wax on, wax off”, there is no indication of any continuity. While Mr. Han speaks of his relationship with Li as being equivalent to Daniel’s with Mr. Miyagi, no mention is made of Jaden Smith’s character -whose relationship to Mr. Han was the cornerstone and arguably saving grace of that movie. But here it very much seems as though the filmmakers had merely heard that Jackie Chan had been in the remake, yet didn’t bother to actually watch it before inviting him back. His return here claims to bridge the two Karate Kids into the same continuity, but this film still seems largely ashamed of the 2010 version.
It is more than happy to indulge in nostalgia for the franchise around it though, opening on a scene from The Karate Kid 2, deifying the legend of Mr. Miyagi, and of course featuring the grown-up Daniel in the third act as a second mentor for Li. Macchio isn't as prominent as the marketing would have you believe and where his role in the story is concerned he is largely a redundant character -teaching Li little that Mr. Han hasn't already, and mostly there as an avatar of Mr. Miyagi's legacy, and to be frank as a loose tie-in to Cobra Kai.
The film is directed by newcomer Jonathan Entwistle, who is adept enough at hitting the conventional punches, but not at making them sting. While he can capture a nuanced portrait of New York, and even illustrates nicely a few sentimental beats, there is a disconnect where martial arts is concerned. Entwistle has the habit of shooting the training sequences and the fights with a lot of cuts and close-ups, as opposed to the sustained takes and wide-shots that often characterized these scenes in the original film. The result is that the action is a little more obscured and a lot more controlled, delineating its authenticity and by extent its narrative gravity as well.
Karate Kid: Legends really is just the basest form of its concept, living up to its minimal objective and not a whole lot more. It is a great piece of brand management and lore consolidation, but there is nothing at all interesting or exciting in this. Essentially it plays out the typical Karate Kid formula not once but twice, and neither time is it all that engaging. None of the familiar beats have any weight, Li is barely an underdog, barely an outsider (despite being raised in China he and his mother come to New York with flawless American accents). The relationship between masters and apprentice has no emotional tether and is greatly underwritten, and the fights aren't very visceral. Just another franchise extension, where the energy that once made it unique has been streamlined and calculated, sapping it of the power it once held. No Miyagi-approval freeze frame for this film.
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