“Karate Kid: Legends” A Heartfelt, Nostalgic Entry of Beloved Series
- Matt Palmer
- Jun 8, 2025
- 4 min read
In “Karate Kid: Legends,” after moving to NYC with his mother, kung fu prodigy Li Fong struggles to let go of the past as he tries to fit in with his new classmates.
When a new friend needs help. Li enters a karate competition - but his skills alone aren’t enough.
With the help from Mr. Han and Daniel LaRusso, he soon learns to merge two styles into one for the ultimate martial arts showdown.
It’s good to see the “Karate Kid” franchise come back to the big screen. The series kind of stopped for a while after the 2010 remake/reimagining and once the “Cobra Kai” streaming series (which I still have to get to) started picking up steam, the series was beginning to make its comeback.
And, honestly, “Legends” is an absolute knockout - pun intended! This follow up to the 2010 movie, the original series, and even “Cobra Kai,” gives us a great blend of heart, honor and awesome karate action - mixed in with a few humorous moments.
From start to finish, the entire movie flows smoothly and, in my opinion, lives up to the incredible legacy that the movie carries. Also, “Legends” also brings the one and only Jackie Chan back on the big screen (more on that in a bit).
Just like the previous entries that I checked out, the plot can get a bit predictable here and there. But, the emotional depth that some of the scenes have easily makes up for it. The story involving Li Fond trying to fit in can be truly moving at times and there are quite a few times where we really root for him - not just for the karate segments but also for having a fresh new start.
The filmmakers do slightly change the formula during a few scenes where we see Li
Fond training an older pizza maker named Victor so he can protect himself from a few people that he got a loan from. During their interactions, we learn that Victor used to be in the boxing world and his scenes with Li Fond are easily one of the better highlights of the movie.
Another highlight of the movie I really enjoyed is the main tournament called the Five Boroughs Tournament, a city-wide martial arts competition. Not only is the karate moments during the tournament fun to watch and a little tense, the concept of a city-wide martial arts competition is rather cool and unique.
Like I said, “Legends” brings back Jackie Chan as Mr. Han from the 2010 movie. And, while Chan is getting older, he surely doesn’t miss a beat with his martial arts scenes. It’s also good to see Chan on the big screen since, if I remember right, he really hasn’t appeared in many big screen features lately (besides providing the voice of Splinter in “TMNT: Mutant Mayhem” - another good movie).
“Legends” also serves as a love letter to the series. This movie incorporates themes and even storylines from the original movies (and a bit from the 2010 movie and the “Cobra Kai” streaming series). We also get to see how Miyagi has changed the lives of both Han and LaRusso and how these two people still think about him today as they continue his legacy.
“Karate Kid: Legacy” is an entry in the series that both fans of the original series in general and recent fans (the ones who began to be introduced to the series after the introduction of “Cobra Kai”) can easily enjoy! Also, stick around for a quick scene that “Cobra Kai” fans will really like!
Cast: Jackie Chan (Mr. Han); Ben Wong (Li Fong); Joshua Jackson (Victor); Sadie Stanley (Mia); Ming-Na Wen (Dr. Fong); Wyatt Oleff (Alan); Aramis Knight (Connor); Ralph Macchio (Daniel LaRusso).
Writer/director: Rob Leiber (writer) (Goosebumps 2; Peter Rabbit); Jonathan Entwistle (director) (feature directorial debut).
Trivia: As this movie is set after the events of “Cobra Kai,” the movie’s original release date was pushed back by five months to accommodate for the “Cobra Kai” series finale’s release. An initial follow up to the 2010 movie had been in development since that movie was released in theaters. After development of that intended sequel slowed down, a new feature was confirmed to be in development in September 2022 that would mark a return of the original franchise.
MPA: Rated PG-13 for martial arts violence and some language (runtime 94 minutes)
Ralph Macchio was 63 at the time of this film's release, 12 years older than Pat Morita was when The Karate Kid (1984) was released.
As this movie is set after the events in Cobra Kai (2018), the film's original release date was pushed back by five months, to accommodate for the Cobra Kai series finale's release.
Despite being released 3 months after the series finale of Cobra Kai (2018), there is a 3 year gap between that finale and the start of this film.
On November 21, 2023, Sony released a video featuring Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan announcing they were both returning for the new movie as well as a global casting search for the new titular "Karate Kid."
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