Movies
Karate Kid: Legends - a walk in nostalgia and another stepping stone for the franchise
The legacies of Miyagi-Do and Mr. Han intertwine to usher in a new generation of champions on the streets of New York.
Who would have thought that the Karate Kid franchise would still be going strong almost 40 years after its premiere? Despite several attempts to keep the flame of nostalgia alive, it was going back to where it all began that rekindled the interest, allowing us to get a new movie. Karate Kid: Legends is the new cinematic installment in the franchise, which not only manages to connect the stories of the past but also paves the way for the legacy to continue.
Let’s make a new Karate Kid
The story of Karate Kid: Legends follows Li Fong, who, like almost every story in the Karate Kid saga, follows the story of a young man who moves to a new place. In this case, it’s New York, where he starts having problems with the local bullies. Although Li already has experience in martial arts as an apprentice of his uncle, Mr. Han, who now has a prestigious kung fu academy, he is not yet ready to face them. Therefore, Mr. Han resumes his role as a teacher and, with the help of Daniel LaRusso, Miyagi-Do Karate sensei, prepares Li for the Five Boroughs Tournament—New York City’s biggest karate tournament.
One of the first aspects to highlight is the performance of the characters. Ben Wang makes Li Fong a charismatic and compelling protagonist; his martial arts skills bring the action sequences to life, and he carries much of the pace throughout the film. For his part, Jackie Chan‘s return to the franchise is very well paced, while on the other hand, Ralph Macchio‘s appearance is a very token act but one that delivers. Although they have a more limited participation, they serve their purpose well: to be the masters who pass the baton to the new generation, embodying the tradition of the paternal figure.
Other actors of note are Joshua Jackson and Sadie Stanley, who play Victor and Mia, a father-daughter duo who run a local pizzeria and become Li’s first bond in the United States. The relationship with them brings a new dynamic to the franchise, as it is not just the connection of our protagonist with a romantic interest but the formation of a special bond with this family.
Kicks, nostalgia, and new challenges
The action in Karate Kid: Legends is everything you’ve come to expect from the franchise: dynamic, well-choreographed fight sequences accompanied by classic training montages. These shots of these confrontations are carefully crafted to deliver meaningful action, rather than quick camera changes where everything gets lost. Part of the appeal of these films is seeing punches and kicks, and it delivers.
Not everything is so impressive, however, and at times, the nostalgia feels like a crutch that prevents the film from shining on its own merits. Beyond the nostalgia and formulas of the past, some moments feel too much of a carbon copy of previous installments. These aspects aren’t terrible, but they did catch my attention throughout the film. That said, there are tweaks and changes to the narrative that refresh the formula.
On the other hand, while our main characters have depth, the antagonists, not much. It’s not like when we met the Cobra Kai guys in the 80s, we would have encountered a completely three-dimensional group of characters, but here the Demolition Gym members serve as villains without much development: they’re strong, dangerous, and... they want to collect debts. There’s no struggle of egos or honor. They’re simply bad because we needed a villain.
Karate Kid Legends manages to accomplish all its tasks. It is an entertaining family martial arts movie, which manages to convey the messages of self-improvement while remaining faithful to the spirit of the originals. The union of the classic actors with a new generation is achieved in a well-crafted way. Despite being worked over by nostalgia, it is the story of a new generation, so both Han and Larusso are more to support than to take the lead. In the end, the film manages to keep the Karate Kid legacy alive by breathing new life into it without losing its essence.
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